Its first inhabitants started establishing a community in the village after the so-called Watu Pinawetengan Peace Accord reached by locals with the Dutch United East India Company (VOC) in the seventh century.
The village’s natives belong to the Tontiwo tribe, which is one of the three tribes of Minahasa origin that were parties to the peace accord. The two other tribes were Tombulu and Tountemboan.
In 1985, village chief Wemfried Reihard Tumengkol divided Tonsealama Village into two different villages, separated by the Tondano River.
The village’s western part became a new village called Kembuan, while the eastern part came to be the present-day Tonsealama Village.
In 2003, Kembuan and Tonsealama Villages, which were formerly a part of Minahasa’s Airmadidi Sub-district, were incorporated into the administrative region of North Tondano Sub-district.
Tonseama Village was then designated as the seat of government of Minahasa’s North Tondano Sub-district.
One day, on a dark night, several people from the Tontiwo tribe gathered at a roadside eatery at the edge of the forest. They were local farmers, carpenters, and merchants.who had to traverse small and dark streets to get to work or sell their merchandise.
There were no street lights to guide them in their journey across the streets and the forest.
In the face of the challenges this presented, the Tonsealama community had been feeling the need for change. They had been longing for lights that could provide them with a sense of safety while navigating the paths of the village.
Ironically, the villagers had to travel the paths in pitch blackness despite the village being home to a micro-hydro power plant, which was named after the village.
The situation began to change when PLN Nusantara Power of Minahasa region, a sub-holding of state-run electricity company PT PLN, came and heeded the voices of the residents.
The company decided to deploy a team and tasked it with repairing and reactivating the defunct Tonsealama micro-hydro power plant that had stood dormant for almost four decades.
This required all-out efforts, strong commitment, and patience on the part of PLN and the villagers.
After months of hard work, the power plant was eventually reactivated. Finally, the villagers could use the power plant again to generate relatively large amounts of power.
PLN Nusantara Power helped the villagers revive the power plant under the Social and Environmental Responsibilities (TJSL) Program, which is aimed at supporting the Indonesian government’s efforts to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs), particularly goal number 7 on affordable and clean energy and goal number 11 on sustainable cities and communities.
Now, PLN is providing electricity to light up the paths of Tonsealama Village by optimizing water as a new and renewable energy source for reactivating the long dormant micro-hydro power plant.
Currently, the power plant can generate up to 40 kilo-volt ampere of electricity, which is being used to power 73 lights installed along the streets of the village.
Furthermore, by lighting up the village’s streets, PLN aims to stimulate economic growth in the village and its surroundings, considering the village connects Minahasa and North Minahasa Districts.
Reliable electricity supply is also expected to develop local tourist destinations, which, in turn, could boost the income of local communities.
The reactivation of Tonsealama’s micro-hydro power plant will not be the last concrete implementation of the TJSL Program. PLN, as a representative of the government, will sustain the program by providing more regions with reliable electricity in the hopes of boosting the economy.
The people and government of North Tondano Sub-district have expressed their gratitude for PLN’s efforts to light up the area and its assistance in stimulating the growth of their economy.
Estefanus Dimpudus, Tonsealama’s Hukum Tua, or village chief, on behalf of his community, extended thanks to PLN for what it has done to help the village.
It is believed that the street electrification in Tonsealama Village would have multiplier effects that could benefit its residents as well as Tondano, the capital of Minahasa District. It should be noted that Tonsealama Village serves as the entrance to the city.
Now, villagers can feel safer when conducting economic activities at night. Even after the sun sets, they can continue to operate eateries, carpenters can continue their work, and farmers can feel safe during their journey home after selling their goods at markets.
In this way, the micro-hydro power plant is not merely lighting up Tonsealama Village, but also shining rays of hope and progress for the residents of the village.
The villagers are fully aware that by combining renewable energy and the spirit of collaboration, they will be able to lead a better life.
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Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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