By Hosea Mirino
Working at YP3SP as a facilitator requires physical and mental toughness, as well as adequate financial reserves. How could it not? Working and meeting with the assisted community is full of challenges. Even starting from the process of getting to the destination location.
This is the situation we faced on March 10, 2025. We were scheduled to work in Okaba District, Merauke. Our main mode of transportation was motorbikes, as well as ferry boats. The total duration of our trip reached five hours.
Departing from Merauke, we were blessed with a sunny day. On our motorbikes we passed through Urumb, Bahor, Wendu, Matara, and Nasai Villages in the Semangga District area. Then we crossed the Kumbe River. The land journey continued by crossing villages in Malind District: Kumbe, Kaiburse, Onggari, and Domande. From there, we continued our journey across the Bian River, and landed in Sanggase Village, Okaba District. Sanggase Village is a neighbor of our destination village: Alatep.
Most of Merauke is lowland and swampy. The area of swamp in Merauke reaches 1,425,000 hectares. This easternmost region of Indonesia borders directly with Papua New Guinea to the east, and is adjacent to the Arafura Sea to the south and west.
In the current climate crisis that we are all facing, the impact of tidal waves on coastal abrasion is increasingly severe. In addition to the topography of the Merauke plains which are sandy and soft soil, the circulation of sea water is not in one direction, abrasion is also mainly caused by illegal sand mining.
The heaviest period is around January to March. High rainfall is brought by the west wind, plus the overflow of sediment from the Kumbe River and Bian River. As a result, the roads are damaged due to being flooded. At sea, the challenges faced by local communities are no less serious. Sea transportation slows down due to high sea waves.
“When it’s like this, we’re at a loss. All the plants are submerged. We fail to harvest. Not only in group gardens, but also in private gardens,” said Daniel Kinamde, a member of the Paia Gardening Group in Alatep Village. This situation is felt in almost all communities in Okaba District.
Contact us
Yayasan Pengembangan Pelatihan untuk Perubahan Sosial di Tanah Papua
(YP3SP)
Jalan Karya Tanah Hitam Permai
Abepura Jayapura
Papua
Email: info@papuatransformation.org
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