Residents in the Suku of Luca, Viqueque Administrative Post, Viqueque Municipality, continue to face problems accessing clean water, an issue that affects 541 households and impacts hygiene, food preparation, agriculture and health.
Luca’s Suku Chief, Manuel Gomes said the water supply problem in the area has persisted for many years, but so far, there has been no clear response from the relevant authorities.
“People must walk long distances and spend many hours searching for water from natural sources such as rivers, and many still rely only on old wells that were dug during the Indonesian period. This water is not clean and makes people sick. At the suco authority level, we have submitted reports to the post and municipal administrations, but there has been no response,” Manuel Gomes said at his office in Luca.
He added that this situation should not be considered only a community problem, but must become a government priority, because water is a fundamental human right.
“During the dry season, the wells completely dry up, so the community must walk far to fetch water from the river. Sometimes the river is also dry, and they must dig two or three metres just to find water,” he stated.
Suku Chief Gomes hopes the government will prioritise water supply projects and form partnerships with international organisations to resolve the problem in his suku.
“We have already submitted proposals to the government on how water can be provided to the communities here. If the government truly resolves this problem, our community will experience major improvements in health, agriculture and education. I want us not to be afraid to ask, because this is the people’s right. We will keep asking until a solution is found,” he said.
He added that water supply projects are considered an important part of sustainable rural development in Timor-Leste, with the objective of ensuring everyone has access to clean water and sanitary safety.
Meanwhile, Luca resident Celestina Soares Pinto said that the lack of clean water makes life more difficult, because when water runs out, people must travel long distances to fetch water, leaving them with little time to focus on agricultural work or their children’s education.
“I want the government and the relevant ministries to look seriously at this problem. Water is the most important thing in community life, because without water, people cannot prepare food, cannot farm properly, and life becomes much harder,” Celestina stated.
She said local authorities and the government need to conduct initial surveys to identify areas with water supply problems, especially in her Suco of Luca, because clean water projects have not yet been initiated.“We in the Suco of Luca depend on subsistence agriculture, but water shortages limit productivity because we cannot irrigate crops or farm,” she highlighted.
