The Unhas Faculty of Engineering Assists in the Development of a Device to Convert Waste into Fuel as Part of the Village Development Program
A devastating earthquake struck West Sulawesi, affecting the areas of Mamuju and Majene, on January 14 and 15, 2021.
In response to this disaster, the Faculty of Engineering (FT) at Unhas activated its Disaster Emergency Response Task Force. The send-off ceremony for the Task Force heading to the disaster site took place on Saturday (Jan. 16) at 3:00 p.m. WITA.
The Dean of the FT at Unhas, Prof. Dr. Ir. Muhammad Arsyad, MT, officially presided over the send-off ceremony for the Task Force.
Also in attendance were the Vice Dean for Student Affairs, Alumni, and Partnerships (Dr. Eng. Mukti Ali, ST., MT), the FT Unhas Partnership Manager (Dr. Eng. Ilham Alimuddin), the Secretary of the Unhas Geological Engineering Alumni Association (Dedy Irfan, ST), and the Chair of the Department of Geological Engineering (Dr. Eng. Asri Jaya, ST., MT).
In his remarks, Muhammad Arsyad expressed appreciation and gratitude for the contributions and support from various parties to assist communities affected by the earthquake in Mamuju, Majene, and surrounding areas.
His team will ensure that aid is distributed effectively to the communities and victims in need.
“This is the initial phase of aid. We will continue to coordinate further relief efforts once we assess the conditions on the ground. We are confident that many emergency facilities and infrastructure will need to be prepared, such as clean water supplies and other essentials. I hope the team will immediately coordinate with the local Disaster Response Team upon arrival at the location,” said Arsyad.
Given that we are still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Muhammad Arsyad also urged the delegation to strictly adhere to health protocols while carrying out relief activities at the disaster site.
On a separate occasion, the Associate Dean for Student Affairs, Alumni, and Partnerships, Dr. Eng. Mukti Ali, explained that the FT Unhas Disaster Task Force brought a number of emergency relief supplies.
Based on the initial assessment, the essential items urgently needed at the disaster site include supplies such as emergency tents, tarps, blankets, baby supplies, medicines, and food.
“In a short time, we coordinated to prepare the essential supplies, which were collected by the Faculty of Engineering’s academic community together with assistance from the Unhas Geological Engineering Alumni Association. Friends from the Nusa Tenggara and Bali Engineering Alumni Associations, as well as members of the Maros-Pangkep Geopark Management Board, also responded quickly to help prepare the aid,” said Mukti.
The initial donations collected totaled 100 million rupiah, in the form of both in-kind donations and cash, which were immediately used to procure relief supplies.
The FT Unhas Disaster Response Task Force consists of a combination of alumni and student association executives within the Faculty of Engineering. For this first phase, the executives of the Geology Student Association were the first to head to the disaster site.
They have relatively more experience in responding to disaster areas. Shortly after arriving at the site, the FT Unhas Disaster Response Task Force will immediately coordinate with the local Disaster Response Team.
In addition, the FT Unhas Disaster Response Task Force has also been in contact with the Disaster Response Team from the University of West Sulawesi (Unsulbar) in Majene.
On the ground, the team will collaborate with the Engineering Alumni Association (IKA Teknik) in Mamuju.