The majority of residents around PT HBM's areal plan (project land), both in Pancuran Village III of Muara Merang Village and three (3) Hamlets (Muara Baru Village V, Mekar Jaya Village VII and Tapak Rimau Village X Village) in Muara Medak Village are immigrants. They come from various districts as follows.

The main livelihood of the local community (Children's Tribe) is fishing in the river. Meanwhile, the main source of food (staple ingredients) is obtained from purchases. Fish products are sold to meet food needs by purchasing from the nearest sales points to residential locations (stalls and shops).

The main livelihoods of the migrants consist of planters (palm oil and rubber), agricultural laborers and traders. The main source of income for planters comes from the sale of plantation products (palm oil and rubber). The main source of income for agricultural workers comes from wages from employers. The main source of income for traders comes from trading profits. The majority of food needs are obtained from purchases. In other words, there are no residents who specifically produce food for family consumption.

Livelihoods have experienced a slight shift. The early generation (grandfathers) relied on sources of income from looking for non-timber forest products (gaharu and jelutung) and rubber gardening. The next generation (fathers) have begun to choose livelihoods as palm oil planters or other jobs related to the palm oil supply chain such as farm laborers, palm oil middlemen and palm oil transporters.

Food sources have also undergone slight changes. The majority of your generation (grandfathers) relied on food sources from farming, searching in forests and rivers (fish). The majority of the next generation (fathers) rely on food from purchases at the nearest shop or stall.

Planters earn an average income of Rp. 5,000,000/month, while agricultural workers earn an average of Rp. 3,000,000,-/month. The source of income for planters is derived from the sale of plantation products (palm oil and rubber), while the source of income for farm workers is obtained from wages from employers.

The source of income can be stable if the productivity of garden products is not disturbed. Income stability will be disrupted in a situation of decreasing productivity of plantation products (palm oil and rubber). The decline in productivity of plantation products (palm oil and rubber) is usually caused by the season, pests and disease in the plants. This condition can occur once a year.

a. Children start school at the age range of 5-7 years. Some children start school from Early Childhood Education (PAUD) or Kindergarten (TK), some start school directly at elementary school (SD) level.

b. A small number of teenagers have gone on to higher education outside the area. Generally, they continue their studies at campuses in the capital cities of Jambi and South Sumatra Provinces. Some who have finished college do not return to their hometowns. They prefer to look for work outside their hometown (in big cities such as Jambi and Palembang).

c. In particular, the Anak Dalam Tribe (SAD) children receive education through the Sobat Anak Dalam Exploration (SEAD) program. SEAD teachers visit SAD settlements to facilitate SAD children learning to read, write and count.

The closest health facility in the form of a hospital (RS) is in the Regency Capital (Kayu Agung) with a distance of ± 155 km. To get to the hospital, people have to travel via water transportation routes (rivers) and land transportation routes (roads). Generally, people use rented vehicles when they have to go to the hospital for treatment. The vehicles are in the form of speed boats and cars (travel).

The nearest hospital provides treatment services for common illnesses that the majority of people suffer from, such as fever, acute respiratory infections, diarrhea and tuberculosis and skin diseases. Service operational hours are 24 hours and are equipped with an emergency department (IGD).

Fee Hospital:

Hospital costs are considered expensive by society. This factor is influenced by two (2) things. First, the cost of mobility to the nearest hospital. Second, costs for treatment and purchasing medicines are not covered by the state health insurance program (BPJS). People will go to the hospital for treatment in situations where the type of disease is deemed to be unable to be treated by the nearest Community Health Center to the settlement.

There have never been cases of children dying due to accidents or suffering from certain diseases.

There are several elderly people in the community with an age range of ≥ 60 years. They are respected by society by several factors. First, they were the initial pioneers of the population who settled around the planned PT HBM area (project land). Second, they are considered to have wisdom and life experience, so they are often asked for advice and opinions, especially when problems arise in the community.

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