Water, Sanitation and Hygiene: Vital Elements for a Healthy Future
Our Work: WASH
Access to safe water and sanitation are basic human rights and we believe that providing clean/safe water and toilets, coupled with knowledge on sanitation and hygiene behaviour are essential for keeping our community healthy, especially children. Since 2000, we have helped the community build cubang (roof rainwater harvesting reservoirs), and distribution systems from 3 spring water catchments, providing safe water, supported by regular education and training on maintaining good hygiene and ensuring cleanliness of all water containers for over 1,800 families.
Why WASH ?
In 1998 when EBPP first engaged with the Ban village communities, nobody had access to clean water, toilets or any form of hygiene or sanitation education due to their remote mountain locations and lack of any road infrastructure or transport or any health services.
Analysis of the 1,056 questionnaires representing the 19 scattered mountain hamlets in late 1998 revealed that in the 8 months dry season, people walked up to 5 hours to slowly trickling mountain springs and queued up to 2 hours to fill their small buckets. Shortage of water and the absence of soap for the majority resulted in most children suffering from impetigo, a bacterial skin disease resulting from lack of hygiene.
Tests from all families’ water for E. Coli bacteria contamination with a portable laboratory, showed that all water was severely polluted by high levels of E. Coli and unsafe for human consumption. EBPP
immediately designed safe water awareness programs on methods of cleaning and sanitizing all water- carrying vessels which we presented to all Ban village communities every month and incorporated in our school curriculum.
“As the head of Bonyoh hamlet, I want to thank EBPP for helping to provide 36 toilets for our community. These family toilets are very beneficial for the environment and society to improve sanitation and healthy lifestyle in the family to prevent diarrhoea and other diseases. Now, every family in Bonyoh hamlet has easy and safe access to hygienic toilets. Thanks again to EBPP and may the good that has been done continue and provide extensive benefits to other communities.”
I Nyoman Seken,
Bonyoh Hamlet Head
Our Impact
855
Damily Domestic Rainwater Harvesting Resevoirs
1,200
Families Served With Water Distribution Systems in 9 Hamlets
448
Families in 3 Mt. Abang Hamlets with Rehabilitated Wells
1,262
Toilet-Bathroom Blocks Built, Serving 1,515 Families
Rainwater harvesting reservoirs
Using locally available and appropriate technology, East Bali Poverty Project facilitated40,000 litre
capacity roof rainwater collection reservoirs with filters and hand pumps at the homes of 855 families in the most remote hamlets.
Safe water from Mountain springs
From 2002 – 2006 we secured and enlarged 4 remote mountain springs, piping the water to 7 large reservoirs providing year-round safe water for cooking, drinking, bathing and laundry, supported by hygiene education to ensure that the beneficiaries maintained the hygiene standards from source to point of consumption.
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Clean water from 3 Rehabilitated Artesian Wells in a Dry Riverbed
Prior to EBPP rehabilitating these wells that served450 families in 3 Mount Abang hamlets, remote from any mountain springs, for their dry season domestic water needs, these 3 uncovered artesian wells had not had any maintenance in 40 years and were extremely polluted, resulting in frequent sickness and diarrhea, children being the main victims.
Sanitation infrastructure
When we first started our project in 1998, there was zero sanitation available in the village. From 2010, we provided the materials, technical guidance, and supervision for the communities to build the first toilets in our village’s history, to minimize open defecation practice & improve the overall sanitation and hygiene standard. By having bathroom and toilets available close to their houses, the community is now able to bathe & do their laundry daily.
By2022, we have facilitated toilet-bathroom blocks for 1,515 families in 13 hamlets. The remaining 2,300
families in Ban village had the financial resources to build their own, applying the design and appropriate
technology introduced by EBPP.
