
ACTNews, DELI
SERDANG – The murky, smelly, dirty swamp water used to be the only thing
available for the residents of Karang Gading Village in Deli Serdang. They had
no choice but to use it for their daily needs including showering and washing.
To get clean
water, they would have to travel for 1.5 hours to the neighboring village. Without
public transport, only people who have their own vehicles can go.
“The residents had
to pay IDR3,000 for a jerry can of clean water. Though it may sound cheap, it’s
still too expensive for those without a steady income,” said Dani from Aksi
Cepat Tanggap (ACT) North Sumatra Program Department, Friday (12/17/2021).
Only ten percent out
of 683 residents that make up 170 families in the village have bathrooms and
water wells. Most of the locals just use latrines built on the swamp, making
the swamp water increasingly polluted.
The Karang Gading
residents’ dire need for clean water has come to the attention of waqf donors.
Together with ACT Medan, they raised funds to build a waqf well and toilets.
The construction began in early October 2021 and finished in mid-December 2021.
“For the first
stage, we have built a borehole water well and toilets. Insha Allah, we are
planning to build two more,” Dani added.
The community was
overwhelmed with joy as they began using the water well and toilets. They no
longer have to spend money on clean water.
“We are very
grateful for the public Waqf Well and toilets in our village. We used to buy
water every day for consumption, and use water from the swamp for bathing and
other needs. We thank Global Wakaf – ACT and the donors for building these
facilities in our village. Thank you very much,” said Usman, one of the
residents. []