Bintaro Lama Kampung Writing

We went to the Bintaro Lama Kampung on November 12, and we saw how the locals cleaned their water enough to make it drinkable.

We went to Station 6 first. There they added AquaTaps and Air RahMat to the water (special chlorine tablets and liquid) to make it potable. The AquaTaps are small chlorine tablets that dissolve in the water if you wait 30 minutes. 1 tablet will normally clean 10-20 liters of water (depending on the condition.) The Air RahMat is a special chlorine that acts like the AquaTaps. You add the chlorine into the water, seal the jug (make sure there is no air in it), and shake it for 30 seconds. Then you leave it to sit for 30 minutes.

Next we went to Station 2. The "Little Mosque" is where WatSan Action members come and teach the children about water hygiene and safety. They showed us the for major ways to stop disease transmission: 

1) Wash Your Hands!!

a) Use CLEAN water

        b) scrub with soap

        c) rinse with CLEAN water

        d) dry with towel

2) Make A Toilet With A Septic Tank!!

3) Cover Your Food!!

4) Use Air RahMat and AquaTaps!! After that, they sang a song in Bahasa to us about washing your hands.

Lastly, we went to Station 4. Here the WatSan Action members showed us how to filter the water. First, they added Alum to the water. Alum is a special powder that makes the dirt particles stick together. Once there were a lot of clumps, called floc, they stirred the water gently with a stick. Next, they waited until the floc settled onto the bottom of the container. After that, we watched as a WatSan Action member poured the water through a clay pot to get most of the sediment out.

Going to the Kampung was a very interesting experience. We realized that they use the same steps that they use in the Water Treatment Plant, but on a house hold scale. Going there reminded us about how lucky we are to have freshwater at our fingertips. When we are thirsty, we go and get some water without thinking about where it came from or how it got cleaned. Once you realize the time it takes, it makes a difference.