PACITAN, EAST JAVA — “Yes, this is how our hamlet is doing. The existence of this waqf well is beneficial for the residents here. Thank you, mas,” said Tugardi, an elderly man aged around 70 years when met by Dompet Dhuafa on Tuesday (25/10/2022).
Tugardi lives in Ngasem Hamlet, Gembong Village, Arjosari District, Pacitan Regency, East Java. Tugardi’s residence is so far from the city center that it even took about an hour to get there. The road is rocky, uphill, and not infrequently muddy after the rain. The journey also could not be reached by the car that used to cross the capital. But with a Jeep model car that has been modified to adjust the terrain traversed.
The older man who is familiarly called Mr. Tugardi walked using a wooden cane when welcoming the arrival of Dompet Dhuafa. Then he sat in the hallway of the surau as he placed his staff with his hands quivering. Understandably, his age is no longer young. The surau is located adjacent to the waqf well reservoir initiated by Dompet Dhuafa.
Mr. Tugardi said that before there was a waqf well, he had to go to the river to get water. Even though he is old, Tugardi’s body is still quite sturdy. With his body, he went down the road to the river to obtain water. Water is the basic need of every living thing, after all. “Inevitably, I have to take water to the river. Because we all need that,” Tugardi said, looking straight ahead.
He said to meet the water needs in a day, at least Tugardi had to go back and forth four times to the nearest river from where he lived. “However, not infrequently, when you get there (the river), the water is murky and muddy,” he said with disappointment.
For a moment, Tugardi rubbed his forehead with his already loosened skin. Every line on his forehead hinted at a life full of struggles. Because from the beginning, he had to travel a distance of about 1-2 KM to get to the river. It is also challenging terrain! And Mr. Tugardi does it every day.
But the man from Ngasem Hamlet was not broken by charcoal. He tried to solve the problem by creating a small dam on the river to make the blocked water clearer and more feasible. “I also made a small cubicle for bathing and prayers,” said Mr. Tugardi with a faint smile as if declaring a small victory over the drought problem that befell his hamlet.
In fact, once in 2019, Ngasem Hamlet experienced a severe drought. The river where Mr. Tugardi used to obtain water experienced a shrinkage of water discharge. The only water source in the hamlet is drying up! Local residents were confused and gave rise to a new problem, namely the onset of the disease amid drought problems.
Ironically, the residents of Ngasem Hamlet have to buy water to meet their daily needs. As a result of the long and difficult access to the hamlet, one small tank is priced at 250,000 rupiahs. This is a time of famine for the residents of Ngasem Hamlet. They have to buy water in their homeland.
Who would have thought? Pacitan, blessed with beautiful nature with white sandy coastlines and waves that spoil the eye, as well as beautiful and so natural caves, turns out to have several problems for the survival of our brothers and sisters there. Geographically, Pacitan is surrounded by limestone mountains, so the soil in this area is dry and infertile.
The land and water in the area, which has the nickname of the city of one thousand and one caves, is very concerning. Food sources such as rice cannot thrive there. Not to mention that drought and the difficulty of access to water sources complement the problems that interfere with the survival of our brothers and sisters. Tugardi was one of the local natives who felt the impact.
God’s gift of natural beauty on Pacitan must be maintained and preserved. The drought problem afflicts the residents there is a problem for all of us. Dompet Dhuafa, as a philanthropic institution that upholds humanity, has taken concrete steps by making a good point through waqf instruments in one of the villages experiencing water difficulties in Pacitan. The village is where Tugardi lives, a tough grandfather who doesn’t give up amid limitations.
Sometime after the waqf well was realized and could be used by the residents of Ngasem Hamlet, Tugardi experienced a relatively severe disease. A light stroke fell on him. The presence of this well is like an oasis in the middle of a dry and barren desert. Tugardi doesn’t have to walk far distances to get water. Efforts to get each house plumbing are also being arranged by the local waqf well management team.
At the end of the meeting, Mr. Tugardi expressed his gratitude and offered prayers of kindness in Javanese for Dompet Dhuafa. “Mugi-mugi panjenengan and kanca-kanca in Dompet Dhuafa pinaringan fortune. (I wish you and your friends at Dompet Dhuafa a blessing with good luck),” he said solemnly. (Dompet Dhuafa / Hafiz)