Jogja At A Time
67. New World
The stretch of Menoreh hills exposed to the morning sun looks like a sleeping giant from the south of the Sermo reservoir. Some pine trees and cloves left from the puddles of the reservoir look fresh green doused in rain overnight.
The recently inaugurated reservoir is the only reservoir in Jogja that serves to supply PDAM water and rice field irrigation around Wates which is the capital of Kulon Progo district.
It can hold about 21.9 million cubic meters of water with an area of about 157 hectares. It is said that the construction of the reservoir in addition to stemming the Ngrengap times in Hargowilis village, Kokap sub-district also drowned the old tomb that was sacred.
The tomb of Mbah Sermo which was originally in the middle of the reservoir was finally moved to the east side of the reservoir. While the residents who inhabited the puddle area were transferred in bedol village from his homeland to Bengkulu and Riau.
The history of the Sermo reservoir was listened to by Seti who was interested in a bamboo tree in the middle of the reservoir when asking the rames rice seller on the edge of the reservoir. "The bamboo is a sign of the former tomb of Sermo dik." The rames rice seller said again.
It has been one month for Seti every day to take data on the rocks around the Sermo reservoir in the Kokap sub-district.
The new job he was living was pleasing to Seti and did not stray far from the mining science he had learned while in college.
Plans for a ring road through the Menoreh hill commissioned Seti to collect rock samples around the reservoir.
Unlike the hills in Gunung Kidul in the form of coral and limestone. The structure of Menoreh hills is composed of andesite rocks that are more massive and hard than the hills on the coast of Gunung Kidul.
In addition to heavy equipment, drilling and blasting are needed to divide it later if the planning of the construction of the ring road and the collection of data Seti office pass the feasibility test and are done later.
Consultant office planner where Seti works as well as the base camp is in the reservoir area. Make it easy for him to leave and go to the field.
Muji's friend who became Seti's superior was only a graduate of STM Mining peer with Seto, but his field knowledge and expertise on rocks greatly impressed Seti.
Stingy sharing his knowledge and very good to Seti who is still learning to know and enjoy the world of his work.
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Sermo Reservoir is one of the mega projects of President Suharto and his new order regime. The regime is being tested for its continued power after the reservoir was completed in 1996. Not surprisingly, the frenzy of demonstrations and the sound of dissatisfaction with the new order regime also became a warm conversation of the population around the Sermo reservoir.
Some say soon the regime will be uprooted by the drowning of Sermo's tomb. Especially after many deaths due to drowning in the reservoir, it further adds to the spooky mystical story about the collision requested mbah Sermo.
Choosing to be a listener only when the shop owner began discussing politics, Seti continued to eat breakfast. The message of the Father when leaving for Kulon Progo is very noticed. The message not to talk about the ruling regime if it does not understand who the interlocutor is firmly embedded in Seti's mind.
"You're lucky to still be able to work in difficult times like now Set. So don't follow the demo on the road." He reminded me again when Seti bailed to leave for Kulon Progo.
The chatter in the stall about the political and economic situation warmed up as several other employees joined in for breakfast. Most complained about the delay in some of the materials needed due to the soaring prices of imported materials.
If all this time the gloom of the business world was only observed from the outside, now Seti experienced his own gloom due to the uncertainty of circumstances ....
"This is the new kid who just kept quiet ?" Slamet team-mate and Seti's boss on the field tried to lure Seti to join in commenting.
"Ah mas Slamet can be ... " Seti responded as best she could.
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Slamet one village and still related to Muji. Setamat STM he immediately worked on one of CVs owned by a contractor from Jakarta who worked on the procurement project of stone and consultant mining job planners throughout Indonesia.
Tenacity and the ability to complete some difficult work made Slamet gradually very trusted by the contractor who happened to work on the construction of the Sermo reservoir from the beginning until it was inaugurated.
Then suddenly the rupiah exchange rate plummeted. Mining businesses that rely on foreign investors are among the hardest hit and have a hard time when investor return liabilities are due.
Some large jobs were forced to be cancelled or recalculated.
That is what makes Slamet still in the Sermo reservoir to lead and review the work plan that should have been done CV if the value of the rupiah is not freefall.
Like crawling from the beginning again. Slamet tried to form a new work team that he recruited on the basis of trust and feeling alone.
It is not possible to keep old employees with the same salary and facilities if they do not want to get deeper into financial difficulties.
Slamet's proposal to recruit new personnel who are still fresh with a contract system that does not drain the company's finances for several potentially profitable jobs was finally accepted by CV after being presented in a commando meeting.
Seti is one of the employees needed by Slamet to complete the next CV job.
Young, still fresh from his college graduation, unmarried, dare to accept the challenge and of course also because the reference Muji his village friend who makes Slamet did not hesitate to ask Seti to help him.
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"It's free to set if you have an opinion .... We're here in the same predicament" Slamet laughed.
One month in and out of the Menoreh hills with Seti further convinced Slamet that his decision to choose Seti was not wrong .... In addition to physical, Seti's knowledge of the character of the rocks of the Menoreh hills helps him in analyzing the data that he is trying to conclude according to the deadline given by CV.
"If I'm the important one, don't drop it for as long as there's still something we have to do. After all this difficult situation has not left us completely paralyzed." Seti.
The calm but firm word from Seti's mouth no doubt made the entire stall turn its attention towards him.
"Yes the hell .... It's just that it keeps on like this is not dead silly," interrupted one of the employees who was coffee. "This is all I don't know if I don't work until noon solar shipment has not entered," he complained again.
"Ahaha... Yes, I have not signed a contract .... If until the contract is canceled do I not miss a month in the mas forest," Seti tried to eliminate the complaints of his coworkers.
"Yes the hell .... You're just a bachelor .... My son is four ...."
"Makanya KB," the others commented.
The rames rice stall is finally melting. The rigidity of facing a job situation that is still covered with question marks its continuation fades. The sour face that was changing smiles together.
"Just calm down, it will be noon Jakarta boss comes. I know the work here will continue unless there's a force majeure." Slamet could not bear to participate in the conversation, encouraging everyone in the shop. "We're thinking about today's work first. I'm picking up the boss at the airport this morning, maybe in the afternoon or the new evening we're meeting at base camp whether there's a change of work plan or continue according to the schedule." Sneakily.
No one disputes the words of Slamet, everyone is ready to do their own work.
"You're with me Set." Slamet called Seti who was about to leave.
"Every mas," replied Seti who then followed Slamet towards the office.
Unlike usual after breakfast, this time the call of his superior who took him to the office and not to the field concluded there was something important to be discussed with him ....
*Force Majuere: circumstances beyond power, such as natural disasters such as earthquakes, landslides, epidemics, war, riots, and so on.