Gili Iyang Island in Sumenep, Madura, has been recognized as one of the areas with the best oxygen levels in the world. In light of this, the Faculty of Science and Technology (FST) of Universitas Airlangga organized a community service program on Gili Iyang Island as part of sustainable development efforts addressing climate change. During this program, FST Universitas Airlangga successfully constructed two environmentally friendly buildings that benefit the local community. These two buildings are a biogas reactor and a clean water processing facility, both of which can be used by the residents.
The construction of both buildings took approximately one week, including the survey and analysis, planning, building, community outreach, and the inauguration. The survey and construction processes were carried out by a joint team of lecturers and students from the Environmental Engineering study program at FST Universitas Airlangga. The highlight of this program took place on Saturday, May 18, 2024, with a community outreach session and the inauguration of the two reactor buildings. The event was also attended by international students from Universitas Tun Hussein (Malaysia) and the University of Haripur (Pakistan), who participated in the program.
Both reactors were designed to utilize environmentally friendly and sustainable raw materials. The clean water processing facility was built using a Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) system, which captures rainwater as the raw material for processing. Rainwater from residents’ rooftops is collected and directed through a filtration system, making it suitable for daily use such as bathing, washing, and other domestic needs. The clean water facility has a storage capacity of over 2,000 liters, which is sufficient for the community’s needs.
Meanwhile, the biogas reactor operates by recycling livestock waste from residents. The principle is that the diluted manure is placed into the biogas reactor tank, where gas is produced over a two-week period. This gas is then channeled into residents’ homes via pipes. The biogas can replace conventional LPG for cooking in Gili Iyang’s households.
The two buildings established by FST Universitas Airlangga have already greatly benefited the residents of Gili Iyang in their daily lives, especially since it is difficult to obtain conventional LPG, and clean water is in limited supply on the island. The project carried out by the Environmental Engineering study program at FST Universitas Airlangga also contributes to achieving SDG Goal 13: “Climate Action.” With the rainwater processing installation and the biogas reactor that utilizes livestock waste, the residents of Gili Iyang can obtain essential resources with self-sufficient energy. It is hoped that these two facilities will continue to be used by the community and that their processing capacity will be expanded so that the benefits are evenly distributed.
