BULELENG, mybalinews.com – The previously barren yard of SDN 4 Munduk, Banjar, Buleleng, now looks cooler and greener. It even features a fish pond and fountain.
This is thanks to the IDEP Selaras Alam Foundation, which provided a grant of IDR 6 million for the construction of the park, named Taman Mekar.
In addition to providing a place for students to rest, the park provides education to 96 students about water conservation, composting, and plants that retain water, such as banyan trees, tulak trees, and peji trees.
Acting Principal of SDN 4 Munduk, Gede Dedy Suwartawan, explained that this assistance from IDEP was due to his school’s victory in the Idep Foundation’s Tirtanovasi Award. “I made it to the top three,” he said on Friday (October 31st).
He continued, explaining that the development of Taman Mekar, a water conservation and environmental education initiative, was initiated by the previous principal, Ida Ayu Sasmita. “She has retired, and I’m continuing it,” he said.
He explained that the park provides a comfortable and cool place, complete with tables and chairs. “So now the children don’t just rest, but also learn about the importance of water conservation,” he added.
Regarding the composter, he continued, the children are taught how to separate organic and inorganic waste. “The children are educated on how to process organic waste into compost,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, Edward Angimoy from Idep Selaras Alam said the Tirtanovasi competition aims to encourage the community not only to take the initiative in water conservation but also to create real solutions in their environment.
According to him, SDN 4 Munduk’s innovative approach to SDN 4 Munduk led Idep to approve the proposal. The three innovations are water conservation, trees that survive the dry season, and water storage.
“So we support schools in providing the best service to students by providing a garden,” he said.
He hopes other schools will also participate in implementing conservation education from an early age. This is because, besides being positive, it can also foster student competition, encouraging students to compete for space in the garden.
“This garden has waste management, composting, and important information about water conservation. We believe this simple yet innovative approach to water conservation, and it’s directly visible, is very important,” he said.
In addition to supporting Taman Mekar, Idep also built a recharge well at the school. “It cost approximately IDR 50 million and is 32 meters deep,” he concluded.
The recharge well functions to inject water into the ground to ensure its availability in the aquifer, a layer of rock or soil that can store and drain groundwater, thus ensuring water availability throughout Bali.
In addition to SDN Munduk, another Tirtanovasi winner, SMA Negeri 1 Penebel, Tabanan, implemented a Dual Tower System, which involves two water towers to collect rainwater and recycle wastewater from handwashing.
Wastewater is filtered using layers of charcoal, sand, and gravel, then reused for plant watering.
Furthermore, Besan Public Elementary School in Dawan, Klungjung, developed a School Rain Garden system to collect rainwater from classroom roofs and channel it into a catchment garden. The collected water is used for irrigating the school garden, watering plants, and maintaining sanitation facilities. (IST)
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