The Largest Floating Village In The World: People Live On The Water

The Largest Floating Village In The World: 30,000 People Live On The Water, Accounting For 10% Of The Country's Population, Unwilling To Move To Land

The Water Village on the Brunei River is a unique settlement consisting of 42 closely connected floating villages and is known as the largest floating settlement in the world. The settlement has a history of more than 1,300 years, and about 30,000 people now live here, accounting for nearly 10% of Brunei's total population.

The construction of the water village is very complete, and infrastructure such as schools, police stations, fire stations, clinics, markets, and mosques are all built on the water, connected by 36 kilometers of sidewalks and footbridges. This allows many villages to be reached on foot, while villages in non-adjacent areas and not on river banks can be accessed by water, the most common form of transport being water taxis. These taxis are wooden motorboats that offer transparent fares and can be found at the village's jetties and nearby river banks.

Water Village also has sound educational institutions that provide public education, including primary and secondary schools. Every hamlet has at least one primary school, and religious schools provide primary religious education. Awang Thurman Secondary School is the only secondary school built entirely on water, while other schools are mostly built on land, but some parts are also built on water.

Homes in Water Village are built in simple yet modern concrete and wood, and some older homes have been restored using modern materials. Every house is equipped with electricity and clean water, and every household is provided with good sanitation, waste disposal, internet connection, and postal service.

The history of this water village dates back to around the 8th century when people started to settle on the banks of the Brunei River. According to the Italian explorer Antonio Pinafita's description in 1521, the water village was built entirely in the water and contained 25,000 families. The houses were built of wood and supported on tall wooden piles in the river bed. The Dutchman Olivier van Nott described the light buildings of water villages in 1600, as made of timber and built on light piles that could be moved from one side of the river to the other in the event of a storm or other unfortunate event.

The village became an administrative center and an important trade center during the Brunei Empire (15th-17th century) when the Sultanate ruled over much of Borneo, including the southern Philippines. However, Sultanate rule ended in the 18th century with the arrival of Western powers such as Spain, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, and the water village began to decline. The British colonists pursued a plan to help the residents of Water Village resettle on land. Although initially unsuccessful, many villagers later accepted the plan, resulting in a significant decrease in the population of Water Village. Despite the bombings of World War II, a large number of residents still choose to live in Water Village today.

The current water village is facing some challenges, one of which is garbage floating and sewage treatment. Due to population growth and tourism, the amount of waste has increased and the waste disposal system has become less effective. The government is working to improve waste disposal facilities and encourage residents to adopt environmentally friendly measures such as waste sorting and recycling.

The water village is also facing the problem of water pollution. Due to the discharge of domestic sewage and industrial wastewater, the quality of the river water is affected. The government has taken a series of measures to improve water quality, including building sewage treatment plants and regulating industrial wastewater discharge.

The Brunei government is also working hard to provide better infrastructure and services to improve the living conditions of the water village residents. They are committed to providing better education, medical and transportation facilities, and providing more employment opportunities, to reduce the dependence of residents on fishing and agriculture.

Water Village is a unique and fascinating place in Brunei. Although it faces some challenges, the government and residents are working hard to protect and improve this special place of residence.