Improving access to safe drinking water around the PLUM Project

For communities living around the PLUM Project area, access to safe drinking water remains an everyday challenge due to limited infrastructure and treatment systems.

An estimated 83% of local residents report difficulties obtaining clean water, whether because of the distance required to refill water, the cost of purchasing it, or the limited proper clean water infrastructure. Most households rely on natural or locally available water sources. Approximately 72% depend on rainwater for drinking and cooking, while 12% use refill water and 11% rely on nearby rivers and canals¹.  

Water Filtration Systems

Improving access to clean water is therefore an important part of the PLUM Project’s broader community development programme. Working with local communities and partners, the project supports practical solutions intended to improve both water quality and access. One approach is the provision of household water filtration systems, particularly in

communities where families depend on rainwater, rivers and canals.

Over the lifetime of the project, we aim to install water filtration systems in 600 households, helping more families gain access to safe and clean water.

Boreholes as Social Infrastructure

The project is also supporting the communities to develop and/or revitalize boreholes. Boreholes are deep wells that access groundwater beneath the surface to provide communities with a more reliable source of clean water. By reducing dependence on potentially contaminated surface water and less reliable water sources, these investments can help strengthen communities’ resilience to water scarcity and the impacts of climate change. Over the lifetime of the project, we aim to construct 30 boreholes, helping more communities secure a safer and more dependable source of clean water for their daily needs.

New borehole in Bumi Subur village

Holistic approach to resilience

These initiatives form part of the PLUM Project’s community development activities across 13 target villages surrounding the project area. Over the longer term, the project aims to improve water quality and access to clean drinking water for an estimated 14,400 people. 

Alongside improving access to clean water through water filtres and construction of boreholes, the PLUM Project also improves local sanitation infrastructure.  One such initiative is to support the construction of household toilest and septic tanks, as well as community training on good sanitation practices.  These efforts can help improve hygiene and health, particularly for children under five.

Together, these activities reflect a broader principle behind the PLUM Project: protecting peatland and mangrove ecosystems should go hand in hand with improving the wellbeing and resilience of the communities that live alongside them.

¹ 5% is others.