So the Solution for Affected Communities, Water Purification Machines at the North Sumatra Disaster Location are Installed

Clean water supply from UNHAN and TNI (Unhan Doc)

JAKARTA - Clean water is still the main need that is difficult to obtain by people affected by floods, one of which is in North Sumatra (North Sumatra). For this reason, the government through the Ministry of Defense continues to move in handling disasters that have hit a number of areas in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra. One of the concrete steps is the installation of water purification machines in Batu Hula Village, Batangtoru District, North Sumatra, which is the evacuation point for flood victims.

The Indonesian Defense University (Unhan) together with the Indonesian National Army (TNI) formed a Task Force for the Development and Implementation of Water Purification Technology. This team is tasked with providing clean water solutions for affected communities.

Kadet of the Civil Engineering Study Program of FTTP Unhan, Sergeant Major Two Kadet Ronald Marcus Sihite, explained that the water purification system was designed to be easy to operate in the field. The technology used utilizes fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) as the main filtration tube.

"In the FRP system there are several layers of filter media: manganese ferrolit and manganese zeolite to reduce metal content and turbidity, activated carbon to absorb odors, colors, and organic pollutants, and silica to refine the results of filtration," explained Marcus, Wednesday (25/12).

The filtered water is then processed further with Reverse Osmosis (RO) technology to filter very small particles, including dissolved salts and micro-contaminants. The final stage is carried out with ultraviolet (UV) irradiation which serves to kill bacteria, viruses, and harmful microorganisms so that the water is safe to consume.

Marcus added that the main advantage of this technology lies in cost efficiency and high production capacity. The system is capable of producing more than 20,000 liters of clean water per day and 4,000-5,000 liters of potable water per day, with good quality and large discharge.

Meanwhile, the Head of Batu Hula Village expressed his appreciation for the assistance provided by the Ministry of Defense and the TNI.

"Thank you for providing water purification facilities. It is functional and can be drunk immediately. This is very useful for us refugees, as many as 1,700 people in our village," he said.