PT Freeport builds clean water and electricity facilities for Waa Banti Mimika residents

PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) is supported by the village head and the TNI-Polri to build clean water infrastructure and electricity installations for the residents of Waa Banti Village, Tembagapura District, Mimika Regency, Papua.

"Freeport pays attention to supporting the construction and improvement of this facility so that the people of Kampung Waa Banti can still feel comfortable living in their hometowns," said PTFI Vice President Sustainable Development Nathan Kum in a PTFI Corcom release, Tuesday.

Nathan also expressed his gratitude to the local government through the village head who had helped outreach to the residents before the work started and the TNI-Polri who had assisted in security during the work.

PTFI spent US$500,000 or more than Rp 7 billion for the construction of repairs to clean water and electricity facilities throughout the 2021 work.

Nathan said PTFI will continue to synergize with local governments to improve the welfare of residents around the company's operational areas.

"We hope that the improvement of clean water and electricity facilities can be beneficial for residents living in the Waa Banti valley village," Nathan said.

Admittedly, efforts to improve the clean water infrastructure in Waa Banti village have been difficult, so PT Freeport Indonesia has built a dam (water tank) in the Opitogong area, which is about five kilometers from the residents' village.

The construction of this water dam is not easy because it is located on a hill with steep and muddy road access conditions.

The repair of the clean water and electricity network will begin in mid-2021 and will be completed in December 2021 and has been enjoyed by the people who live in Waa Banti village.

Waa Banti is a village located 5 KM from PT Freeport Indonesia's operational area, now its residents can enjoy electricity and clean water facilities at residents' homes after a security disturbance and in early 2021 the community has returned to their village in Tembagapura District.

The community had experienced problems with clean water and electricity at night because the majority of the infrastructure was damaged.

"The journey for workers to reach the dam requires a minimum of 1.5 hours each way, so this is a challenge in itself," said Rolly Nelwan, Group Leader of PTFI Community Infrastructure.

For repairs to electrical installations, PTFI has repaired a generator with a capacity of 550 KVA in the Banti II area.

Repairs to electrical installations include repairing all transformers, installing electric poles, as well as repairing electricity networks in residents' homes.

"There are so many power lines inside and outside the house that are damaged, so repairs require a lot of time and money," added Rolly.

Currently, the residents of Waa Banti village no longer need to buy candles and can carry out various activities at night.

Having clean water makes Banti residents happy and they don't need to collect rainwater or go for a long walk to the river to do various activities of washing clothes, washing places to eat and bathing.

The community is also happy because all public facilities, especially churches, now have electricity so they can use places of worship.

PTFI hopes that the electricity and clean water that is already available in Waa Banti village can be used properly by the community and includes maintaining and maintaining all these facilities.

With these basic needs fulfilled, the community is able to carry out daily activities and even various activities related to health, education and the economy.

After these repairs are completed, PT Freeport Indonesia will continue to carry out equipment maintenance in collaboration with local contractors owned by local natives, namely PT Makmur Namum and PT Namor Nin Berdikari Papua.

For electricity procurement, PTFI also collaborates with the Amungme and Kamoro Tribe Community Empowerment Foundation (YPMAK).

SOURCE : https://papua.antaranews.com/berita/674829/pt-freeport-bangun-sarana-air-net-listrik-warga-waa-banti-mimika