Pipeline Route to Cumbi Identified but Water Project Remains Unresolved

Labuan Bajo — The proposed pipeline route from Kenari to Cumbi has been identified through the grounds of SMP Negeri 4 Komodo, but implementation remains unresolved, according to a November 7, 2026 report by Floresa. The route was identified during a survey by Manggarai Barat’s Dinas Cipta Karya, Tata Ruang, Perumahan dan Permukiman and Perumda Wae Mbeliling.

Muhamad Iqbal, secretary of Warloka Village, said the local government had approved extending the planned water network to Cumbi and requested household data. He said officials had asked Cumbi’s village head, Rafael Bahasa, to hold a meeting on whether residents would donate land for a reservoir.

Iqbal said the proposed land had been found, but an application sent to the provincial government had not received a response. The report said the project’s implementation therefore remained unresolved.

The plan is linked to water from the Wae Cumpe spring in Mbuhung, Tiwu Nampar Village, which is managed by Perumda Wae Mbeliling. The pipeline was originally planned to serve the Warloka waste-processing site and pass through Kenari and Mbuhung.

Severinus Kurniadi, head of Manggarai Barat’s Dinas Cipta Karya, Tata Ruang, Perumahan dan Permukiman, said Cumbi and Warloka had been included in the intended beneficiaries of the Tiwu Nampar drinking-water system. The system has a capacity of 150 cubic metres, or 150,000 litres, per day.

Severinus said the planned expansion to Cumbi required a reservoir because the area’s topography is relatively flat. The reservoir was planned for higher ground near Kapela Stasi Bunda Segala Bangsa Cumbi, with a separate route intended to supply Nalis.

Why it matters to Labuan Bajo readers

Residents of Cumbi currently rely on river water, purchased bore-well water and stored rainwater, the report said. The stalled network matters because the community is near Labuan Bajo’s tourism development zone while lacking a confirmed connection to a clean-water system.

Severinus said his office had prepared a budget estimate for the reservoir, pipes and meters.

He said the project could not yet be executed because earmarked regional funding had not prioritised drinking water. Funding received in 2025 and 2026 was for sanitation, while the 2027 allocation was for a reduce, reuse and recycle waste-processing facility.

The report said a possible funding opportunity in 2028 was not certain. It also said Cumbi residents share available water sources with buffaloes, reinforcing the gap between planned infrastructure and current access.

Sources

• Floresa — established regional news organisation
• referensi.data.kemendikdasmen.go.id
• daftarsekolah.net