60 teachers of junior and senior high schools all around East Java gathered at University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM) to attend training about the monitoring of river water quality by the expert of water quality testing technology from Japan, Prof Dr Akira Kikuchi, on Saturday (9/11) in UMM Senate Assembly Room. The next day, together with their students, they would hold water quality monitoring along Brantas River, from headwaters to downstream.

Teachers and students who care about the water quality, according to the chief of committee of the training, Drs Nurwidodo, M.Kes, come from various schools in East Java, incorporated in Community of Water Quality Monitoring Communication Network (JKPKA). The result from this monitoring will be reported simultaneously and published internationally via googlemap.

The training was held by UMM collaborated with Perum Jasa Tirta I Malang, Raymond Valiant Ruritan, ST, MT and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). In his welcoming speech, the Management of Jasa Tirta stated that water is the basic need for human. 

“On earth, the largets volume of water is in the sea, that is 97 percent, and the rest, 3 percent is freshwater that we use to support daily life. From that freshwater, two-thirds of them are glacier and ice in poles that function to stabilize global climate and just one-thirds that can be used by seven billion humans in the world. Therefore, water quality and preservation must be kept," Raymond explained.

The vice rector II of UMM, Drs Fauzan, MPd in his opening, stated that teacher is a central figure who is very influential in keeping quality and preservation of water. Teacher is very strategic to raise concern toward water through educational process in school and surrounding community. "Therefore, this training is really right on target. After this training, it is expected that the teachers can raise concern toward water quality and preservation to their students, forever," Fauzan said.

In this case, Nurwidodo gave explanation that that training could be realized because of the concern of Jasa Tirta, JKPKA, UMM, and UTM toward water quality and preservation. Water, he continued, is like blood in our body. It works night and day. 

According to Nurwidodo, in human life, freshwater can be used for drinking water, processing food, bathing, energy, transportation, agriculture, industry, and recreation. "Therefore, keeping water quality is the same with saving and preserving life itself," Nurwidodo explained.

Meanwhile, the Central Coordinator of JKPKA, Drs Sutarno Said, MSi, stated that after the training at UMM, the next day (10/11) the teachers would invite all of their students in each region, from Madiun to Banyuwangi, to practice water quality observation along headwaters-downstream of Brantas River. The agenda like that was routinley held as the concern of the teachers toward water.

The target of this training, according to Sutarno, is the obtaining of the newest knowledge and technology which are practical and valid in water quality testing. Meanwhile, the last target is the continuity of water quality and preservation of water and water bodies, such as river and lake by all elements of community, encouraged by the teachers who care about the water quality.  (nur/han/t_tys)

http://www.umm.ac.id/en/umm-news-3825-latih-pantau-kualitas-air-umm-gandeng-jepang.html