Leonardo F. Soares is a social & ecological researcher at the Institutu Ekonomia Fulidaidai-Slulu Ermera (IEFS), a popular education institute based in Ermera municipality, which develops capacities-building and sharing of farmers as well as advocacy for agro-ecology and solidarity economy in Timor-Leste.
He also serves as technical adviser at Uniaun Agrikultores Ermera/ Ermera Peasants Union – UNAER. He plays the crucial role on providing technical advice to UNAER executive members and also linking UNAER to the social movement and peasant movement in the Asia & Pacific region and Latin America continent in order strengthening international solidarity for the peasant struggle.
He actively engaged in the international and national research program that focuses on agriculture and ecological issues in Timor-Leste. He was an editor of TLSA 2019 book titled “Understanding Timor-Leste” that was published in 2020 and also he is an active editor of Agroecology Journal based at IPASS since 2021 till now.
Leonardo F. Soares is a social & ecological researcher at the Institutu Ekonomia Fulidaidai-Slulu Ermera (IEFS), a popular education institute based in Ermera municipality, which develops capacities-building and sharing of farmers as well as advocacy for agro-ecology and solidarity economy in Timor-Leste.
A Study on Water Crisis and Water Conservation in Timor-Leste
Abstract
The fact reveals that water crisis or water scarcity has become a serious problem in Timor-Leste in recent years. This situation causes communities in the mountainous areas faces clean water issue in the summer due to the lack of underground water volume and lack of water supply in the summer. This occurs because the process of rainwater absorption are not maximum due to lack of trees and vegetation to intercept rainwater to support water infiltrate into the ground. This create run-off erosion in the upstream zones and soaks the fertile soils to the downstream zones. Eventually causes the unbalanced water cycle due to less rainwater infiltrates into the ground compare to rainwater that flows on surface to the ocean. On the other hand, the demand of clean water in increasing due to the massive population growth day by day.
The objective of this research is to study the facts of water springs in the grassroots communities in order to provide alternative solutions to solve the problems that occurs in the villages related to the supply of water to the community.
The research result revealed; out of 36 water springs, 50 percent are still in good condition, 36 percent are treat condition and 14 percent are dried. Moreover, the main cause of the dried water spring are human activities and natural phenomenon such as; practicing slash and burning in traditional farming system, destroying the trees and plants around water spring, long dry season, desertification and climate change.
Finally, this research came up with some essential recommendations from the community such as; the need to promote community nursery to produce seedlings for reforestation, planting conservation trees and plants in the water spring areas, creating small-dam on the hills and mountain to capture rain water during the rainy season, creating rain-water catchment from the house-roofs and promoting the indigenous knowledge on caring towards mother nature.
Keywords: water crisis, water-spring, rainwater, erosion, conservation.