Aerial view of Hambarita where the blue Wai La Padang rainwater tank stands beside two small houses on a rocky hill, keeping clean water close to the families who live here.
Wai La Padang, Hambarita
In Hambarita, in East Sumba, the bright blue reservoir you see in the ten photos is called Wai La Padang. It is one of eight new rainwater cisterns built in collaboration with local families. Each cistern has a capacity of 5,300 litres and is made of ferrocement, reinforced with steel bars for increased durability. Hand-mixed concrete and a compacted base ensure the stability of these structures, even on slopes impassable for vehicles.
Previously, fetching water required arduous journeys on foot. Residents carried jerrycans across dusty, rocky terrain. This method resulted in significant water loss, often with the water contaminated before it even reached their homes. Children drank from unprotected buckets, leading to frequent skin infections and recurring cases of diarrhoea requiring treatment at clinics.
Now, thanks to Wai La Padang, rainwater from rooftops is collected, filtered, and stored just a few meters from homes. The photo report retraces each step of the process: from the formwork and wire mesh to the final coat of blue paint, including the gutters and tap.
For the Fair Future and Kawan Baik Indonesia foundations, these reservoirs represent much more than just infrastructure. They are essential public health measures. Access to clean drinking water reduces infections, prevents burns from boiling contaminated water, and eases the financial burden by limiting the use of water tankers. It alleviates the arduous work associated with water collection, giving women and children back their time and dignity, while also enabling the community to better cope with the challenges of drought and climate stress.
- Nous vous invitons à lire le rapport final de ce projet est disponible ici en téléchargeant ce document PDF.
- Vous aimeriez aussi pour participer à la construction de l’un de ces réservoirs ?
- Explorez la carte interactive du projet Laindatang Hambarita Pour voir l’emplacement exact de chaque réservoir et des ouvrages connexes.
- Visitez la galerie en ligne complète of over sixty images related to these eight reservoirs.
- Consultez la galerie complète de neuf panneaux d'information that detail the story, capacity, and impact of each reservoir.
Today, the 17th of November 2025 – Alex Wettstein. Thank you very much.
Road repairs for a single village tank
Before we could build Wai La Padang, neighbours spent days repairing the steep track so cement and sand could reach the site. For a village of fifteen people, this was a massive effort. The tank is not only concrete and pipes, it is the result of a whole community refusing to accept unsafe water forever.
Wai La Padang | Réservoir d'eau de pluie pour un accès à de l'eau propre
Rainwater tank Hambarita brings safe rooftop water home and protects daily family health
From distant scooter trips to a tap by the door, clean water is now within reach
In Hambarita, the rainwater tank named Wai La Padang stands just beside three small houses. Before this tank, families spent hours fetching a few jerrycans, losing money and days of work. Now, rooftop rainwater becomes safe water near the kitchen, so mornings start with cooking, handwashing, and children ready for school.
For years, water had to be fetched by walking or risky rides, with Jerrycans bouncing on scooters on broken roads, spilling water and causing pain. Diarrhée was common from open, dirty storage, leading families to burn wood to boil water, filling clinics with preventable cases. The new tank, featuring a level platform and a tap close to the kitchen, changes everything: mothers can cook earlier, wash their hands and food with safe water, and children arrive at school cleaner, hydrated, and less likely to be ill, missing fewer lessons. Elders avoid steep paths and riverbeds, thereby reducing the risk of falls and fractures when an ambulance is not nearby. Privacy at the tap also makes menstrual hygiene easier, greatly improving daily life.
The Wai La Padang rainwater tank in Hambarita provides time in a poor village, valuable as money. Girls save hours by not having to haul water, and can use daylight for reading, homework, or play. A bucket for seedlings or goats no longer takes half a day from the fields. Fewer tanker trips save cash for tools, seeds, or school fees. A shared rota for cleaning gutters and screens builds trust as neighbours meet weekly for a communal task. The ferrocement walls, rebar, and base keep the 5,300-litre tank stable during harsh weather, turning short rains into days of security when pumps fail. This climate adaptation, built with local labour and guided by Fair Future and Kawan Baik medical teams, shows how clean water impacts health, keeping people healthy or sick.
Nous vous invitons cordialement à tous captivé par là histoire découvrir notre Galerie photo, témoignez de cela Effort extraordinaire, et nous engageons davantage à collaborer avec nos mission par notre intermédiaire Compte Instagram.
Alex Wettstein – Un avenir juste Fondation Camp médico-social Dans l’Est de Sumbawa – La maison de Kambera, Lambanapu – the 18th of November, 2025
Liens connexes pour ce projet
Autres organisations inspirantes
Liste des organisations liées avec des liens hypertexte
- WaterAidAméliore l’accès à l’eau potable et aux services d’assainissement grâce aux systèmes communautaires et à l’éducation en hygiène.
- UNICEF WASHPromote l’accès à de l’eau salubre pour les enfants grâce à des programmes évolutifs et à une assistance sur le terrain.
- OMS : Eau, assainissement et hygièneÉtablit des normes et des outils de réduction des risques pour la santé.
- Rotary International: Soutient les infrastructures d’eau communautaires et les partenariats techniques.
- Malaria Partners Internationall: Fosters la prévention du paludisme au croisement entre l’eau et la santé.
- SolarBuddyFournit des lampes solaires qui améliorent la sécurité et le temps d’étude dans les communautés dépourvues de réseau électrique.
- CDC Safe WaterFournit des conseils pratiques sur la sécurité de l’eau et la prévention des maladies.
