DILI, 10 march 2023 (TATOLI) – Despite being one of the most famous tourist attraction islands in Timor-Leste, 88% of Ataúro’s population still does not have access to clean drinking water.
Thousands of people on the island are continuing to suffer from poor access to water, sanitation, and hygiene, according to the Head of the Department of Water and Sanitation of Ataúro Municipality, Bonifacio Soares.
“Of all 2,454 families, only 286 (12%) households have access to safe drinking water. Yet over 2,168 (88%) households do not have access to sufficient clean water,” Soares said in Ataúro.
Currently, these 286 families have access to clean water piped from the ‘Berau’, ‘Tulai’, and ‘Egoa’ springs.
“Of the five villages, only the communities of Maumeta and Beloi have access to clean water. While most communities in Macadade and Biqueli do not have access to tap water. In addition, Maquili village is the only village located near the springs with abundant water, but people living in the highlands of the village still have no access to clean water,” Soares explained.
He said due to difficult terrain which often causes rock-fall and landslides makes it difficult to provide continuous clean water to the communities.
“Many communities use only rainwater, saltwater, and groundwater for daily consumption. We planned to distribute drinking water to these communities, but the condition of the road makes it impossible to travel to these areas. Thus, we thank the government of Timor-Leste, through Bee Timor-Leste (BTL), for their plans to install the water supply system to pipe potable water to the entire island,” Soares emphasized.
He said many communities are still waiting for the water supply to be installed by BTL in the very near future.
The Head of Biqueli village, Daniel Martins lamented that more than 140 households in his village have not had access to clean drinking water since the country gained its independence.
“In our proposal submitted to BTL and Ataúro Authority, we demanded the installation of water supply systems to provide clean water to my people,” Martins said.
Serilio Cabeca Sarmento from Maumeta village said that water is one of the most difficult things to have in Atauro.
“The tap water comes once a day, from 7 to 8 in the morning. We have no money to drill the water well. Therefore, the government should drill big water well to provide enough water for the entire population of the island,” Sarmento suggested.
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Nelia Borges
