Batik Craftsmen in Jombang Receive Environmentally Friendly Waste Management IPAL
Batik
craftsmen in Jombang Regency received assistance from an environmentally
friendly Waste Water Treatment Plant (IPAL) from Wijaya Putra University (UWP),
Surabaya. This assistance was provided as part of a community service program
with a Community Empowerment Scheme for Regional Featured Product Businesses
(PM-UPUD) with the title PM-UPUD Increasing the Capacity and Quality of Batik
Products Based on Green Management in Jombang Regency.
This program
is funded by the Directorate of Research, Technology and Community Service
(DRTPM) of the Directorate General of Diktistek Kemdikbudristek for the 2024
budget year.
Implementing
this program are UWP lecturers, namely Nugroho Mardi Wibowo, Yuyun Widiastuti,
Siswadi, and four UWP students and assisted by Achmad Chusnun Ni'am, from the
Adhi Tama Institute of Technology Surabaya. The aim of this program is to
empower the traditional batik industry while preserving the environment.
The handover
of the IPAL was carried out in a ceremonial event which took place at Pesona
Batik Jombang which is located on Jl. Guava Gang. 02 No. 12, Jabon Village,
Jombang District/Regency and at Batik Berkah Mojo which is located in East
Sanan Hamlet, Mojotrisno Village, Mojoagung District, Jombang Regency,
Wednesday (11/9/2024).
This
installation is expected to help batik craftsmen manage dye waste resulting
from the batik production process, so that the impact of environmental
pollution can be minimized.
Head of the
UWP PM-UPUD Team, Nugroho Mardi Wibowo, said that this program is a form of
responsibility of universities to contribute directly to solving environmental
problems in the home industry sector.
"We see
the great potential of the batik industry in Jombang, but also realize that
waste from this production process can have a bad impact on the environment if
not managed properly. Through this IPAL, we hope that batik craftsmen can
continue working without damaging the surrounding environment," he said
when confirmed by TIMES Indonesia, Thursday (12/9/2024).
Through this
program, UWP Surabaya not only focuses on increasing environmental awareness
among craftsmen, but also provides education about the importance of industrial
sustainability through good waste management. Batik craftsmen also receive
training on how to care for and use the IPAL so that its function can be
maximized in the long term.
"Hopefully
batik production in Jombang can continue to develop without sacrificing
environmental quality. "We are committed to continuing to support the
local industry through similar programs in the future, so that environmental
sustainability and the sustainability of the batik industry can go hand in
hand," he hoped.
This IPAL
assistance was greatly appreciated by the batik craftsmen in Jombang. One of
the craftsmen, Nunuk Rachmawati, Owner of Pesona Batik Jombang, who is also one
of the PM-UPUD UWP partners, expressed his gratitude for the existence of this
facility.
“We often face
difficulties in managing batik waste, especially that which comes from
synthetic dyes. With this IPAL, we can be calmer because the waste can be
processed in an environmentally friendly manner. "This WWTP can process
batik production wastewater up to four cubic meters," he said.
Pesona Batik
Jombang and Batik Berkah Mojo are known as two batik production centers in
Jombang that still use traditional techniques. However, many craftsmen use
modern chemicals in the dyeing process, which produces waste that has the
potential to pollute the environment. With the IPAL provided, this waste will
go through a filtration and processing process so that it is safe before being
discharged into the environment.
"This
initiative is a positive step for the traditional batik industry in Jombang. We
hope that collaboration between academics and local industry can continue to
create more environmentally friendly production," he said.