Drought is one of the natural disasters that has significant impacts on communities in less fortunate regions.
Drought can threaten the sustainability of affected populations’ lives, health, and food security, considering that clean water is a basic need every individual must fulfill.
As a higher education institution concerned with the environment and society, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) is responsible for helping to address this drought issue by providing clean water assistance to affected communities, including those in Giripurwo Village, Gunungkidul Regency.
The delivery of clean water assistance under the “UGM Shares One Million Liters of Clean Water” initiative took place on Tuesday (November 7) in Gubar Hamlet.
The assistance was handed over by the UGM Vice-Rector for Student Affairs, Community Service, and Alumni, Dr. Ari Sujito. He stated that in situations like this, the university’s and government’s task is to work together to provide support and share what they have.
“We are committed to continuing to collaborate with various parties, including local governments and humanitarian organizations, to address this drought issue more comprehensively,” he said.
Giripurwo Village Head, Supriyadi, revealed that 40% of the Purwosari population is in Giripurwo Village, where all ten hamlets in Giripurwo Village are currently experiencing drought.
Gunungkidul Regency’s Assistant for Economy and Development, Edi Praptono, added that the Gunungkidul government is very grateful for UGM’s contribution to helping Gunungkidul communities with limited access to clean water.
As of today, the “UGM Shares One Million Liters of Clean Water” program has successfully distributed more than 700,000 liters of clean water to 10 districts in Gunungkidul Regency.
The Gunungkidul Disaster Management Agency, Gunungkidul Search and Rescue Team, and local fleets around the locations assist in the distribution. The aid delivery is expected to be completed this week, reaching 1,125,000 liters of clean water.
Furthermore, the support from involved parties is evident through the presence of the Yogyakarta BAPPEDA team, the Head of Gunungkidul BAPPEDA, the Head of Gunungkidul Disaster Management Agency, and the Head of Gunungkidul Social Affairs Office.
UGM believes that distributing clean water aid is only possible with the hard work and collaboration of various parties, including donors and partners, who provided financial and logistical support to make the one-million-liter clean water sharing program successful.
The “UGM Shares One Million Liters of Clean Water” program is not the university’s main activity.
More fundamental programs still require thought and hard work, such as collaboration with universities in the Yogyakarta Region to engage in thinking, ideas, and technology to solve the ongoing drought disaster.
UGM hopes it can contribute to the delivery of SDG 6 on Clean Water and Sanitation, at least for the people of Yogyakarta.
Author: Destina