Somopurno village to Tegal Mutihan village main access road, Klaten

Most parts of the earthen main access road in the earthquake-aff ected Mutihan sub-district in Klaten district, Central Java, used to turn into pools of mud during the rainy season. Thanks to a JRF grant for village infrastructure improvement (via the permanent housing project), villagers from seven villages have been able to improve the road into a more permanent one, using concrete as the base. Now, as far as the eye can see, what lies ahead is a 2.75 meter-wide concrete road, running for more than 1.8km.

It stretches from Somopuro village in the north to Tegal Mutihan village in the south, passing through fi ve other villages and some public facilities including a school and a market in between. That road gives most villagers’ access to the vital Yogyakarta-Solo artery street. Harsono, 53, of Jetak village, says he was glad the sub-district-level public deliberation early this year decided to allocate a larger chunk of the World Bank grant (Rp 136 million out of Rp 200 million) for improving the road.

Harsono, who is the coordinator for local environment management unit, or UPL, of Mutihan sub-district, explains that representatives of villagers initially discussed together with community leaders and the local administration about what kind of public infrastructure they needed most. “Otherwise we will simply hear the same old story being told: complaints of the narrow earthen village road turned into pools of mud during rainy season,” says Harsono. He has high hopes that the road that passes his village will help villagers hit by earthquake to restart their livelihoods more quickly.

“The road is one the main reasons why our economy could grow again,” Harsono says.
Another villager, Astuti, of Tegal Mutihan village about 1km away from Harsono’s, also shares her neighbor villagers’ views and hopes. Hundreds of villagers started to build the road in the gotong royong fashion (Javanese tradition of sharing the burdens of work by working together) in January 2007, fi nishing the project within one month.

She says the road makes it faster and more convenient for villagers to reach the local market, schools and other nearby public facilities. “The new road has also helped to accelerate house reconstruction activities in our villages because trucks can easily reach areas located far from the main district road to deliver housing materials,” she says.