The Right Leverage for Sustainability

Micro hydropower sustainability can be defined from many points of view. One can view it from hardware quality. As long as the scheme has high quality hardware, it will be sustainable. One can view it also from human resources capacity. As long as the operator maintains the scheme well, the scheme will be sustainable. I believe, the sustainability of a micro hydropower scheme depends on many things such as hardware quality, management and operation, social condition and environment. Sustainability combines technology, human, and environment.

Part of management and operation aspect is financial condition of MHP scheme. Financial status is important for maintenance and repair. This specific aspect is heavily related to socio economic condition of the community. From my observation in the field, many communities are always complaining about tariff. They said it is too high for them. I never have doubts in them but when they are rushing to buy satellite receiver after electricity is on, I started to have doubts. The question is why do they make such statement (tariff is too high for them)? I conclude that the reason behind this is their livelihood. They are depending on agriculture that cannot give them regular income (i.e. monthly).


The condition needs right actions to be taken. Those actions should be the right leverage to increase sustainability of a micro hydropower scheme. I believe actions taken for below mentioned aspects might have bigger chance to increase MHP scheme sustainability (i.e. financially):

1. Productive activities for Women to increase family income
2. Improve agriculture production chain. Not just producing raw materials. Improve the value of the products
3. Improve agriculture practice e.g. less usage of artificial fertilizer etc.
4. Education for men and women especially in family financial planning.

I put family financial planning as important part. This is because villagers, where MHP scheme usually located, are not used to plans. This is easily found when one do a survey. When you ask, how much kerosene you use per week? They’ll have difficulties in answering. They never plan and never records. Everything goes like it is. You have it then you consume it. You do not have it, you wait until you have and then consume. Saving is not common. Changes of behavior that can touch ego e.g. smoking, might be important to introduce although resistance will be high.

Who should do all of these? Micro hydropower is a small part of bigger program. It is just the tool, the entrance to bigger program i.e. poverty alleviation. The respective departments should do their job integrally for one purpose. Indonesia still have difficulties in implementing this approach so let’s hope there is a mass brain wash in the heads of government officials so that they talk to each other and work in a good synergy. Until then, let's try to talk to each other and make synergy.

(how to read the diagram? (+) usually means adding: adding the chance, positively influence et. Example: Bugs adds the chance of bad crops, agriculture increase the chance to have irregular income, irregular income increase the chance of inability to pay regular fee. (-) sign usually means reducing. Example: education improve family financial planning (reduce the lack of family financial planning))