BANDUNG, itb.ac.id - Rector of  Bandung Institute of Technology, Prof. Dr. Ir. Kadarsah Suryadi, DEA., symbolically inaugurated Plant Nursery House and Sports Facilities at ITB Jatinangor Campus, Wednesday (01/15/2020). The inauguration was marked by planting tree seedlings and signing the inscription.

The establishment of plant nursery is motivated by a study which states that human oxygen demand is 740 kg per year which can be fulfilled by 6-8 mature trees for each year. From these data, ideally the oxygen demand for ITB population which reaches 22,000 people can be fulfilled from the oxygen produced by 132,000 trees.

However, based on the results of digitizing satellite imagery, the calculation of tree population in ITB campus area is only 3,848 trees which means ITB lacks 128,152 trees. Based on this data, Plant Nursery House was established to increase the number of trees in ITB area.

Director of Facilities and Infrastructure of ITB Wahyu Srigutomo, Ph.D., said the plant nursery is located in Ganesha campus which was established by Directorate of Facilities and Infrastructure in 2018. Plant nursery house was built as a place to breed, reproduce, and develop plants that grow around Ganesha campus.

He continued, the nursery also functions as a place to care for plants needed by ITB community. This development aims to make a real contribution to environmental improvement for ITB community in particular and Bandung community in general. In addition, nurseries also contribute to providing tree seedlings that are useful for preventing climate change, flooding and landslides.

"With a collection of 18 ornamental plants and 18 tree species, ITB Plant Nursery House through the 'ITB planting' movement targets to plant 10,000 trees in several locations of land assets which are carried out gradually for 10 hectares per year," he said.

In supplying tree seedlings, ITB collaborates with Cimanuk Citanduy Watershed and Forest Management Center, to give assistance in 2019 totaling 6000 tree seedlings, then with West Java Provincial Forestry Service as many as 3500 tree seedlings, and 1000 tree seedlings from ITB 89 Alumni Association. .

ITB Rector Prof. Kadarsah Suryadi said, the presence of trees has a very big impact on life, trees produce oxygen blessings and provide protection to humans from disasters such as floods and landslides.

"I represent the extended family of ITB, would like to thank Directorate of Facilities and Infrastructure for the success of this program and also ITB 89 Alumni Association who contributed to the almamater by donating trees. "With this nursery house, it is expected that seedlings will last and can be distributed to lecturers or ITB staff in order to be also planted at home," he explained.

In the series of events, Prof. Kadarsah Suryadi together with other ITB officials planted tree seedlings in front of the library building in ITB Jatinangor Campus. Trees planted include mahogany, ketapang kencana, manglid, sungur, trembesi and jaha. After planting, it continued with the symbolic inauguration of the sports facilities at ITB Jatinangor Campus consisting of indoor hockey, basketball, volleyball, badminton, table tennis, and rock climbing.

"Sport is very important for humans, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) said that there are three categories of a developed society, namely economic progress, advanced education, and improving quality of health. From these three categories, the quality of human development index is born. Being healthy is supported by sports, with the establishment of this facility, it means that we have supported improving the quality of Indonesian human development, " said Prof. Dr.Ir. Kadarsah Suryadi, DEA.

Reporter : Deo Fernando
Translator : Salsabila Mayang