Dry season has just started and part of Bali especially in Karangasem regency started to get into fresh water crisis. Areas where residents have difficulties in getting fresh water include Besakih, hillside of Abang, Kubu, and Seraya village. People demanded the regent of Karangasem to implement his promise to find a sustainable solution to the such problem. The promise pronounced already back in 2006 and so far has never been fulfilled.

A resident of Tigoran village in Kubu, Made Keji told Bali Post that he is keen to deem the regent for his promise. The regent promised that starting from 2006 onward every part of Kubu and Seraya should have got sufficient fresh water supply. “Now where is his promise”, Keji demanded. Villager of Juntal, a rural hillside of Kubu, Budiasa, said that the the resident of hillside area of Kubu such has his village has been suffering for the problem for decades, and so far no attempts have been made by local government to solve. He expects government executive to do more than spreading false promises during their electoral campaign.

Chairman of House of Representative of Karangasem regency, Wayan Sukadana, S.Sos. said that the reps have been struggling to push government executives to build a more reservoirs to buffer needs for fresh water during dry season, especially in Abang, Rendang, Kubu, and Seraya. The problem is that residents of rural hillsides are scattered. Distance from one house to another is quite far away. Therefore effectiveness of clustered assistance by building one water reservoir for number of households so far was not an effective approach. Furthermore construction of reservoir in a rural area which mostly are not reachable four wheel vehicle significantly increases cost.

However, government actually have done significant efforts. A number of reserviors were built in Kedampal, Datah, Batudawa, and the border of Baturinggit costing more than 4.6 billions Rupiah. Another 3 billions Rupiah was spent at Batudawa and Kubu for similar project, which now are awaiting for piping network to each house.