“Since the independence of Indonesia, it’s only today that we get to enjoy using electricity.” This statement was made during a handover ceremony on Saturday (28/9) of the Microhydro Power Plant, developed by Community Resilience and Economic Development (CaRED) program team from the Faculty of Engineering UGM.
The team consisting of Dr. Suprapto, Prof. Dr. Ir. Bambang Yulistiyanto, Dr. Ir. T. Aris Sunantyo, M.Sc., and Dr. Ir. Prajitno, M.T. was assisted by a team from Universitas Tadulako and Central Sulawesi Provincial Government.
“The handover is done exactly one year after the major disaster hit Pasigala in Central Sulawesi,” said Dean of the Faculty, Prof. Nizam, on Sunday (29/9).
Nizam said the construction of the power plant was carried out to meet electricity needs locations currently not covered by the state electricity company due to remote and inaccessible locations. Nizam said the residents also claimed their children can now study at night.
“The local people hoped their children will have a brighter future with the presence of the micro hydro plant,” he said.
Team chairman, Dr.Ir. Suprapto Siswosukarto, said the Lewara village consisted of five hamlets, all of which had not yet received electricity from the government. The UGM plant lies 200 meters from the residential area. The Lewara I hamlet has 100 households and 300 people. The power plant utilizes the flow of Lewara River, which has a critical flowrate of 90-100 liters/sec, to provide electricity for 100 families.
“We make use of the Lewara stream to generate power at a 10 kilowatts capacity,” said Suprapto.
Suprapto said the Lewara residents had long dreamed of having electricity in their village, but electricity was still far from their reach. Therefore, through the Community Resilience and Economic Development (CaRED) program, UGM tries to build underdeveloped areas in eastern Indonesia, including Lewara, in collaboration with the New Zealand government.
Lewara Village is located in West Marawola district of Sigi Regency on the hillsides of Matantimali with an altitude of around 2,000 meters above sea level. The place is just 90 kilometers away from the capital of Central Sulawesi, Palu, but it is difficult to access. You need to ride for an hour from Palu up to the last road accessible by car in Matantimali Village. Then, you have to take a motorcycle taxi for 30 minutes through a rocky, narrow path. The trip has to be taken along a bumpy, up and down path as well as steep bends on the slopes of Matantimali hills in addition to the ravine on one side. During the rainy season, it is more difficult to access because the area is prone to landslides.
Source: https://ugm.ac.id/id/berita/18516-masyarakat-lewara-mulai-nikmati-listrik-ugm-cared
