For most of us, a flood is a disaster that we try to avoid. We hope and pray that our house won’t be flooded by water, our property ruined, our personal belongings destroyed. No one is happy when it comes to being flooded.
EXCEPT IN GALINGGANG. PEOPLE HERE ARE ECSTATIC WHEN THEIR VILLAGE IS FLOODED. According to the villagers, this flood is an annual cycle which usually occurs between September and December. The water level of Katingan River will increase, resulting in a sudden flood in the village. This flood is a blessing in disguise for Galinggang people.
When the water increases, the number of fish will also increase. It will be very easy to catch them.
NORMALLY, ONE PERSON CAN EARN RP. 50,000-100,000 (US$5-10) PER DAY FROM FISHING. BUT WHEN IT FLOODS, THEY CAN DOUBLE OR EVEN TRIPLE THEIR INCOME. There are many types of tools that Galinggang people use to catch fish. They turn to fish traps of varying sizes: rawai, tempirai, kabam, selambau, lelangit, and many more. No matter what size you use, you are guaranteed to catch an abundance of fish at this time of the year.
I see many happy faces this week. Fish are everywhere.
However, no matter how high the flood is, and no matter how much fish can be caught each day, people almost never go out fishing at night. They only go out fishing during the day. If anyone decides to go fishing at night, it’s almost always to provide food for their own household and not to be sold, and they won’t go often. They still prefer fishing in broad daylight.
For the people who do decide to occasionally fish at night, it seems that they are protective of their solar lantern: they choose to take a headlamp flashlight with them instead. The d.light solar lantern does not accompany them fishing. Why not?
“THIS SOLAR LANTERN IS WAY TOO GOOD TO BE BROUGHT ALONG WITH ME WHILE FISHING.”
“I’M AFRAID THIS LANTERN WILL FALL INTO THE WATER AND BREAK. I DON’T WANT IT TO BE BROKEN.”
“WE ONLY HAVE ONE SOLAR LANTERN AT HOME. IF WE HAVE MORE THAN ONE, ONLY THEN CAN I BRING ONE OF THEM WITH ME WHILE FISHING AT NIGHT.”
“THE HEADLAMP IS MUCH SIMPLER THAN THE SOLAR LANTERN IN TERMS OF ITS DESIGN. YES, THE SOLAR LANTERN PROVIDES US WITH BETTER LIGHTING, BUT ITS BOXY DESIGN MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO MOBILISE SOMETIMES. THE HEADLAMP IS SMALLER AND CAN BE TIED AROUND YOUR HEAD, SO THAT YOU CAN MOVE FREELY WITH THE LIGHT.”
There are many reasons why people are reluctant to use their d.light solar lantern while fishing at night. But this reluctance doesn’t mean that people don’t like the technology.
PEOPLE HIGHLY VALUE THE SOLAR LANTERN, SO MUCH SO THAT THEY PRIORITISE WHERE AND HOW IT IS USED IN THEIR HOUSEHOLDS TO MAXIMISE THE BENEFITS THEY GET FROM IT. I can safely say that even in the early stages of this project in Galinggang, there is an outpouring of love from the people towards the solar lantern technology.
