Institut Teknologi Bandung

Wahyu, as he is often called, is a lecturer at the Air and Waste Management Research Group, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering ITB (FTSL ITB). His expertise in the solid and hazardous waste sector motivated him to engage in Citarum River community service activity.

Dr. Wahyu, realizing that there are so many problems that lie below this river, decided to submit a proposal for the Citarum Harum top-down community service program (PKM). Wahyu said that his initiative is now one of the ITB PKM programs that are coordinated by the ITB Research and Community Service Institute (LPPM ITB)

Wahyu is not alone in his endeavor. He invited his students from the Environmental Engineering, and Environmental Infrastructure Engineering Undergraduate Study Program ITB along with four students from the Independent Learning-Independent Campus (MBKM) program to collaborate in developing a concept for this community service. They then began with the identification and characterization phases.

"This is our unique trait. We carried out the identification and the characterization(region, society, waste characteristic, and existing waste management) on site. Preceded with systematic research," said Wahyu to the ITB Reporter on Monday (5/1/2022).

After they have done with identification and characterization, Wahyu and others analyze the collected data and then formulate a solution or a recommendation that would optimize the performance of waste management in the Citarum watershed area. One of the students that worked on this project quoted us that being an active contributor to innovative ideas reflects a good trait of the millennial generation. They began their approach to this community service program by targeting the informed class and then expanded to socialization and campaigning to each village. This was done so that the community can better understand the motive and objective behind "Citarum Harum" and to create a sense of awareness.

The team expressed some insights on how to correctly manage waste, even to create a financial incentive out of this using the circular economy concept. Not only that, Wahyu and his team also designed a poster of the Citarum Harum program timeline. There is also a report of their performance in the form of a book that is currently in the publishing process. This book was titled "Langkah Awal Membersihkan Desa" or “The First Step to Clean the Town”.

Wahyu hopes that all parties can synergize in finishing what he and his team initiate. They have built a portable composter and biodigester as a form of physical participation for four prioritized villages in the watershed area of Pameungpeuk District, Bandung Regency, West Java. Those prioritized villages are Langonsari Village, Sukasari Village, Rancatungku Village, and Rancamulya Village.

Wahyu emphasized the importance of publication to broaden the scope of information of this community service program. This initiative succeeded in getting the attention of a local news provider, Tribun Jabar. Moreover, this was also publicized on the Instagram and YouTube platforms. Communication with the Citarum Harus task force of the West Java Provincial Government has also been carried out.
"Publications were carried out to find new partners so that this PKM-initiated program will have a more optimized and comprehended result, especially in those prioritized villages and in the Citarum River generally," said Dr. Wahyu, who is a lecturer from Environmental Infrastructure Engineering ITB (RIL ITB).

Their hard work produced a fruitful result. Dr. I Made Wahyu Widyarsana was awarded the best community service executor at the ITB Research, Innovation, and Community Service Exhibition (PRIMA ITB) 2021. Wahyu admitted that he had not expected to win the award because other lecturer's programs were in no way less interesting.

However, he is still grateful for the award that was given to him. "This award serves as a whip that will propel a more optimal community service in the future," said Wahyu. This award is not solely meant for him, but also for the entire PKM team who have actively participated and contributed significantly.

The journey that he went through to make this Citarum Harum program prevail is not an easy one. Wahyu said that the pandemic has been the main challenge. Furthermore, his team encounters some obstacles when trying to communicate with the local government. This was caused by the fluctuation of the Covid-19 pandemic that often resulted in a changed agenda.

The community's low level of understanding of the watershed condition also made the situation more difficult for the team. "A lot of time is spent on educating the community first. After that, we were then able to deliver our concept and implementation of the program," added Wahyu.

Dr. I Made Wahyu Widyarsana hoped that all the parties will synergize in cleaning the river. This program needs both technical and non-technical support, especially sponsorship and funding so that the Citarum Harum concept can run optimally. His party still has high enthusiasm for continuing the program even though the program was supposed to end in November 2021. According to him, the ITB academician must also play a role in community service, especially related to the Citarum River because it is located in West Java. Wahyu added, "Citarum is our responsibility to look after."

Reporter: Hanan Fadhilah Ramadhani (Civil Engineering, 2019)
Translator: Favian Aldilla R (Civil Engineering, 2019)