A total of 11 UGM students were assigned to help the process of disaster management in Gumantar Village, North Lombok Regency, on Sunday (8/19).
The students joining in the Student Community Service team for Disaster Response are placed in the KAGAMA Care post which has first arrived to help distribute aid and support the physical reconstruction process of various facilities that were damaged by the earthquake.
“After the first batch, there will be another 18 students sent to Lombok on the August 27,” stated Ahmad Agus Setiawan, S.T., M.Sc., Ph.D., Field Supervising Lecturer of the team on Thursday (8/23).
In the first few days, the students with KAGAMA volunteer team have mapped some of the village infrastructures that needed repairs.
Aside from the damaged houses, schools, and village government offices, damage to irrigation channels at several points becomes a concerning problem to the community. Therefore, in the foreseeable future, clean water provision for villagers becomes the main focus of the students.
“The community urgently needs clean water, so we immediately did a survey and will start by repairing damaged pipes. In the meantime, water is a priority,” explained the Faculty of Engineering lecturer.
This commitment and effort were appreciated by the Gumantar Village Head, Japarti. He stated the recent earthquakes placed the villagers in difficult conditions. Located quite far from the center of the district, Gumantar village also experienced obstacles in accessing the assistance. Hence, the presence of UGM volunteer and student teams is greatly appreciated by the villagers.
“Thank you to UGM for caring for us. This disaster was burdensome and we are pleased that UGM is willing to help the community to stand again.”
He noted the community was eager enough to support and participate in the students’ programs in order to jointly rebuild their villages. Hopefully, there will be changes that can be seen and felt by the villagers in the coming months.
“I am trusting UGM with this village. I believe it can be better in the future,” added Japarti.
During the visit to the community service location, UGM Vice-Rector for Research and Community Services, Drg. Ika Dewi Ana, M.Kes., Ph.D., advised the students to build good coordination among team members, local government, and other related parties. This is to ensure that the program can fulfil the needs of the community.