INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INDONESIAN STUDIES SPRING 2016
Consequently , the results of this paper should not be taken to generalize the conditions across the vast and complex district of South Central Timor . Instead , this research is more useful as a means of shedding light on people ’ s experiences and attitudes towards more general environmental health conditions as well as the use of the ume kbubu .
The subjectivity of ideal health practice is also worth noting . The participants interviewed in the three sample villages may have differing perceptions of concepts such as environmental health . This is particularly the case in relation to how village communities hold diverse scales of perception in gauging their own physical condition and wellbeing , especially when compared to perceptions in urban populations . Indeed , the study also highlights that ‘ good health ’ is an inherently subjective idea . This is also the case in relation to traditional belief systems vs . modern medicine and environmental health best practice .
Results
Community focus discussion groups across the three sample villages all identified access to clean water as the most important factor in relation to public health . Adequate draining was commonly ranked second most important , largely due to the environmental health impacts of floods and contamination of water sources . In Nusa Village , access to water was perceived as the most important criterion , with draining as the second most . Rubbish management was third and sanitation and roads and access were not seen to be as important .
In Supul Village access to water was also perceived as the most important criterion . However , roads , paving and access received almost as high a score through these participatory statistics . Draining received the third highest ranking . The community stated that even with access to clean water , inadequate draining means it will only be a matter of time before the water becomes contaminated by waste or the nearby manganese mine . Supul village has already begun building separate water taps and sinks adjacent to each house with positive effect of reducing the risk and spread of contamination . However , this process of building taps and sinks has not yet been socialized to the furthest households , while sanitation and rubbish were fourth and fifth , respectively . The interesting variables in Supul village include the large manganese mine and large lake located to either side of the watershed ridge . See village maps for further information ( appendices fig . 7 , 8 , 9 ).
In Boti Village access to water was perceived as the most important criterion . Drainage was percieved as the second most important . In order to prevent flooding , the people of Boti use stone fence and dam structures . Sanitation was the third most important since it could often be worsened through flooding of toilets and waste areas . Rubbish management was not perceived to be important at all . Correspondents in Boti stated this was because they guard their environment and have little to no need for rubbish which use plastics or papers . As a result , the criterion for rubbish management was left blank .
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