UNDIP, Semarang (10/6) – Universitas Diponegoro (UNDIP) continues to strengthen its role as a university whose innovations directly improve people’s quality of life. This commitment is reflected in the support of Dr. dr. Budi Laksono, M.HSc., an alumnus of the UNDIP Faculty of Medicine Class of 1982, whose collaboration with the Indonesian Army (TNI AD) has led to the construction of more than one million toilets across Indonesia, earning recognition from the Indonesian World Records Museum (MURI), Kick Andy Heroes, and numerous other award programs.
Known widely as “Budi Jamban” or “Doctor Toilet,” Dr. Budi visited UNDIP on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, for an audience with UNDIP Rector Prof. Dr. Suharnomo, S.E., M.Si. at the Widya Puraya Building, Tembalang Campus.
Vice Rector for Research, Innovation, Cooperation, and Public Communication, Wijayanto, S.IP., M.Si., Ph.D.; Director of Reputation, Partnership, and Global Connectivity, Prof. Dr. Ir. Hadiyanto, S.T., M.Sc., IPU; Director of Media Networks, Community, and Public Communication, Dr. Nurul Hasfi, S.Sos., M.A.; Vice Director of Innovation and Industrial Downstreaming, Dr. I Made Bayu Dirgantara, S.E., M.M.; and Alfabetian Harjuno Condro Haditomo, S.Pi., M.Si., Ph.D., representing the Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM), attended the meeting.
During the meeting, the Rector expressed appreciation for Dr. Budi Laksono’s innovation, which has significantly improved public health throughout Indonesia. His long-standing dedication to promoting healthy sanitation through toilet construction initiatives was recognized by MURI in 2019 with the record for the “Largest Sustainable Toilet Construction Program.”
“Before I die, I want every Indonesian citizen to have access to a toilet,” said Dr. Budi. To date, together with colleagues, donors, alumni associations, civic organizations, the Semarang City Government, DMTK, and particularly the Indonesian Army, he has helped build more than 1 million affordable, hygienic toilets across Indonesia. Assuming each household consists of four family members, this innovation has benefited approximately 4 million people.
Regarding his field focus, Dr. Budi explained that the availability of toilets is a key indicator of sanitation quality and public health in a region. Poor sanitation access can increase the risk of diseases such as diarrhea, intestinal worm infections, typhoid fever, dysentery, hepatitis A, anemia, and even child mortality, while also contributing to high stunting rates.
“We must maintain healthy, nutritious, and hygienic food intake. However, every human naturally carries intestinal microorganisms to which they are immune. Once these pathogens leave the body through open defecation, they can infect others who are less immune and contaminate the environment,” he explained.
Since beginning his community service work in the late 1990s, Dr. Budi has developed various toilet models that are affordable, easy to build, and adaptable to different environmental conditions.
Among his innovations are “Amphibious Toilet,” which functions effectively in both areas with adequate water supply and water-scarce environments, and “Flying Toilet,” designed specifically for areas affected by land subsidence and frequent flooding.
The Flying Toilet is particularly suitable for coastal regions affected by tidal flooding. It is constructed on stacked concrete rings approximately one meter high and eighty centimeters in diameter. As land subsidence progresses, additional rings can be added, allowing the toilet to remain functional over time.
For stilt houses and floating homes, Dr. Budi also developed the “Bio Integrated Compact Septic Tank”, a sanitation system that produces sterile wastewater safe for discharge into surrounding waterways.
The initiative later expanded into a broader national campaign, “The One Million Toilets Movement” (GEMA SANG JUARA), launched by the Indonesian Army to accelerate access to proper sanitation nationwide.
The movement achieved several MURI records, including:
- A village-wide toilet construction program was completed within two weeks in Cepoko Village, Semarang.
- The construction of 1,500 toilets within four weeks in Gunungpati and Mijen districts.
- The construction of 5,000 toilets within six weeks across Tembalang, Banyumanik, Ngaliyan, Pedurungan, and Gayamsari districts. It includes the UNDIP campus area, whose toilet development only takes about 6 (six) weeks.
The program begins with household surveys to identify families lacking proper sanitation facilities. These families then participate in educational and motivational sessions known as “Hypnolatrine.” Afterward, they receive basic toilet-construction materials and assistance in building their own toilets. This model was later adopted nationally by the Indonesian Army Headquarters through the TMMD (Integrated Village Development Program), involving all Army units and more than 52,000 village supervisory non-commissioned officers (Babinsa) throughout Indonesia. As a result, 1,037,876 family toilets have been constructed.
UNDIP’s Contribution to the Healthy Toilet Movement
Prof. Suharnomo praised Dr. Budi’s dedication and impact, emphasizing that alumni such as Dr. Budi exemplify how UNDIP graduates can provide practical solutions to societal challenges. UNDIP needs to continue demonstrating this optimism and spirit of helpfulness.
“During UNDIP’s 67th Anniversary in 2024, through our community service program, we constructed Flying Toilets based on Dr. Budi’s innovation in Tugu Village, Sayung District, Demak Regency, an area affected by tidal flooding. We plan to continue implementing this initiative in other regions that need it,” he said.
Through LPPM and UNDIP’s Community Service Program (KKN team), supported by the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Public Health, UNDIP will begin by identifying areas with the most urgent sanitation needs. “We will start by scanning which areas are in dire need of sanitation, especially those lacking sufficient toilets for the entire population,” explained Prof. Suharnomo.
The Rector also highlighted the role of UNDIP’s Coastal Disaster and Mitigation Center (CoREM), which continues to conduct research and community service activities related to sanitation and coastal resilience. Collaboration with Dr. Budi will strengthen future academic development in this field.
One of the key concepts promoted by UNDIP and Dr. Budi is “One Home, One Toilet.” Drawing on decades of experience, Dr. Budi emphasized that successful implementation begins at the neighborhood level and can gradually expand to entire communities. “The technique already existed. Based on their experience, we began building toilets for one neighborhood unit (RT), then for a larger scale (RW). We even achieved several MURI records together with UNDIP, which at the time was represented by Prof. Haryo (Faculty of Medicine).”
Moving forward, UNDIP and Dr. Budi plan to continue toilet construction programs through LPPM and UNDIP’s KKN initiatives. At the micro level, the approach focuses on community education and awareness campaigns to eliminate open defecation.
At the macro level, UNDIP and Dr. Budi will collaborate with central and local governments as well as the Indonesian Ministry of Health.
Through the synergy among universities, alumni, government institutions, and local communities, UNDIP remains optimistic that it can continue to deliver innovations that improve public health, environmental quality, and social welfare across Indonesia.
This collaboration also supports the achievement of several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being; SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation; SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities; as well as SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals. (Public Communication/UNDIP/Titis, edited by Nurul)