Year round clean water for Poguwatu
Poguwatu is a remote settlement in Desa Cendana, Kecamatan Mamboro, Kabupaten Sumba Tengah. Its residents have no clean water source of their own. We are preparing a solar powered borehole that will fill the existing rainwater tank, so that water is available all year. This plan is not yet funded.
The problem
The Mamboro sub district government states that Poguwatu’s community still has limited access to clean water, and that no government project or programme to build clean water facilities in Poguwatu is planned for 2026 or 2027, whether through PAMSIMAS, the regional budget (APBD) or village funds (Dana Desa).
Source: Letter of statement from the Camat of Mamboro, No. 55/SK/53.17/MBR/IX/2026, 29 September 2026.
The tank that is already there
Between October 2025 and January 2026, before the yayasan was established, an 18,000 litre reinforced concrete rainwater tank was built in Poguwatu by local leaders from Sumba, including our Ketua, Ultramas El Shaday, together with residents and with help from volunteers of EffortX Foundation Ltd (Australia). Residents carried the building materials to the site by hand. Because no Indonesian legal entity existed at the time, the project ran under the name of EffortX Foundation Ltd and was recorded on its fundraising platform.
The tank was built before the yayasan existed, so it is not a yayasan project. We include it as the experience of our Ketua and of Poguwatu’s residents.
Source: The “Building Water Tank, Pogawatu, Sumba” project record on effort.giving. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
The foundation
Residents laying the walls
The walls up
The finished tank, January 2026
Our plan
This plan is not yet funded. What follows is a plan, not an activity that is already under way.
A borehole that fills the tank already there
A borehole of about 80 metres, with a solar powered pump, will be connected to the existing 18,000 litre tank, so that the tank fills from the ground as well as from the rain. The final depth will be set by the survey and the driller.
Water tested before use
Water from the borehole will be laboratory tested for bacteriological and chemical quality before the borehole is connected to the tank. The results will be shared with residents and published on this page.
Owned and maintained by residents
Before any work begins, residents will form a water committee, half of whose members are women, and agree a household maintenance contribution. Households that cannot pay will still get water. The committee will be trained in routine maintenance and minor repairs.
A tap everyone can reach
The public tap at the tank will be step free and at a height that children, older people and people with disabilities can reach, with a concrete apron and drainage.
A geophysical survey to choose the drilling point was carried out in September 2026 by a partner organisation.
Source: The depth of about 80 metres: the drilling contractor’s cost estimate for this borehole. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
Evidence for every stage
If this programme is funded, every stage will carry evidence that we publish: photographs of the work with no geotag and no coordinates, a receipt for every payment, and budget against actual spend. The water test results and the record of tank levels through the dry season will be published too.
Status and stages
18,000 litre rainwater tank completed, before the yayasan was established
January 2026
DONEGeophysical survey of the drilling point
September 2026
DONESeeking funding for the borehole
IN PROGRESSVillage meeting, landowner agreement and water committee formed
NEXTDrilling, solar pump installed and water tested
NEXTConnected to the tank and handed over to residents
NEXTMonitoring through the first dry season
NEXT
Funding
The clean water programme is not yet funded. We are seeking funding for the borehole. There is no public fundraising for this activity at present, and money raised for the school meals programme is not used for it.
Preparation for the school meals programme continues
The clean water programme does not replace the school meals programme. Preparation of our first school kitchen continues as set out on the school meals programme page.