Water Hyacinth-Based Clean Water Innovation by ULM Nursing Students
Sungai Kitano, South Kalimantan – Nursing students from Lambung Mangkurat University (ULM) 2024 took concrete steps to improve the health of the people of Sungai Kitano Village with an education program entitled SAHABAT AIR (Aware of Clean Living and Guaranteed with Safe Water). This program aims to increase public awareness of Clean and Healthy Living Behavior (PHBS) and effective and simple clean water management.
The education activity took place at the Sungai Kitano Village Office on Friday, November 29, 2024, at 09.00 am. This event was attended by the village community, health cadres, village midwives, and representatives of the Banjar Regency Environmental Service.
Six ULM Nursing students, namely Basid Noor Anugrah, S.Kep., Akbar Muhammad Ilham, S.Kep., Halimah Assa’diah, S.Kep., Riska Amalia, S.Kep., Mia Erliani, S.Kep., and Norsasmita, S.Kep., became the driving force behind this activity. They presented educational materials on environmental cleanliness, water purification using water hyacinth, and waste management.
Some of the materials presented included:
- PHBS (Clean and Healthy Living Behavior), the community was given education on cleanliness including the correct steps for washing hands, maintaining a clean house, and preventing diseases such as diarrhea and dengue fever.
- Water Purification with Water Hyacinth, namely the community was taught to use water hyacinth to filter cloudy river water. This plant is able to absorb heavy metals and hazardous substances, producing clearer water.
- Waste Management, namely participants were taught how to sort organic and inorganic waste, and process organic waste into compost for agriculture.
In this activity, students gave a demonstration of water purification using water hyacinth to the community. The students demonstrated the steps to use this plant to clean river water. The community who came also looked enthusiastic to watch, even noted and recorded the process to be applied at home.
“This activity is very useful, especially for us who depend on the river for our daily needs,” said one of the residents.
The evaluation was then carried out through an interactive quiz, where participants who successfully answered the questions correctly would receive prizes, as motivation for them to improve their understanding of the material presented.
The village midwife and representatives of the Banjar Regency Environmental Service appreciated this initiative. They called the SAHABAT AIR program a real step to support health promotion and protect the environment.
“Simple innovations such as the use of water hyacinth for water purification are practical solutions that are relevant to villages,” said the representative of the Environmental Service.
ULM Nursing students hope that the knowledge they share can be applied in everyday life to maintain environmental cleanliness and create a healthy lifestyle culture. With education like this, Sungai Kitano Village is expected to be able to overcome environmental health challenges independently and sustainably.
