Some of the presenters who were present in the webinar to inaugurate the opening of the ITS Infrastructure Thematic KKN Collaboration with the Ministry of PUPR

ITS Campus, ITS News – In realizing one of the Tri Dharma of higher education, the Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) always encourages Real Work Lecture (KKN) activities as a means to realize community service. Together with the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR), ITS initiated the Infrastructure Thematic Community Service Program which was officially opened online Tuesday (12/7).

The event, entitled Implementation of the PUPR Ministry Collaborative Infrastructure Thematic KKN, confirmed the existence of community empowerment through infrastructure management and debriefing for students involved in it. This program is supported by a program from the Ministry of PUPR, namely the development of community-based settlement infrastructure, so that infrastructure sustainability, optimization, and maintenance are needed.

The Head of the Center for Settlement and Housing at the Ministry of PUPR Kuswara ST MA explained that the launch of the Infrastructure Community Service Program was one of the efforts to address the challenges of providing settlement infrastructure. “The availability of settlement facilities and infrastructure issue is one of the main concerns of the PUPR Ministry, therefore community involvement has an important role in providing basic infrastructure,” said Kuswara.

Head of the Center for Settlement and Housing of the Ministry of PUPR Kuswara ST MA when delivering his remarks

Furthermore, according to Kuswara, the role of the community in question is actualized in the provision of pre-construction to post-construction. In this case, the implementation of pre-construction involving the community is realized through planning, identification, and implementation of construction. Meanwhile, post-construction activities are in the form of maintenance and operational optimization of infrastructure that will be built, currently building, or has been built.

ITS Vice Chancellor I for Academic and Student Affairs Prof. Dr. Ir Adi Soeprijanto MT added that one of ITS’s big mottos is advancing humanity which can become a way of practicing empathy and implementing theory. “We are grateful for the cooperation with the Ministry of PUPR because infrastructure problems are not problems that are easily solved by the government itself,” Adi said gratefully.

ITS Vice Chancellor I Prof. Dr. Ir Adi Soeprijanto MT appealed to the importance of sustainability in the implementation of the Thematic Infrastructure Community Service

In addition, the Professor of Electrical Engineering also appealed for the Community Service Program to always consider the sustainability aspect as an important aspect that is always maintained in program implementation. This is intended so that the KKN program that has not been completed can be re-implemented to encourage the community to be able to independently manage the results that have been realized from the KKN program.

On the same occasion, ITS Director of Research and Community Service (DRPM), Fadlilatul Taufany ST PhD said, Infrastructure KKN aims to contribute to national development based on Sustainable Development Goals (TPB) or Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). “Infrastructure KKN is a form of collaboration with the government and the Ministry of PUPR in solving the problem of providing and managing infrastructure,” explained the lecturer who is familiarly called Taufany.

Director of Research and Community Service (DRPM) ITS Fadlilatul Taufany ST PhD conveyed four main themes of the Infrastructure Thematic Community Service Program

Specifically, Taufany said that the location of the Infrastructure Thematic KKN was in Banjarkemuning Village, Sidoarjo Regency. KKN activities are divided into four themes, namely the drinking water supply system (SPAM), the domestic wastewater management system and solid waste management, the development of housing and settlement areas, as well as standard information and technology for improving the quality of uninhabitable houses (RTLH).

Furthermore, through a briefing presented by one of the presenters, Yusuf Muthaqin SH, the Infrastructure Community Service Program carried out to encourage the university’s involvement in supporting sustainable development and planning efforts invites students to interact directly with the community. “For the built infrastructure, students can make efforts to optimize it, while for the yet-to-be-built infrastructure, planning can be done,” explained Yusuf.

Briefing related to the implementation of the Infrastructure Thematic Community Service Program provided by the presenter Yusuf Muthaqin SH

Yusuf also informed the tips for implementing the KKN program in six steps. Namely in the form of meetings with the community to describe problems and potentials, implementation of field observations and measurements, refinement of the problem and potential data, presentation of the data obtained, preparation of maps, and ending with the preparation of report documents.

The main output of the implementation of the ITS Infrastructure Thematic KKN is based on each theme

The Infrastructure Thematic Community Service Program is expected to be able to provide an important role in overcoming infrastructure problems in Indonesia and become a forum for students to understand the conditions of problems that exist in society. In addition, this activity is not only carried out for the benefit of the Ministry of PUPR, ITS, and students. But it is held to support the progress of society. (ITS PR)

Reporter: Yanwa Evia Java

Translator : Hanifah Inayah