The Government has officially established the River School program in the West Papua region. The school is one of the programs dedicated to protecting communities living around river areas from water disasters. River School involves three essential parties: the government, the private sector, and the public with an ecosystem-based approach. Here is the detailed information.
Getting to know River School
The River School program was created to educate the community to be wiser in protecting the environment. It is because Papua has many rivers, and its people also have powerful links in their daily lives with waterways. Unfortunately, the rivers in Papua are currently polluted mainly by industrial waste and are not cared for. Not to mention people who throw their garbage carelessly.
It is not only an environmental problem but also causes disasters such as floods and landslides. The government is making various efforts to prevent this disaster. It includes cleaning up rivers in West Papua. Unfortunately, most of these programs are in vain because the government does not involve the public.
Primary Purpose of River School
River School is one of the government’s programs to take an ecosystem-based approach to Papua. It is an informal community school to learn about environmental education. This school aims to train the community on how to revitalize the condition of rivers in Papua and maintain their cleanliness.
The program was created to increase public awareness about the importance of maintaining clean water. Most people in Papua don’t care about river quality because they think it’s not essential. For these reasons, River School is an attempt to change the wrong point of view of society. Also, it is an effective way to prevent future disasters in West Papua.
The establishment of this River School was carried out in Sungai Remu, Sorong, by involving many people. This location was chosen as the area around the Remu river is often flooded every year. One of the leading causes of rivers overflowing during heavy rains is filled with residents’ garbage. For this reason, this program encourages the community to volunteer to clean the river and spread knowledge to the people around them.
Benefits for Papuan
Clean rivers have very significant benefits for communities in Papua, from irrigation to transportation. So, if the river experiences a disaster, the residents will suffer losses. With a program that provides knowledge about river revitalization, people in Papua will be more aware of the importance of keeping rivers clean and away from natural disasters.
In addition, the river school program also provides good benefits to the community in their daily lives. It is undeniable that rivers in West Papua are polluted due to irresponsible activities. If there are no practical steps to overcome it, the community will be affected by the disaster. So, the government’s effort to bring River School to Papua is the best solution at this time.
All of this, although the government has a great responsibility in protecting every aspect of people’s lives in terms of the environment, the government cannot only do this important task alone. For this reason, the community must play a role in the success of the program. It is because it will provide benefits to the community in everyday life.