IPB Students and Cikarawang Villagers initiates Clean Action on Situ Burung

Water is one of the important human needs for survival. Water is used for daily activities such as cooking, washing, bathing, and agricultural irrigation. Its existence has an important role and it needs to be maintained so that it can continue to be utilized.

There is a water source called Situ Burung near the Dramaga Campus of IPB University. It is located in Cikarawang Village. Unfortunately, the condition of Situ Burung is currently overgrown with lotus and cabomba which cover the waters there. This reduces aesthetics and disrupts the health of the waters.

“This condition can have a negative effect on the balance of the ecosystem in the waters there. Aquatic plants that grow too much can block light entering the water column and can lead to siltation. The existence of balanced water plants is very important since the plants are used by biota such as fish to store eggs and at the same time the plants become a protected area for baby fish from predators,” said the Himasper General Chair of FPIK IPB, Rafialwan Athariq Subing.

Due to the restlessness of the local community with the abundance of lotus and cabomba which continue to grow in the waters of Situ Burung, IPB students together with the Youth Caring for the Situ Burung of the Cikarawang Village conducted a Clean Action on Situ Burung, Sunday (7/4). This Situ Clean Action was initiated by the Youth Caring for the Situ Burung of the Cikarawang, collaborated with Bogor Mengabdi, Bogor SAR Community (BSC), Baznas (National Amil Zakat Agency) for Disaster Response, Lawalata (Student Association of Nature Lovers) of IPB, and Water Resources Management Student Association, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences (Himasper FPIK) of IPB.

Situ Burung Clean Action was also attended by Cikarawang Villagers. The enthusiasm of the local residents can be seen from the number of participants of the activity which reached more than one hundred people. The clean action consisted of socialization of the environment, plugging in the Situ Burung Signpost, as well as cleaning up garbage and overgrown water plants (lotus and cabomba) that disturb the waters.

Situ Burung Clean Action was held to commemorate World Water Day which falls on 22 March 2019. In the future, this action will be proclaimed as the annual agenda of the Caring Youth Group of Situ Burung and Cikarawang Village residents. The local community begins to realize the importance of maintaining sustainability, because Situ Burung plays an important role as the largest agricultural water source in the Cikarawang Village (AD/ris/ZSP).