The UGM Team of KKN PPM (Student Community Service) collaborates with the Directorate General of Transmigration Area Development, Ministry of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration to revitalize the transmigration area in Rasau Jaya Satu and Rasau Jaya Tiga Villages, Kubu Raya, West Kalimantan.
In the two villages, the 27 students implement a range of programs, starting from building a river water purification infrastructure to developing a tourism object of sunflower garden.
“Several programs have been implemented and will be continued to the upcoming 18th of August,” said Ahmad Agus Setiawan, ST., M.Sc., Ph.D. as a Field Supervisor during a visit to the villages along with the university officials and District Government of Kubu Raya, Saturday (27/7/2019). The attending university officials include the Vice Rector for Partnership and Alumni, Dr. Paripurna, S.H., M.Hum., LL.M., Vice Rector for Research and Community Services, drg. Ika Dewi Ana., M.Kes., Ph.D., and the Rector Secretary, Drs. Gugup Kismono, M.B.A., Ph.D.
The Programs in Rasau Jaya are concluded into four main focuses, such as sustainable development, improvement of human resources capacity, agro-industry 4.0, and health revitalization. The water purification becomes one of the primary focuses because the river water condition widely utilized by the community in their daily lives is not clean.
The students Coordinator, Monika Listania Yuliandari, said that the river water in the village is brownish red with a TSS (total suspended solids) level of 232 mg/L and pH of 3-4. The UGM team proposes a solution by building a river water purifier that can lower the TSS level into 68 mg/L with a pH of 6-6.5, therefore, it will become more feasible to use for shower, wash, and toilet.
The installation of water purifier is made using affordable and accessible materials through a process of coagulation, sedimentation, and filtration. In the process, the river water is pumped and flowed through chlorine that functions as a bacterial killer. The water is contained in a water tank for coagulation process with a pH up and PAC addition and to be sedimentated afterward. The clear water is then filtered to remove the remaining solid materials into the storage tanks for later use.
“This water purifier is made simple so that later it can be replicated by the community. The water purifier construction requires quite an economic cost,” she explained.
Additionally, the UGM team also restores the tourism object of a flower garden in Rasau Jaya Tiga known as ‘Rajati Flower Garden’. The garden which was opened in 2013, said Monika, has potentials to be Pontianak’s leading tourism object by optimizing its tourism aspects including access, amenities, and attraction.
“In the UGM team’s master plan, Rajati Flower Garden is developed from its aspects of attraction by adding types of new flowers and some photo spots as ‘point of interest’ and initiating characteristic Rajati souvenirs,” added this student of Faculty of Engineering.
These student community activities become a part of the cooperation program between UGM and the Ministry which was initiated in 2018 for 3 years. Besides Rasau Jaya, a similar program is also implemented in 5 transmigration areas in multiple provinces.
Director General of Transmigration Area Development, Muhammad Nurdin, stated that the transmigration areas still have major potentials to promote food independence. Therefore, cooperation with UGM is a strategic step to encourage the optimization of the functions of transmigration areas.
“We can still see the transmigration areas that are not yet optimal. Therefore, the revitalization program becomes essential in improving productivity,” he said.
The cooperation with the campus, he continued, is implemented primarily in an attempt to improve the quality of the human resources in line with the physical revitalization program that includes infrastructures and production process.
“If the program succeeded, then it can be used as a model to be implemented in other areas,” he added.
Other than the two leading programs, the student activities also include programs of human resources development, such as handmade batik workshop, agro-industry 4.0 programs including workshops in e-commerce and production of corn and pineapple derivative products, as well as health revitalization comprises of the socialization of stunting and health week.
The Kubu Raya District Government appreciates the programs that have been implemented by the UGM students. They welcome the students’ ideas and innovation well as it can contribute to inspiring the community to collectively develop the village.
“I am content to accept these students, especially from a prominent campus, such as UGM. I hope there will be more ideas and thoughts that can be strengthened further by their presence here,” said the Regent of Kubu Raya, Muda Mahendrawan.
In this visit, there is also a signing of a memorandum of understanding between UGM and Kubu Raya District Government regarding the cooperation in the field of government organization, development, and community through the practices of university mission in education, research, and community service.
