Cumbi and Warloka Water Link Awaits Funding Near Labuan Bajo

Cumbi — Manggarai Barat officials said on 5 November 2026 that connecting Cumbi and Warloka to the Tiwu Nampar drinking-water system would cost Rp5.011.128.000 (about US$296,000), but the work remains unexecuted because drinking-water funding was not prioritised for 2025–2027.

Severinus Kurniadi, head of Manggarai Barat’s public-works and housing department, said the estimate covers a reservoir, pipes and meters. He told Floresa that the figure was prepared for a 2025 budget proposal in 2024 and was not a new calculation.

The proposed connection would extend the existing Tiwu Nampar system to Cumbi and Warloka. Floresa reported that the system was built in 2023 by the NTT regional settlement-infrastructure agency under Indonesia’s Ministry of Public Works and Housing, with funding of almost Rp11 billion. The system has a reported capacity of 150 cubic metres, or 150,000 litres, a day.

Residents in Cumbi and Warloka still rely on rainwater for bathing and washing, while drinking water and water for cooking are bought from drilled wells, according to Floresa. The villages are about 12 kilometres south of Labuan Bajo.

Why it matters to Labuan Bajo readers

The unfinished connection affects water access in communities close to Labuan Bajo, where tourism-related infrastructure and local household needs compete for public investment. Floresa reported that the existing system was initially intended to serve more than 200 households in Tiwu Nampar and support infrastructure near the Warloka landfill.

Kurniadi said the Cumbi and Warloka area had been included among the potential beneficiaries, but the initial project reached only Kenari because of limited funding. He said the department had surveyed a reservoir site and planned to place it at higher ground near Kapela Stasi Bunda Segala Bangsa Cumbi because of the area’s gentle topography.

Floresa reported that the department had also prepared a statement of interest for the Community-Based Drinking Water Supply programme, or Pamsimas, addressed to the Ministry of Public Works on 24 October for the 2027 budget year. Kurniadi said the department’s 2025 and 2026 allocations covered sanitation, while the 2027 allocation was for a Reduce, Reuse, Recycle waste-processing facility rather than drinking-water infrastructure.

The official said a future funding proposal would require water-potential data, the number of prospective beneficiaries and land documentation for the reservoir. He said a grant document alone would not be sufficient and that the land would need to be registered for certification in the name of the regional government.

Sources

• Floresa — regional investigative news report
• lindungihutan.com
• detik.com
• nu.or.id