The Universitas Gadjah Mada Alumni Family (KAGAMA) in Samarinda planted 200 fruit tree seedlings along the Karang Asam Besar River banks in Samarinda City on Sunday (November 26).
This initiative, held to commemorate UGM’s 74th anniversary, is KAGAMA Samarinda’s contribution to greening the city and addressing environmental issues such as flooding.
“Greening is one of our concerns. Due to extensive mining activities and high deforestation rates, two years ago, we conducted a similar activity in Pampang to reduce sedimentation,” explained the Chair of KAGAMA Samarinda, Raynold Tumbo Panggalo.
“Now, we are doing it again along the Karang Asam Besar River because Samarinda often experiences floods during heavy rain.”
The greening activity was organized in collaboration with the Samarinda City Environmental Agency, which provided support by supplying tree seedlings. Fruit tree seedlings were chosen to benefit nearby residents.
“If we plant regular trees, people tend to be too lazy to care for them. That’s why, this time, we chose fruit trees. We will also conduct periodic monitoring in the first three months to ensure the plants are well-maintained,” Panggalo added.
He mentioned that to expand the impact of greening, tree-planting activities will continue in the coming years, targeting strategic locations in Samarinda City and surrounding areas.
“We hope to green every area. Though it takes time, we hope this can help reduce floods,” Panggalo said.
From Blood Sugar Checks to Rain Filters: KAGAMA in East Kalimantan Regions’ Multifaceted Ways to Commemorate UGM’s Anniversary
In addition to the greening activity in Samarinda, KAGAMA, in other cities in East Kalimantan, organized various activities to join the anniversary festivities while contributing to the community in their respective regions and achieving the SDGs.
For example, KAGAMA Balikpapan conducted blood sugar checks in response to the increasing prevalence of diabetes in the city, which has become one of the diseases with the highest fatality rates.
“This disease often targets adolescents aged 15 and above, with the current risky eating patterns, especially with sugar,” said the Chair of the East Kalimantan KAGAMA Management Board, Didiek.
Other events include KAGAMA Bontang visiting orphanages and KAGAMA Penajam Paser introducing the GAMA Rain Filter (rainwater harvesting technology by UGM scholars) in collaboration with the local government.
“All we do are in commemoration of the UGM’s anniversary. KAGAMA members in government or private companies are working together to support each other,” Didiek concluded.
Author: Gloria
Photo: KAGAMA Samarinda