From panchuran to waterleiding: clean water solutions in Colonial Bandung, West Java, Dutch East Indies (1898‒1934)

Abstract

This study examines clean water management in Bandung, West Java, Dutch East Indies (Indonesia), from the late 19th Century to the early 20th Century. This study focuses on how the human community has modified the physical water unit, including technology, management skills, and social and environmental priorities. Historical methods were applied to investigate the topic, including heuristics, verification, interpretation, and historiography. Most of the data in this study were collected from primary sources in the form of archives, and official documents Department of Public Works and Bandung Municipality Government published in the late 19th century to the first half of the 20th century. The results showed that indigenous people in Bandung, the Sundanese, manage springs and rivers based on local knowledge, harmonizing simple technology with nature and belief. They used panchuran, a channel made of bamboo strips, to drain water from the springs. While Europeans initially relied on dug wells for daily water needs in the late 19th Century. However, concerns over epidemics and rapid population growth in the early 20th Century led to more well-planned, professional water management supported by science and technology-based infrastructure. The Bandung municipality government mobilized engineers and scientists to research new water sources and build clean water infrastructure. By the 1930s, they could build artesian wells, waterleiding networks, reservoirs, filtration systems, and clean water public facilities. Bandung municipality government exploited clean water resources that expanded from urban to mountainous areas north of Bandung. The municipality government recognized that clean water resources needed to be explored and capitalized. Two clean water services were available in Bandung: a pipeline service that delivered water directly to households and accessible public facilities. Indigenous people in Kampongs used public facilities, while Europeans used paid pipeline services.

Clean Water Supply in Cirebon during Colonial Period (1878-1940)

“…As result, economic activity was hindered as workers in plantations and industry were infected by epidemics. For these reasons, colonial government must provide clean water supply to its population (Budiman et al, 2023).…”