Drinking water may seem trivial, but regular water consumption offers various benefits. The main benefit is preventing dehydration.
When dehydrated, the body experiences a lack of fluids, leading to fatigue, dizziness, and dark-colored urine.
Drinking water meets the body’s fluid needs, allowing it to function properly. It also helps the brain regulate focus and concentration during daily activities.
As students, their need for water increases. Their busy activities require them to drink enough water to avoid fatigue and maintain focus until their activities are completed. This is where the Toyagama service comes in.
The Toyagama Drinking Water Supply System provides ready-to-drink water sourced from the Umbul Pace Spring and produced by UGM. Toyagama products include piped ready-to-drink water consumed through water fountains and dispensers available at each faculty.
In addition, Toyagama also provides bottled drinking water in gallon form and 330 mL, 600 mL, and 1.5 L bottles.
Hilmy, a student from the Faculty of Psychology, mentioned that he has been using Toyagama facilities since he became a freshman in 2022.
“I use Toyagama to refill the reusable water bottle I bring from home,” said Hilmy.
Jauza, a student from the Faculty of Biology, shared a similar testimony, stating that she often fills her water container with Toyagama water.
“I have been consuming Toyagama water since in-person classes resumed,” she said.
Both expressed that using Toyagama is practical, as refilling requires only a water bottle. Moreover, the service is free and can be used anytime their water runs out.
“Just refill at the Toyagama tap for free,” said Jauza.
The preparation process for Toyagama undergoes a lengthy procedure to ensure that the drinking water produced meets health quality standards before being consumed by UGM residents.
The process includes pre-treatment, which involves filtering through sand and carbon filters, ultrafiltration, and ultraviolet treatment. For bottled drinking water, an additional procedure involves ozonation as a disinfectant to make the water more hygienic and long-lasting.
Piped water undergoes further re-filtration and UV treatment at each water fountain unit.
“Toyagama’s quality assurance is carried out by regularly checking the raw water and the ready-to-drink water produced,” said Wiwit Wijayanti, General Manager of UGM Residence, who manages Toyagama.
Toyagama checks are conducted daily in the Toyagama laboratory, while weekly and monthly checks are carried out at the UGM Integrated Research and Testing Laboratory (LPPT UGM).
Food and beverage quality assurance bodies have recognized Toyagama’s quality, as evidenced by its halal certification and distribution permit from the Indonesian Food and Drug Authority (BPOM-RI).
Additionally, Toyagama meets the food safety and quality standards required by the Indonesian National Standard (SNI). The certification body obtained this certification after a series of product quality tests, governance assessments, and on-site audits.
The provision of Toyagama services demonstrates UGM’s commitment to supporting the availability of drinking water on campus for the academic community during their activities.
Furthermore, the provision of refillable water services on campus supports environmental programs by minimizing waste. However, this program must also be supported by a movement among Toyagama users to use refillable drinking containers.
Using reusable bottles helps minimize the amount of plastic waste on campus. This action also contributes to addressing the recent waste crisis in Yogyakarta.
The UGM Rector supports the use of refillable water bottles through the UGM Rector’s Circular on Waste Management Obligations within the UGM Environment.
The rector urged the academic community to use their drinking containers in the circular. Toyagama, UGM’s water provider, supports this policy.
Wijayanti stated that Toyagama strongly supports this policy. Her team will also increase production readiness and use piped water and gallon bottled water.
“Together with the faculties and schools, we will collaborate to add more water fountain points so that students can more easily refill their bottles with ready-to-drink water,” said Wijayanti.
She added that there is preparation for gallon production with sufficient stock to meet drinking water needs in areas or activities that cannot access water fountains.
As students who use reusable bottles, Jauza and Hilmy expressed their agreement with the circular.
“This policy can help reduce bottled water waste so that there is no excessive waste buildup, especially in the Faculty of Biology,” hoped Jauza.
Hilmy emphasized that this effort supports solving the waste problem in Yogyakarta.
Jauza mentioned that the water tap in the Faculty of Biology has a slow flow, causing students to sometimes have to wait in long lines to refill their water.
“It’s not uncommon for us to have to fill up at the taps in other faculties if the tap in our faculty isn’t working,” said Jauza.
She hopes Toyagama can add more distribution points so students do not have to wait in long queues.
The vast area of UGM also makes it difficult to quickly monitor the condition of installations or water fountains, resulting in complaints about slow or non-functioning water flow.
Wijayanti stated that in the future, Toyagama will strive to meet more drinking water needs while educating stakeholders so that all parties can work together to maintain the quality of services.
“The hope is that in the future, Toyagama can meet all UGM drinking water needs and become a local product that UGM can be proud of, supporting the health quality of UGM’s community,” she concluded.
Author: Lazuardi
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Afif