Community Empowerment Alternatives to Rural Drinking Water Infrastructure Problems: Case Study of Rural SPAM in Krangkeng District, Indramayu Regency

Abstract. The Drinking Water Supply System (SPAM) is a basic community need that must be provided by the government. Water availability is currently a problem in rural areas of Krangkeng District. The condition of the region often experiences drought during the dry season and only 59.27% of people have access to adequate drinking water. Every year the government provides assistance in the form of physical development and water supply via tank trucks. The lack of public awareness in the sustainable implementation of SPAM has resulted in this problem recurring every year. With this phenomenon, community empowerment efforts are needed to create increased community capacity and active community participation in managing the drinking water supply system in Krangkeng District so that it can be sustainable. This research aims to identify community empowerment alternatives described in the aspects of implementing rural SPAM in Krangkeng District using a qualitative descriptive approach. The research results show that there are aspects that are problematic in implementing SPAM in terms of planning for the provision of infrastructure and drinking water services that are not yet structured. Technically, there is limited water infrastructure that can be utilized, there is no management institution, minimal funding allocation related to SPAM, minimal regulatory aspects and there has been no effort to improve from a social perspective related to the sustainability of SPAM. Based on these aspects, the community empowerment alternatives that can be implemented are education and awareness about the importance of drinking water use, community involvement both as management institutions (pokmas) and as users, involvement in collaborative advocacy networks with external parties, and involvement in monitoring and evaluation. It is hoped that this research can help stakeholders in Krangkeng District in efforts to mitigate problems with the implementation of SPAM and the sustainability of water resources in the future.