Mennonite Central Committee

Canal enables fish farmers to restore livelihood. (Photo by Victor J. Sensenig)

Canal enables fish farmers to restore livelihood

Victor J. Sensenig
October 31, 2007

ACEH, Indonesia – Muhammad Jamal, a 71-year-old fish farmer from Blang Payang, Aceh, lost his means of livelihood when the December 2004 tsunami destroyed the canal that linked his fish ponds to the ocean.

“Before the tsunami, we gathered 700 to 800 kilograms of fish in a four month period. After the canal was ruined, we could only get 100 to 200 kilograms,” said Jamal. He raises milk fish which is eaten locally, usually baked or fried and eaten with rice. He also sells to fish to sellers, who hawk it in towns as far as 60 miles away.

When the tsunami hit the coast, it buried the culverts, the canal and many of the fish ponds in sand. “For seven months, my family and I relied on emergency aid. I also worked in the field, planting peanuts, and sold coconuts,” Jamal says.

Eventually Jamal, who designed and built the canal in 1983, contacted YUA, a local aid organization and MCC partner. MCC funded the three-month project to repair the culverts, clear the canal with a rented backhoe, and construct a water gate to prevent the sea water from entering the rice fields during high tide.

Jamal and other villagers provided advice, labor and their years of experience with the canal. “I hope this community will share their experience and expertise with neighboring communities,” said YUA project manager Fakhurrazi Yahya.

Jamal stepped down as the local leader halfway through the project, but he’s still making plans for the future. “We’re not up to the previous level because some of the ponds are still swamped with sand, but we’re hoping to get these soon out soon,” he says.

The repaired canal has not only benefited the fish farmers, but also the 48 other villagers who fish in the open waters of the canal or rely on it to drain the area of water and prevent flooding.