A Focus Group Discussion (FGD) supported by LPDP through UNSRI’s WCU–EQUITY The programme emphasised the importance of governance, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and multi-stakeholder collaboration to ensure the continued provision of essential services.

Three solar-powered facilities have been operational on Kemaro Island since late 2025. Clean water flows, the mosque has its own electricity supply, and residents no longer struggle to perform wudu. But for the team of lecturers from the University of Sriwijaya who built them, that is precisely where concerns began to arise—who will check the filters next month? Where will the funds come from to replace components if they break? And what should residents do if the system suddenly stops working while the university team is no longer there?

It was these questions that prompted UNSRI to hold a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and community service dissemination event on 13 April 2026 in Palembang. The event was attended by community representatives, local leaders, mosque administrators, students, and academics, who sat together to decide on very concrete matters.

Kemaro Island itself is a small island in the Musi River basin that has for years been grappling with three fundamental and interrelated problems: drinking water that is not always safe, a shortage of clean water for religious rituals, and an unreliable electricity supply. A multidisciplinary team of lecturers from the Faculty of Engineering at UNSRI — involving electrical engineering, chemical engineering, and mechanical engineering — arrived with three solutions at once: water-saving wudu facilities, off-grid solar power generators for places of worship, and solar-powered ultrafiltration units that treat river water into safe drinking water. These three systems were handed over to the residents on 22 November 2025. To address post-installation issues, a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) was organised, funded by LPDP and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology through the UNSRI WCU–EQUITY Programme 2025–2026 and chaired by Prof. Ir. Subriyer Nasir, M.S., Ph.D.

The FGD was led by Dr Ir Herlina, S.T., M.T., IPM, and opened by the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at UNSRI, Dr Ir Bhakti Yudho Suprapto, S.T., M.T., IPM. Around 50 people from various backgrounds attended. Also present was Ir Nusa Idaman Said, M.Eng., a principal researcher from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), who shared his experience regarding membrane technology and the importance of accessing clean water for public health— broadening the discussion beyond purely technical matters to include the real-world impact on daily life.

The topics discussed in the forum were very down-to-earth. Participants selected members for the Local Operations Team, agreed on concise standard operating procedures (SOPs) for each system, designed daily monitoring log sheets, established reporting channels in the event of disruptions, and decided on a routine funding scheme that residents could cover themselves. Students from UNSRI were also involved as co-facilitators and technical mentors, ensuring that the knowledge gained did not simply end with the forum and fade away.

“Building the facilities is the easier part,” said Dr Herlina. What is far more difficult is establishing a system to ensure the facilities remain operational once no one from the university is there to check on them. This initiative is also linked to a broader agenda. The program directly supports Sustainable Development Goal 6 on clean water and sanitation and Goal 7 on affordable and clean energy—two commitments that Indonesia has signed up for and aims to achieve by 2030. On Kemaro Island, clean water and solar power are no longer a novelty. There is just one challenge remaining: ensuring that all of this is still functioning ten years from now, when the names of those who built it may have been forgotten, but the benefits are still very much felt.

Palembang, 13 April 2026