BEM-UPH Trains Communities in Flood-prone Areas to Make Biopore

Students and Benua Indah citizens in FUTURE II event

Community service is one of Three Pillars of Tertiary Education (Tridharma) that must be conducted by the civitas academica. UPH students under the Student Executive Council (BEM UPH) has a specific division to run the community service programs. One of them is FUTURE (For Unpredictable Tragedies Undertaking and Rebuilding the Environment). Through this program, BEM UPH conducts social services namely ?Save The Earth with BIOPORE Together?. This program aims to reduce flood risks by making Biopore. FUTURE itself is a massive and broad social movement. FUTURE provides and raises rapid response funds to help the natural disaster?s victims and to create a better environment.

On Saturday, 11 April 2015, around 60 UPH students held a social service by making 250 Biopores at the Benua Indah RW 07, Kelurahan Pabuaran Tumpeng, Kecamatan Karawaci, Tangerang city. This program was a joint program with TBM (Medical Aid Workers) of UPH Medicine School and local people. The region selection was due to the consideration as the flood-prone areas, even worse on rainy season. On January-February, for instance, the residences suffered major flooding.

Prior to the making of Biopore, the people were equipped with the basic knowledge of Biopore which was delivered by Jhon Mukmin Kusnendar, the Founder of Rumah Belajar Anak Langit, from Tagana, Tangerang city. At the end of the events, students also held recreational event and quiz contest to the local community.

The followings are the documentation of this event:

The result of Biopore could not be seen right away, yet BEM-UPH will keep following up the area with Biopore, especially on rainy season. According to the Head of Committee, Cynthia, this was the campus social activities that would be continued on and to be expanded not only at Benua Indah Residence but also other flood-prone areas. ?Although we did not give the best we could, but at least this could minimalize the disaster mitigation, and the most important is to ask the community to participate,? said Cynthia.

Information about Biopore:

Biopore is a method of water absorption to overcome the puddles by increasing the water filtration on soil. This method was brought by Dr. Kamir R. Brata, lecturer of Institut Pertanian Bogor. The increase of water filtration on soil was done by making a hole in a soil and filled it up with organic waste to produce kompost.

Biopore is able to increase the water filtration in the soil so the risk of waterlogging decreases. The stored water can maintain soil moisture even in dry season. This benefit is believed to control the flood. The Biopore hole?s wall will for small pores thath can absorp water so with the 10 cm holes and 100 cm of depths, with the geometry calculation of simple tube and eventually the holes will have broad area of absorption for 3,220.13 cm². Without Biopore, the 10 cm soil are will only have 78cm² absorption area.(fc/el)

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