Planning for drought, reducing workloads and increasing accessibility - Timor-Leste
In a drought prone country such as Timor-Leste where many communities rely on natural water sources, running out of fresh, clean water is a real risk. Throughout 2018 and 2019, three communities (Caivaihoo, Uairiu and Liamida aldeias) in Viqueque Municipality watched their water source, a local spring, dry up.
The communities relied on the spring water for drinking, cooking and cleaning. With the water drying up, the women and girls (traditionally responsible for collecting water) had to walk up to three kilometres many times a day to fetch water.
Disaster READY has been working with communities in Viqueque to support the development and implementation of Community Disaster Risk Reduction Plans. As part of this process, the Caivaihoo, Uairiu and Liamida communities agreed to establish a water tank in Caivaihoo to ensure they had a store of fresh water throughout the drier months and during drought. The tank was installed in July 2019 and it resulted in additional benefits for the communities. Women and girls no longer needed to walk long distances to collect water when the spring ran low or dried up. It also people with disabilities had beet access to clean water.
Above: Joaninha da Costa has enjoyed a reduced workload now that she no longer needs to spend many hours a day collecting water during drought. Image: Felisbertino Ximenes, CARE International in Timor-Leste.
Caivahoo resident, Joaninha da Costa, described how the water tank benefited women in the communities.
“The long drought caused a tremendous decrease in the spring water and there was simply not enough water to supply all 245 housheolds across the three communities. We therefore needed to collect water in Nunu Bena, Uaitono and Uhu Uai Rate, a 2-3 kilometre return trip which we would do three or four times a day. As a housewife, my daily activities include taking care of my child, cooking for my family and collecting food and firewood. During the drought, my workload more than doubled as collecting water was taking so much time.
The decision by the Suco Disaster Management Committee to build the new tank means we can store enough water to see us through future droughts,” Joaninha explained.
Leonia Freitas Hornai, another Caivahoo resident, echoed Joaninha’s experience.
“This water tank was very beneficial for Caivaihoo, Uairiu and Liamida communities. Before the water tank was built, we were walking around 1 km to fetch water from Nunu Kama spring water source. The tank has significantly reduced my workload as a woman since we don’t have to walk very long distances to collect water for our households to use”, she said.
Above: Amaro Melo Cabral Hornai reported that the new water tank means he can now support his family to collect water. Image: Felisbertino Ximenes, CARE International in Timor-Leste.
Amaro Melo Cabral Hornai is also from Caivaihoo and lives with impaired sight. For him, the water tank means he can better access a clean water supply and support his family.
“I’m 75 years old and I’m unable to see objects that are far away from me. My daily activities include caring for small animals at home while my wife and kids work are busy farming or collect firewood and water. I can now access clean water through the installed water hose and help my family to collect water. I hope the water tank contains enough water to be used by the community during the long droughts, and I’m happy that I can now help my family to collect water and reduce their workload during any future droughts,” he reported.
The water tank installation facilities by this Suco Disaster Management Committee demonstrates the effectiveness of community-led disaster preparedness activities. From identifying the risks to planning the disaster response and actioning their plans, these three communities worked together to identify and address one of the biggest disaster risks they face - a lack of freshwater during drought.