UNS – Three students from Rotterdam University Applied Science Department Water Management joined international internship program in the study program of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering (FT), University of Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta. The three students are Mees Sofia Lienders, Linde Van Eden, and Mila Diemel.
This international internship program in 2019 is the fourth time for five months from August to December located in Solo. They are with the Students from FT UNS who are Shafira Zahro Rosyadi, Nathasya Lintang Ayasha Kirti, and Adiel Edo Atmanto. They studied urban village life and waste and water management.
Under the supervisor of the lecturer Dr. Eng Kusumaningdyah N.H and Pratiwi Anjar, S.T, MT from Architecture study program and Labboratorium Urban-Rural Design and Conversation (URDC) along with Lina Indawati S.T, M.T, the lecturer from Civil Engineering, both students from Netherlands and UNS conducted field project in Mojo village, Pasar Kliwon sub-district, Surakarta.
Mila Diemel and Shafira Zahro Rosyadi saw plastic waste in Mojo Village as a potential to be managed further. After holding the first Focus Group Discussion, they concluded that the waste management is still not maximally preserved especially in neighborhood 1 of Mojo village. Through the observation regarding waste disposal, they recommended the manufacturing of Ecobrick as the solution plastic waste management from household waste in the urban village settlement.
Ecobrick is a plastic bottle filled up by non-biological solid waste that is made like a brick. It can be produced because the plastic waste from household consumption can be found massively.
“After the first to the last Workshop, we have produced more than 150 eco-bricks. The result of this ecobrick materials is utilized to make furniture such as seat that can be used together,” Mila Diemel mentioned on Friday (12/20/2019).
Besides, Linda Van Eden accompanied by Nathasya Lintang Ayasha Kirti considered that the plastic waste management in the urban village settlement is not still maximal. Based on the observation and interview with the people, the concluded that the people faced the problem of plastic waste management. Then, they proposed Verticle Urban Agriculture (VUA) as their social project to be the solution.
The interview results showed that the people complained that the people are in difficulty to farm during summer because the water drained fast. That is why VUA became the solution to the problem using the system of managing drinking process.
In the system VUA, the plantations can manage its evaporations. This system also utilized the plastic bottle as the farming media. It aimed to have added value in the plastic waste so it can decrease the use of disposable plastic waste.
“After the workshop, we conducted monitoring and evaluation period to see the work of VUA and gave tips regarding farming using the media of VUA. Many of the people hang the VUA in the standing out and reachable location like on the wall, hook, and clothesline,” Linde explained.
Meanwhile, Mees Sofa Lienders and Adiel Edo Atmanto highlighted the problem of clean water provision. Their only water resource is from well and Municipal Waterworks (PDAM). However, the quality of the water from the two sources is not good enough.
From the interview, questioner, and focus group discussion with the people, they concluded some obstacles which are the expensive price of PDAM, poorly quality of PDAM, unstable well water quality and the way people got clean water in which they buy the water. Thus, it needed alternative water source and the water filter. The program of rain harvesting and water filtering is the best recommendation.
It is a program that is done with collecting the rainwater falling down from the roof. It uses the plastic bottle 1,5 liter connected to chamfer and water reservoir. The rain will fall down to the water reservoir through the chamfer. The interesting part of this program is the people can have their creativity in utilizing the bottle plastic to make their rain harvesting. After four times of workshops, the people can make the tool by their selves. HUMAS UNS/Dwi/Imron
Netherlands Students Joins International Internship Program in FT UNS
