Prof. Sunjoto: Simple Conservation Technique Prevents Environmental Damage

 
Today there is a perspective that every construction project always causes environmental damage. However, we can reverse that paradigm by implementing simple conservation techniques.
 
Prof. Dr. Ir. Sunjoto, Dip.H.E., D.E.A., proved that notion by adopting a certain calculation in development plans. He gave an example  of the  establishment of a Transmigration Campus in Sleman regency, Yogyakarta Special Province. After completion, it is estimated that about 189.12% water will be able to be absorbed or 89.12% higher than the rate before. “This means that we build as well as improve the environment,” he said after being inaugurated as professor of Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), at UGM Senate Hall, Thursday (14/1).

He said that comprehensive management still lacks integrated planning. We can see an illustration in the government program called “Clean River Program” (Prokasih) to create clean river environment that fulfils quality standard.

However, according to Prof. Sunjoto, this program still needs improvement into “Prokasih” or Healthy and Clean River Program, because rivers in subtropical region are called ‘sick/poor’ if the ratio between maximum and minimum debits is more than 20. For Indonesia, he suggested a ratio of 100 for short term, 75 for medium term, and 50 for long term. “That’s realistic. Now the ratio for those rivers in Java Island reaches 500, or even 1000,” added the man born in Magetan, on 30 July 1947.

In another part of his speech entitled “Development of Water Resource in Universal Welfare Dimension”, Sunjoto explained further about residential areas which have major contribution to water resource neglect as well as  flooding because of urbanization.  The trigger is the utilization of basic technology such as drainage engineering which philosophically means rainwater neglect, or wasting water immediately through drainage gutters. “Those are called con-water school or anti-water school,” the husband of Martati explained.

Therefore, to decrease peak debit as impact of urbanization,  ‘rainwater absorption’ technology can be applied. This is called Pro-Water School, because it is environmentally friendly. In Sunjoto’s perspective, Con-Water School can overcome those three problems: Pollution Control, Groundwater Control, and Flood Control, whose building construction can be recharge well, recharge trench and recharge yard.

About his inaugural speech, Sunjoto considered it an appropriate medium to show the scientific milestone that he has mastered, developed and created. Implementation can be conducted from inaugural speech texts, by showing all results of scientific development invention in the form of postulate, axiom, formula, series, equation, theorem, software, program, method, table, graphic, figure, design, patent, or other scientific works.