Thirsty locals flock to overflowing well

The Jakarta Post, Gorontalo, Wednesday November 05 2014


Residents suffering from a prolonged drought in Gorontalo have been dumbfounded by news of a “miraculous” well owned by a resident in Padengo subdistrict, Kabila district, Bone Bolango regency, Gorontalo.

While other water sources in the regency are almost empty, the well in question is still providing abundantly.

Well owner Asni Yusuf, 43, said the water level in the old well, located near her kitchen, had begun to rise steadily in early October before reaching the top of the well and overflowing from the well ring a few days later.

“The crystal-clear water usually overflows from the well at dawn. Some say it’s fragrant,” Asni told The Jakarta Post in late October.

She added that the half-a-century old well had not been used by her family for a long time because of the murkiness of its water. Her family depends on water from the local state tap-water company for their daily needs.

News of this seemingly miraculous well has spread across the regency, and hundreds of residents have flocked to Asni’s house since Oct. 28 to draw water from the well, all the more so after a local preacher visited and claimed the well was blessed.

Rukni Saharu, 46, was one of the many visitors. The middle-aged woman claimed she had long been suffering from gout and purposely arrived at dawn to bathe near the well. She also took home a bottle of the well water to drink.

“There’s been no change as yet, but I continue to hold out hope that this is healing water. It tastes like standard water,” she said.

Gorontalo State University Mathematics and Natural Science School researcher Raghel Yunginger explained that the phenomenon was probably the result of a gush of artesian water from an aquifer layer.

She added that the water would not be always clear and safe to drink, as those qualities depended on the types of rock within.

“The relevant agency should carry out tests of the water,” said Raghel.

The drought in Gorontalo over the past few months has caused water shortages in a number of regencies.

The Bone Bolango Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) recorded 23,000 residents facing clean water shortages and 387 hectares of parched farmland in North Gorontalo regency.

The drought has also hit Boalemo regency, damaging 609 hectares of corn and 227 hectares of rice. In Pohuwato regency, the drought has hit 13 districts, while in Gorontalo city, 72.5 hectares of farmland have suffered.

“The respective regency administrations have distributed clean water to residents with tanker trucks, and the government will provide rice to meet food needs,” Gorontalo Deputy Governor Idris Rahim said recently.



*