Category Archives: Village

Location of Muting Village (white circle), Muting District (red area), in Merauke Regency. The size of the circle is not the actual one, just to indicate the site of the village.

Compare with villages in other areas or islands of Indonesia, villages in Papua are generally bigger in geographic size but smaller in term of its population number. For example, the area of one village in Papua may larger several times than some villages altogether in Java but its population may fewer than one hamlet in Java. This is why Muting Village become an unusual hinterland village in Papua since its number of population is about twice than commonly found in other villages. Situated about 240 km to the north of Merauke Town, Muting Village is capital of Muting District, one of three oldest districts in Merauke Regency (other two are Okaba and Merauke Town). This big village located in the bank of one of largest and longest rivers in Papua, the Great Bian. Although is one of the most established administrative districts in Papua, however, access road to this village from Merauke Town is still underdeveloped and full of muds and big holes during rainy seasons .

A. OVERALL CONDITION OF VILLAGER’s HOUSES

Basic map of Muting Village digitized by villagers themselves based on their sketchs made through transect walking. This is the basic layer to be overlayed with several thematic maps to show particular issues such as housing and enviromental sanitation.

• Total Number = 115 houses (some houses occupied by more than one nucleas families)
• General Condition = 105 houses (91.3%) are poor (too old, even rotten)
• Clean-water = 48 houses (41.7%) have no facilities
• Sanitation = 84 houses (73.0%) have toilets and bathrooms but almost dirty
• Electricity = 64 houses (55,7%) no electricity

B. FAMILY EDUCATION

• Of 159 households, 85 (53.5%) head of families only reached Elementary School level
• Of 482 school-age children, 158 (32.8%) enrolled in Elementary School, 72 (14,9%) have dropped-out

C. PEOPLE’s HEALTH

• Most common illness (headache, cold, skin problem) = 65 persons (56,5%)
• Epidemic diseases (cholera, diarrhoea, malaria) = 31 persons (27.0%)
• Chronic diseases (TBC, cancer, fatal broken bones) = 19 persons (16,5%)
• Average duration of sickness = 1-3 days (55 persons, 47.9%)
• Children died in the last five years = 30 babies and kids (26.1%)
• Have health insurance = only 17 families (14.8%)

D. HOUSEYARD & UTILIZATION

• Size = 100 houses (87.0%) more than 3,000 m2
• Utilization = only 15 houses (13.1%) fully cultivated; others are more or less than half

E. HOUSEHOLD MONTHLY EXPENDITURES

• For foods = 59 houses (51.3%) more than 50%; 38 houses (33.0%) between 30-50%
• For energy = 97 houses (84.6%) more than 20%; others are between 10-20%
• The rest (30% in average) are for other expenditures (children education, health care, etc.)

Two landscapes of Muting Village: main road in housing area, some schoolkids passing by (left); and huge swamp surrounding the village, some villagers crossing by dugboat (right) (Photo: OKTO WAKEN)