Water and Sanitation

The local paper ‘The Kupang Post’ recently reported problems of inadequate water and sanitation in and around Baa. ‘The head of the Ba’a puskesmas,’ (health centre) ‘Dr Mulat Daruranto, told KP on 26/9 that of the ±4 500 houses in Lobalain Kecamatan,’ (this is the area where I live) ‘Rote Ndao Kabupaten, almost 50% lacked toilet facilities. Even in Ba’a, the capital, many houses were toilet-less. As a result, people were defecating at will in bushland and undergrowth. Dr Daruranto said that a key factor contributing to this situation was the difficulty people had obtaining clean water. This situation was adversely affecting the health of the overall environment in which people lived. “What are people to do” he said, “if they have difficulty just getting clean water, needed too for flushing toilets?” So it was the supply of water that had to be attended to as a matter of priority. Only then could attention be turned to making good the environment in which people lived.’