Assessment of communities' water springs in Gowa Regency, South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia

Abstract

Water is a vital component for living, but its distribution is uneven and becomes hard to obtain in some places. Generally, people use water sources from PDAM, rivers, wells, and springs. Springs are often used as a source of water which are used by the community. Unfortunately, the spring and its surrounding area are often disturbed, and their function is changed. Even though several activities have shifted the land cover around the spring area, it affects the spring's water quality. The study aims to find out the condition of the springs which are used by the people at Gowa Regency. The data was collected through a survey, and the spring sampling was carried out purposefully. Furthermore, the data were analyzed descriptively. The study showed that springs are still an important source of water for rural communities. The results showed that the water quality of springs was feasible for household and other purposes. We found that the community seemingly has low awareness of preserving the spring. The area around the spring has been disturbed by community activities that are prone to polluting the springs.