The ITB team consisted of Urban and Regional Planning and Ocean Engineering students. Kaisar Plannow Team, their chosen team's name, designed an innovation for sustainable development in the Mundu Bay area that was based on its coastal management plan. The team members are Rusdianto Effendi (KL 19), Arif Sadewo (KL 18), Amelia Nanda (PWK 19), Ayubella Anggraini (PWK 19), and Evita Mahar (PWK 19).

"The competition consists of multiple stages. First, we need to submit an abstract. After we passed into the next stage, we needed to submit the full essay, a poster, a video, and a mockup of our idea. Everything was done virtually. The exhibition and mockup presentation stages were done on-site in Denpasar on 26 to 29 November," explained Evita. This competition was joined by teams from a total of 23 different countries.

A fresh idea that this team was able to present is a breakwater system that is integrated with a renewable energy concept. "Breakwater is a method to protect the coastline of a beach.

What distinguished our work is how we utilized the open spaces that are available by transforming it into a power plant that generates energy from solar and wave, and also into green are that can be used for recreational purpose," said Rusdi when interviewed by Humas ITB Reporter, Tuesday (22/2/22)

Rusdi explained that constructing a breakwater is one of the ways to protect the coastal area from abrasion. "However, constructing breakwater is very expensive and doesn't generate any economic value when it is finished. Therefore, we try to combine it with renewable energy power plants or recreational facilities to generate economic value. The economic benefit from this method will cover the expensive construction cost while also offering solutions to other problems."

The Mundu Bay in Cirebon was chosen as their study because currently, Cirebon is experiencing a transformation into an industrial area due to the Rebana Triangle (Cirebon, Patimban, Kertajati) scheme. However, currently, there are no buffer zones or constructed structures to protect its coastal area. The risk of disaster such as flood, erosion, abrasion, and sedimentation increase in line with the development of industrialization. These issues will bring negative impact for the coastal communities.

They hope that the decision to transform Cirebon into an industrial heartland will not cause social problems and that its coastal area can withstand those various threats.

"Regarding the research that we are working on, we are very open to input and suggestions that can improve it. We hope that this idea can be realized and will answer the problems that were highlighted," added Rusdi.

There are many problems, whether social or technical, which we can encounter from our surroundings. The only things that a student needs is a critical attitude and courage to deliver a breakthrough for those problems. Because from an idea, a solution that can make a difference will be born.

Reporter: Maharani Rachmawati Purnomo (Oceanography, 2020)
Translator: Favian Aldilla R (Civil Engineering, 2019)