In the heart of Papua’s dense jungles and remote highlands, access to clean water has long been more a hope than a guarantee. For years, many Papuan families faced daily uncertainty: whether the stream near their home would flow, whether rain would wash rivers clean, and whether the water they fetched would be safe enough to drink. But in late 2025, a quiet transformation began—one that could reshape the region’s future. Through the efforts of the Indonesian army’s humanitarian-development arm, Indonesia’s National Army (TNI AD) has begun delivering clean, reliable water to communities that have waited decades.
That effort reached a milestone on 9 December 2025, when General Maruli Simanjuntak—Chief of Staff of TNI AD (KSAD)—formally inaugurated 37 new clean-water points in Papua. The ceremony, held in Kampung Lani, District Teluk Kimi, Kabupaten Nabire, symbolized more than just infrastructure: it represented renewed hope, dignity, and the promise of improved health and livelihoods.
From Scarcity to Supply: The Growing Role of TNI AD
The clean-water program is part of a broader initiative known as Manunggal Air (“Water United” or “United Water”). Under this program, TNI AD has committed to delivering clean water—through boreholes, wells, piped systems, and rehabilitated springs—in remote and underserved areas across Indonesia. By early 2025, TNI AD had already built more than 5,000 water access points nationwide, benefiting over 1.2 million people.
In Papua alone, around 215 water-source points had been completed, part of a push to address the chronic shortage of safe water in many villages.
But the December 2025 inauguration marked a new phase—not just maintenance or small-scale upgrades, but a deliberate drive to expand water infrastructure dramatically across the easternmost province.
Why Water Matters: Beyond Thirst
For many Papuans, water is not just about drinking. Clean water touches every aspect of daily life—cooking, bathing, hygiene, schooling, and community health. In villages where streams may dry up during the dry season or become contaminated by landslides and upstream waste, families face heightened risk of waterborne diseases, malnutrition, and poor living conditions.
By establishing reliable water sources, TNI AD is not simply quenching thirst. The initiative is expected to improve public health, reduce illness among children and adults, and ease the burden on women and girls who often must walk miles for water. More than that, with water insecurity reduced, families will have more time for education, work, and community engagement.
During the inauguration, General Maruli emphasized that “clean water is a basic necessity that must be met,” not a luxury. He argued that water access is a foundation for broader improvements—in health, education, agriculture, and overall welfare.
Moreover, in regions where agriculture remains central to livelihoods, reliable water can transform farming potential. For Papua’s communities, where small-scale gardens and subsistence farms predominate, access to clean water can help boost crop yields, allow for more diverse planting, and possibly help curb hunger or malnutrition.
On-the-Ground Impact: Stories of Hope and Rebirth
In Kampung Lani, Nabire, the inauguration of the 37 new water points was more than a ceremony—it was a lifeline. Villagers gathered around as taps opened for the first time, children carried buckets with bright smiles, elders whispered relief, and mothers wept quietly. For many, it was the first time they would have consistent access to clean water.
One elderly woman, sitting beside the newly installed pump, said she no longer had to make the dangerous trek to a faraway river that sometimes ran dry or carried mud after storms. A young mother expressed hope that her children would no longer suffer from diarrhea—a common illness in the area that often forced parents to miss work for days.
These reactions reveal just how transformative a reliable water supply can be. What might seem simple to urban dwellers—a working faucet, clean water on tap—can mean safety, stability, and dignity in regions long neglected.
In border villages like Skouw-Wutung, where TNI AD recently intervened to clean, normalize, and repipe a damaged dam system, the difference is stark. Local residents and even cross-border communities from Papua New Guinea had suffered from broken infrastructure, clogged waterways, and disrepair. After several days of joint work involving soldiers, local community members, and border officials, water began flowing again—clean, clear, and life-giving. One resident, Ondo Afi Stenley, expressed community gratitude: “Now water flows again smoothly; we can live without worrying.”
This collaboration—between military personnel, indigenous communities, border police, and local stakeholders—underscores the spirit behind Manunggal Air. It is not simply a top-down project but a partnership aimed at restoring dignity and basic human rights.
A Nationwide Footprint with Papua at the Forefront
While Papua’s needs are urgent and its challenges unique, TNI AD’s efforts extend far beyond the island. Since late 2024, Manunggal Air has initiated hundreds of water-access projects in Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi, and other regions, often in collaboration with private sector partners and local governments.
Yet what distinguishes the Papua program is its scale, urgency, and symbolism. Papua has long lagged behind in infrastructure—from roads to clean water, from health services to schools. By concentrating efforts here, TNI AD signals a deliberate shift toward equity and inclusion. With 37 new points inaugurated and many more under construction, Papua is quickly becoming the front line for Indonesia’s drive to guarantee basic services for all.
Challenges and the Road Ahead
Despite the early success, challenges remain. Papua’s terrain is rugged and diverse—with remote villages scattered across mountains, swamps, jungle valleys, and coastal regions. Delivering heavy machinery, pipes, pumps, and materials to such areas often requires arduous transport, sometimes by boat, sometimes by helicopter, and sometimes by days-long treks.
Moreover, maintaining infrastructure in areas prone to landslides, flooding, heavy rainfall, and seasonal changes demands long-term planning, technical support, and community ownership. TNI AD officials have repeatedly stressed the importance of collaboration with local governments, tribal leaders, and community members to ensure sustainability.
Then there is the issue of funding and resources. While many of the water points are built through TNI internal initiatives and supported by partnerships with government and private donors, scaling the program to cover every village in Papua—and eventually the entire country—will require continued commitment, transparency, and participation.
Finally, there is the challenge of perception. In a region where military presence often brings tension and suspicion, TNI AD must balance its role as a provider of basic services with respect for local autonomy, traditions, and customary land rights. Community engagement and trust-building remain crucial.
Why the Program Matters: Water as a Pillar of Development and Unity
Access to clean water is one of humanity’s most essential needs. In many parts of Papua, it has been a luxury—often taken for granted elsewhere. The Manunggal Air program seeks to change that. By delivering a reliable water supply, TNI AD helps unlock a chain of improvements: safer living conditions, better health outcomes, stronger education opportunities, improved livelihoods, and greater social cohesion.
But beyond the benefits at individual and community levels, the program carries national significance. Indonesia—an archipelago of immense diversity, with remote regions scattered far from the urban centers of Java—faces structural inequality in development, infrastructure, and basic services. By focusing on remote areas like Papua, the government and TNI AD are underscoring the principle that no region is too remote and no people too small to deserve access to basic human rights.
Mr. Maruli has framed the initiative not as charity, but as duty—duty to serve, to support, and to uplift. Through Manunggal Air, the army is not sending aid; it is building infrastructure. It is not distributing handouts; it is enabling sustainability. And in many villages where clean water once flowed only during rains, that change can reshape generations.
Conclusion
On that sunny December day in Kampung Lani, as clean water gurgled through new pipes and children filled their jerrycans, something fundamental shifted. It wasn’t ceremonial speeches or grand gestures that marked the moment—but the sound of running water.
In a land where water scarcity has often dictated the rhythm of life, TNI AD’s Manunggal Air has begun to rewrite the story. With every new water tap, every rehabilitated spring, and every village given access to clean water, a promise is renewed: that even the farthest, most remote corners of Papua can share in Indonesia’s growth and dignity.
If the program continues with sincerity, collaboration, and respect—bridging gaps of geography, poverty, and neglect—then perhaps, in a few years, Papua will no longer be defined by what it lacked. Instead, it will be known for what it has built: stable water, healthy communities, vibrant villages—and a future flowing with hope.