UNDIP, Semarang (1/9) – Universitas Diponegoro (UNDIP) has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting disaster response by applying research and innovation that have a direct impact on society. The commitment was demonstrated by the handover of five Disaster Response Water Treatment Units to the National Disaster Management Agency (Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana / BNPB) at the Widya Puraya courtyard of UNDIP on Tuesday, September 1, 2026.
Prof. Dr. I Nyoman Widiasa, S.T., M.T., and the UNDIP team developed five disaster-response water treatment units. The handover followed BNPB’s interest in UNDIP’s water treatment technology, sparked by a 2025 working visit to UNDIP.
UNDIP Rector Prof. Dr. Suharnomo, S.E., M.Si., emphasized UNDIP’s commitment to ensuring that research and innovation can benefit society, particularly in disaster situations.
“In principle, UNDIP is strongly committed to dedicating the results of its research and innovation to providing benefits for society. Today, we are putting this commitment into practice through the handover of UNDIP-developed Disaster Response Water Treatment Units to be used in disaster response efforts,” Prof. Suharnomo said.
The Disaster Response Water Treatment Units, or mobile water treatment systems, can process water into clean, safe drinking water. Each unit has a treatment capacity of approximately 20,000 liters of clean water and 2,000 liters of drinking water per day.
The inventor of the Disaster Response Water Treatment Unit, Prof. Dr. I Nyoman Widiasa, S.T., M.T., described the handover as the beginning of UNDIP’s contribution to supporting disaster response efforts in Indonesia.
“This marks the beginning of UNDIP’s contribution to supporting disaster response in Indonesia. We hope this trust will continue to grow so that UNDIP can make an even greater contribution to disaster management in Indonesia,” he said.
BNPB partner representative Martino Budiawan expressed his appreciation for the technological complexity developed by Prof. Nyoman and his team, noting that the technology not only processes water into clean water but also produces water that is safe for consumption.
“The equipment produced by Prof. Nyoman and UNDIP is quite complex compared with other equipment. While other systems may only process water into clean water, UNDIP’s technology can process it further into water that is ready for consumption,” Martino explained.
Martino explained that the five units are initially planned to support disaster response needs in Central Java. The subsequent placement and distribution of the units will be adjusted according to field directions and needs. The handover of the five units is part of UNDIP’s ongoing commitment to developing and applying research and innovation as solutions to support disaster response efforts and provide tangible benefits to society. (Public Communication/UNDIP/Hng)
