goodmorningpapua.com – Kampung Klayas, one of the isolated villages located in Sorong Regency, West Papua Province, has been successfully transformed into a much more self-sufficient area.
The early life of the Klayas community is quite apprehensive. They have difficulty getting access to a better life. One of them, is access to clean water which is actually an absolute right of every citizen.
“Far away in Papua there is a beautiful and beautiful village called Kampung Klayas, which means flowing water. Unfortunately, there is no running water in Klayas Village,” said Didik Bahagia, Director of Operations at PT Pertamina International Refinery, while reading a story book at the YPK Klayas Elementary School, Sorong, West Papua, Friday (10/28/2022).
The life of the Klayas people is described in a book entitled; The ‘Always Angry Water Monster’. Didik read this story in front of dozens of Papuan children who circled himself as a form of learning and understanding the importance of water in the region.
Didik views that the issue of saving water needs to be embeded early on. Kampung Klayas, which means a village with flowing water, is currently still far from the truth.
PT Pertamina International Refinery (PT KPI) one of the subholdings of PT Pertamina (Persero) then launched the Clean Klayas program which is a collaboration with Petrogas since 2021.
It is hoped that residents can enjoy clean water wells and water storage tanks owned by Petrogas. Meanwhile, PT KPI supports the provision of water to the community through control pipes and installation of water channels to homes.
“Education program saves clean water with storybook media, as well as supports the 6th Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) namely the provision of clean water and proper sanitation, which provides access for the community to get clean water,” said Fajriyah Usman, VP CSR & SMEPP. Management of PT Pertamina (Persero)
Since the Klayas Bersih program was introduced, clean water needs have been met and can be accessed in 82 houses of Klayas villagers. The water distribution system is carried out by a Klayas youth group called the Water Council.
“The Klayas people sometimes want to take a shower and there is no clean water. It’s very dirty. But now the village is clean and much better,” said Dodi Yapsuka, Area Manager Communication, Relations, CSR & Compliance Refinery Unit VII Kasim.
“We want them to get accustomed to cleanliness. So it won’t change 180 degrees, but the important point is that basic services are met,” he explained.
The Clean Klayas Program is just one of a series of Social and Environmental Responsibility (TJSL) programs carried out by PT KPI in Klayas Village. At least there are other programs that have now changed the ‘face’ of the village for the better.
For example, the Klayas Berdikari program. This is a program to improve the community’s economy through sago processing and the Klayas village people’s market.
The program’s activities include diversification of sago products, which were previously only sold without being processed by the community, now they have been made into products by the community in the form of dry sago which is a typical food of West Papua.
In addition, this program also changes the pattern of once using resources, which is currently being transformed into a pattern of sustainable use through sago nurseries.
In addition, sago waste, which was previously disposed of in nature, is now used as organic fertilizer, which has been marketed to Sorong City. Through the Klayas Village People’s Market, Klayas Berdikari empowers the mothers in Klayas Village.
“In the past, the community had to walk for hours to go to the forest, only to cut the sago palm trees. Now we make it easy,” said Dodi
For information, this village is located in one part of the ‘Bird’s Head’ of Papua, a term that is often applied to the territory of the island of Papua. The name ‘Bird’s Head’ arose because the shape of the island of Papua New Guinea which includes Papua and Papua New Guinea resembles a sitting bird with folded legs.
The head covers Sorong, to the Arfak Mountains, Manokwari, and West Papua. Klayan village itself is flanked by the areas of Sorong, Waiweo, to Kasim Island.