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Waikelo Sawah, a source of springs that never dry in Sumba

Bumi Sumba has a unique climate, which is a longer dry season, around 9 months, while the rainy season only occurs about 3 months. This is what makes Sumba's land tends to be barren, dry and even at some point water difficulties. But fortunately, in Sumba there are many freshwater sources and one of them is never dry even though the dry season is the Waikelo Rice Field.

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Waikelo Sawah is located in Tema Tana Village, Wewewa Timur District, Sumba Barat Daya District, East Nusa Tenggara Province. Built in 1976, Waikelo Sawah is designed for irrigation and power generation purposes. The procurement of the power plant became the first Hydroelectric Power Plant (PLTA) on Sumba at that time. The construction of the waterfall dam was initiated by the Sub-district Head of Lele Umbu Zogara.

Waikelo Sawah, a source of springs that never dry in Sumba

Located at the foot of the hill and surrounded by lush trees and rice fields of the locals, making the atmosphere in Waikelo Sawah very calm and refreshing. Sometimes around the pool, you will see some local residents who come to just take a bath and wash clothes while enjoying the scenery around. Especially when the dry season comes, Waikelo Sawah will be very crowded.

Waikelo This rice field is at a glance shaped similar to a natural cave 4m wide with a height of about 3m, which is washed by a cave forming a pond with very clear water. The water pool at a glance looks calm, but visitors are not allowed to swim because there is a large current in the pond. It is said that the pool once claimed casualties. In addition, the flow of water flowing from the Waikelo Dam in the Rice Field is quite heavy, which is estimated to reach 1000 liters / second (based on a study conducted by the Public Works Office of Sumba Barat Daya Regency). The abundant flow of water in Waikelo Sawah turned out to be very useful for local villagers. The water flow from Waikelo Sawah is able to irrigate the fields for several villages including Tema Tana Village, Kalembu Ndara Mane, Mareda Kalada, On Eweta, Wee Rame, Dikira and Tanggaba Village.

When examined again, it turns out that in the dam and cave in Waikelo, this rice field has a waterfall which is the source of the water flow. The flow of the waterfall flowed into the pond at the mouth of the cave, then dammed and in the end it was useful for irrigation and hydropower needs.

Access to Tourist Locations

If you start the journey to explore Sumba from the direction of Tambolaka Airport towards the center of Waikabubak, it will actually pass through the Waikelo Sawah. With a distance of about 12 km from Tambolaka, the capital of Sumba Barat Daya Regency, the trip to the location can be reached in about 40 minutes by motorized vehicle. The condition of the road to the location has also been finely paved, but there are several points near the location that is still gravel. There is no public transportation to the location, so visitors who want to visit the Waikelo Sawah can use the motorcycle taxi services from Tambolaka or rent a vehicle from the city. The same is true of other public facilities. There are no adequate food stalls and toilets, visitors can buy food and soft drinks in Tambolaka first.

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For those of you who are interested in visiting Waikelo Sawah, it's best to come in February, March or November because in those months, a regular tradition of Sumba people will be held, namely the Pasola tradition and Wula Podu which are very dear to pass through when exploring Sumba. [Anggey / Indonesia Rich]

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