In the interior of Pulang Pisau Regency, there is a village called Simpur Village. With an area of around 4 square kilometers, this village is home to 145 families or around 500 people. Located on the banks of the Kahayan River, Simpur Village has unique characteristics with the majority of its population coming from the Dayak Ngaju tribe, around 95 percent of the total population.
However, this uniqueness is also accompanied by complex challenges. One of them is the lack of electricity which has been part of the village community's daily life for years. The impact is felt, especially in terms of education, health services and economic activity.
School children are forced to study in minimal light conditions, relying on oil lamps or flashlights which are often insufficient. This makes the learning process hampered and ineffective, reducing their educational potential. In fact, to continue their education to middle and high school levels, they have to travel long distances to the nearest sub-district, requiring land transportation which is not available in their villages.
This limited accessibility also affects health services. The village only has one medical worker who sometimes finds it difficult to handle emergency cases due to limited facilities, especially those related to electricity. Delayed response in handling medical cases is a risk that the residents of Simpur Village must face.
Efforts have been made by the village government to overcome this problem. In 2016, they proposed using solar electricity with a capacity of 18,000 kWh. Although the project has operated successfully for several years, it is now experiencing technical obstacles that local communities cannot overcome. Requests for assistance from related agencies were unsuccessful, with the reason being that the population quantity did not meet the specified quota standards.
Apart from that, obstacles in land transportation are also a serious obstacle to the development of electricity infrastructure in Simpur Village. Although there are proposals to improve roads in the sub-district, to date this has not been properly realized.
Public health conditions are also threatened due to poor water quality. Although some residents use drilled wells or dug wells, most get their water supply from the Kahayan River. Mining activities around the river have polluted the water, forcing residents to use alum to filter the water, to keep it clean.
In living their daily lives, the people of Simpur Village only rely on solar panels as an alternative source of electricity. However, limited and less efficient solar panels mean they only have a limited supply of electricity for a few hours.
In facing this challenge, the head of Simpur village, Ager, together with his community have made various efforts. They continue to propose the development of adequate infrastructure and urge the government to pay more attention to providing adequate access to electricity. In fact, with village funds, they have succeeded in providing free crossing services for school children so they can access education more easily.
Nevertheless, the hope of connecting Simpur Village with adequate electricity remains the main dream. These are not just basic needs, they are also key to reducing inequality and building a brighter future for future generations.
