UNAIR NEWS – As a form of social awareness of students of Universitas Airlangga Surabaya in implementing Tridharma of Higher Education, especially the third mission, community service, they have succeeded in transforming polluted river into a clean and shady river area.
The real step was started from encouraging the locals to do small thing which then become the culture, conducted by students of the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine UNAIR, in the river in North Mulyorejo, Mulyorejo subdistrict, Surabaya. As students of the department of fisheries, they wanted to shared their knowledge to the community, especially to the youth in the area.
According to Laila Turbi’ah, head of the community service team, this activity was chosen as their awareness of the situation in the surrounding environment known to have been contaminated, particularly in the river which flows into the sea.
“It’s only one small step in educating the youth in an effort to increase people’s awareness to environmental cleanliness towards Indonesia Trash Free 2020,” said Laila.
The activity was initiated through education on the cultivation of catfish in household scale. This intensive cultivation can be applied in tubular pond increasing the density of the fish being cultivated.
After the education phase, there were also practice and monitoring phase conducted in every meeting of Karang Taruna (Youth Organization). It is held once a month.
The results of the fish cultivation is then developed by Karang Taruna members who have been trained before. Some of the catfish is sold and the money is for the organization, Karang Taruna, while some fish are distributed to the locals for consumption.
The output gained from this community service is encouraging youth to have knowledge into a healthy environment, safe, and love hygiene, as well as productive in various movements or activities in the environment. “Moreover, they have been coordinated with Karang Taruna, making it easier,” said Laila.
The group conducted the service led by Turbi’ah Laila were Imada Antikunarya, Rusdiatin, Nurwantika, and Shindy this Novia. They wrote a proposal activity for Student Creativity Program (PKM) for Community Service (PKMM) category entitled “GERDU CERIA – Environmental Care Education Movement in North Mulyorejo River For Indonesia Trash Free Movement 2020.”
Incidentally, after going through a rigorous assessment on General Directorate Higher Education, Laila’s group proposal qualified for selection, and was entitled to get developmental fund from the Ministry of Research Technology and Higher Education (Kemenristekdikti) in 2017 PKM program. (*)
Editor: Bambang Bes
