 |
| 14 September 2009 14:14:50 |
| Green Virus for river restoration |
| SMAN 1 Wringinanom in Gresik, several miles from Surabaya, East Java, embraced the idea of community participation in carrying out their green project.
|
SMAN 1 Wringinanom in Gresik, several miles from Surabaya, East Java, embraced the idea of community participation in carrying out their green project. Their project, which focuses on the restoration of the bank of the Surabaya river by developing an agro-forest along the area, won first prize in the competition. The green team’s concern was that the riverbank had been losing its vegetated areas little by little
because of the construction of factories and houses. They compared it to the situation in their village, Wringinanom, where farmers use the land along the riverbank to grow various crops. This also prevents the area from being converted into developed land. The comparison gave them the idea that what the farmers were doing could be applied to the banks of the Surabaya river. The team later worked closely with the people living along the riverbank, as well as with some organizations, to develop an agro-forest in the area. They planted various vegetables, fruits and herbal plants, which they later used to make jamu (herbal medicines).
“We planted mango, jackfruit, tomato, mahogany and herbs like turmeric and curcuma,” says 16-year-old Selfi Yuni Aris, one of the team’s members. “Residents in the riverbank area have already benefited from the harvest,” she adds. While the residents enjoy the yield, the school students also benefit from the project as they can use the riverbank as a natural field laboratory. There, they learn about the rich biodiversity of the riverside wetlands. The outcome? They’ve found some 70 kinds of insect. “We’re so happy we can learn directly from nature,” Selfi says. “We’ve found many new things like unusual insects we had never seen before.” Impressed by the group’s green project of saving the natural function of the riverbank, which could also inspire various stakeholders and local government, judges at the British Council named Selfi and her friends winners.
Now, the idea of their project, restoration of the river bank by developing an agro-forest, become role model and adopted by other school along the Surabaya River area. “We planning to adopt 7.800 m2 river bank at Semambung Village, one of villages at Surabaya River,” says Mrs. Siti Mutmainah, SMAN 1 Driyorejo. “We will use the river bank as nature laboratory for our pupils and now we had made MoU with Perum Jasa Tirta as river regulator.” she adds.
|
| |
| Pemasuk tulisan: Prigi Arisandi |
| |
|
 |
 |
| pemanfaatan air yang bijaksana harus mempertimbangkan keadilan antar generasi, jangan sampai eksploitasi terhadap air pada saat ini mengurangi hak generasi mendatang untuk mendapatkan air bersih |
|  |
| anak-anak bermain diair sungai yang tercemar, 80% anak-anak dikawasan pesisir mengalami gejalah idiot akibat tingginya tingkat pencemaran air |
|  |
| keberadaan capung jarum salah satu contoh indicator kualitas air yang masih layak digunakan sebagai bahan baku air minum |
|
|
|
