The Faculty of Engineering at Indo Global Mandiri University (IGM) has established a strategic partnership with the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Ogan Ilir Regency.
This agreement was formalized in the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) by the Dean of Engineering at UIGM, Dr. Ing. Utari Sriwijaya Minaka, S.T., M.Eng., and the Executive Head (Kalaksa) of BPBD Ogan Ilir, Drs. Edi Rahmat, M.Si.
UIGM Dean of Engineering, Dr. Ing. Utari Sriwijaya Minaka, said that this cooperation is a concrete manifestation of the Tridarma Perguruan Tinggi (Three Pillars of Higher Education), particularly in terms of research and community service. The main focus of this collaboration is the development of a disaster mitigation and management system tailored to the characteristics of the Ogan Ilir Regency.
Utari believes that the involvement of educational institutions is essential to provide innovation and scientific analysis to programs run by local governments to protect citizens from natural disasters.
“We want to ensure that every technological innovation that comes out of the campus can provide concrete solutions to environmental safety issues in the South Sumatra region,” said Utari.
One of the main targets of this collaboration, he continued, is to have a direct impact on the community through the dissemination of mitigation measures and the development of an early warning system (EWS). The program will focus on addressing the two types of disasters that most frequently affect Ogan Ilir Regency, namely forest and land fires (karhutla) and floods.
Through the application of appropriate early warning technology, he believes that the risk of material losses and casualties can be significantly minimized through a rapid integrated response between officials and local residents.
“Mapping of vulnerable areas must be done accurately so that the early warning system we build works effectively before the disaster reaches a critical point,” explained Utari.
In addition to technological development, a team of academics and researchers from the UIGM Faculty of Engineering will assist the Ogan Ilir BPBD in preparing important documents such as Disaster Risk Assessment (KRB) and Disaster Risk Management (PRB). These documents will later become the main reference for the BPBD in making strategic policies and determining the priority scale for disaster management in the field.
This collaboration not only involves lecturers but also opens opportunities for students to get directly involved through a thematic Community Service Program (KKN) focused on disaster education in villages.
“This collaboration is a joint effort to create a disaster-resilient region through policies based on valid research data,” he concluded. (andhiko ta)
