During the ecotourism development efforts, NESA Ganesha ITB members directly approached the village and held a series of program for five days, from the 13th to 17th June 2023. One of its main activities in community service was collecting data of waterfalls nearby the Bunikasih Village. Alongside the locals, NESA Ganesha ITB members worked together to retrieve a previously difficult-to-access route for reporters.

“Before clearing the route, we initially interviewed local communities regarding the waterfalls’ territorial spread. After the interviews, we gathered a total of 14 target waterfalls that seemed viable to be developed further as a recreational site. Afterwards, we also mapped and determined suitable routes that are safe for tourists to access,” explained the Program Field Coordinator, Ignasius Riguel (Material Engineering, 2021).

During the waterfalls’ data collection process, these nature-loving students of ITB also performed documentation of the waterfalls and gathered information of the surrounding natural beauty, location accessibility, as well as the potential development for tourism.

“Data collection of waterfalls and other tourism potentials in Bunikasih will also serve as the foundation of ecotourism’s management and advertisement. Moreover, the data will be compiled into interesting and informative booklets for tourists. Each booklet will illustrate beautiful portraits, explanation of unique features, and serve as a guide for tourists if they want to visit the village later on,” described the Program’s PIC, Vincent Gunaratana (Astronomy, 2021).

The Head of Cakrawala Department (Design and Journalism) NESA Ganesha ITB, Sekar Pratiwi (Mechanical Engineering, 2020) also remarked how their activity culminated into a form of tour map.

“During the route clearing, we also conducted tracking with GPS, which was later simplified into a more easily understood tour map. This tour map will be presented in the booklet and information board located in the village later on,” she explained.

Meanwhile, according to the Head of Internal Department who designed this program, Fauzi Rahmadani (Civil Engineering 2020), the community service program in Bunikasih Village is not its first iteration, rather it has been a continuous program that started a few years back.

“From its inception by our alumni, NESA Ganesha ITB has designated Bunikasih Village as a place to visit, play, and execute environmental and social projects. From the previous management until the present, we are committed to develop Bunikasih as a joyous place, not only for the local community but also outside visitors. Our principle is rooted in maintaining the surrounding environmental balance while carrying out our projects,” he stated.

Reporter: Afgha Izzam Tursina (Petroleum Engineering, 2020)

Translator: Firzana Aisya (Bioengineering, 2021)

Editor: Ayesha Lativa Mafaza

Photo: Documentation of NESA Ganesha ITB