Fainta Susilo Negoro, Spreading Awareness for the Sustainability of Water Resources

Fainta Susilo Negoro is trying to restore water sources in Java at his own expense, including going directly to the location.

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Fainta Susilo Negoro

The threat of a water crisis is an urgent problem and must be of concern and alert to many people. Considering this condition which he considered to be an emergency, Fainta Susilo Negoro (43), chose the quick way to start prevention efforts, to save water sources from himself. This was done by carrying out an expedition around Java to restore water sources which were now in critical condition. As a consequence, he ended his career as head of a department in the company where he worked.

Fainta is a resident from the Windusari District, Magelang Regency. Previously, she had worked in the formal sector for more than ten years in DKI Jakarta.

After stopping work at the end of 2022, Fainta formed Jaga Semesta, a community with main concern for spring and environmental conservation. Apart from Fainta, this community consists of eight people who from the start became discussion partners, and then also agreed to support the movement to save water sources.

The voluntary work of Jaga Semesta, in the form of a journey around Java, will begin in May 2023. Along with his son and eight other colleagues who are also referred to as the core team, Fainta will travel from place to place to restore at least 500 water sources in various areas. All of this voluntary work is done at their own expense, by Fainta and with the support of his friends.

All the water sources visited are sources with various problems. All of these springs were previously recorded as dead, damaged, or experiencing a significant decrease in water discharge.

Expedition method, demonstrating the actual condition of the damaged water sources in Java Island is considered the most appropriate way to attract attention and concern from many people. Every visit, and the resolution of problems at each water source is also always uploaded on social media, as educational material and learning for the public.

Not only does Fainta show off her wealth, she also actively participates in problem-solving actions in the field. She took part in a clean-up effort to remove tons of cow manure that had blocked one of the water sources in Boyolali, Central Java for two years. Among other things, she walked for two hours to see firsthand the conservation activities that one of the village elders had undertaken on the slopes of Mount Merapi. Because restoration efforts often take more than one day, during each visit, Fainta and her colleagues had to stay in tents, in the middle of the forest, or in villagers' homes.

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From each visit, he discussed one problem after another. He found cases of decreasing water discharge because the springs were blocked by animal heads. This, among others, happened in Kulon Progo Regency in DIY and Kediri in East Java. This is usually done by local residents as a form of respect as well as a form of tetenger, a marker, to avoid the risk of flooding or landslides around water sources.

Sometimes, a decrease in water discharge also occurs due to mishandling by the local government. As was the case in Blitar, East Java. The local government once built a wall to prevent landslides in the hilly area. However, the layer of cement actually covered or clogged the springs on the hill.

Starting from individual activities and the successes of one volunteer after another, gradually the great strength of many people will be built up to work together in preserving and conserving water resources for our future survival.

Posts about Jaga Semesta activities were also successful in attracting sympathy and concern from many people to get involved. Currently, every time there are plans to visit, carry out water source restoration to an area, Jaga Semesta often opens up volunteer recruitment, and there are always a number of people who are interested in getting involved and helping. Not infrequently, many people contact people long before there are planned activities, offering to help with anything, so they can be involved in preserving water sources.

ARSIP FAINTA SUSILO NEGORO

Fainta Susilo Negoro (second from the right) is pictured with volunteer friends after performing restoration work at a location in Java Island, some time ago.

Currently, there are more than 300 volunteers in the Jaga Semesta movement. Though starting their activities in Java Island, hundreds of volunteers who are now also engaged in similar water conservation movements are scattered in various regions throughout the archipelago. Some of them even have their own programs or initiatives to preserve the water sources in their respective areas.

After two months of traveling around Java while unemployed, in the third month, Fainta went back to job seeking and is now actively working at Syngenta, a leading global company providing agricultural technology and services. However, she still continues to visit and restore water sources as a weekend activity or occasionally during breaks from work activities when her office sends her for out-of-town assignments.

Amidst their various activities, they also continue to monitor the activities of the volunteers. Fainta also keeps encouraging the volunteers to diligently upload every activity of water source rescue in their respective areas.

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Fainta Susilo Negoro

It is hoped that the more stories they tell, it will also motivate more people to carry out similar movements.

"By starting from individual activities, the success of one volunteer after another, gradually a great strength from many people will surely be built to jointly preserve the water sources for our survival in the future," he said.

Hard to get water

Fainta was born into a family living on the slopes of Mount Giyanti in Windusari District, Magelang Regency, Central Java. Despite living on the mountainous slopes, the residents there, including Fainta's family, have always been plagued by water problems. Since childhood, she has been used to seeing people fetching water from a source quite far from home. She also got used to going to school without taking a bath when the water supply at home was running low. Those past stories continue to haunt Fainta and make her truly realize that access to clean water is something that must be fought for the survival of life.

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In 2019, he was startled by reading a lot of news that Java Island was predicted to experience a water crisis in 2030. He then shared the information with several government agencies and hoped for a serious step from them. However, the government instead revealed several obstacles, including budget constraints.

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Fainta Susilo Negoro shows educational material on the Jaga Semesta account on social media, Saturday (6/4/2024).

He then attempted to mobilize the private sector, including organizations with concerns about water. Those efforts have borne fruit. Several private companies and organizations then formed the Indonesian Water Coalition, which focuses on creating programs to conserve water sources internally.

In 2022, Fainta saw that the movement to protect water sources was not yet maximal and there were still many critically endangered water sources. Therefore, she believed that the struggle to preserve water sources had to begin with oneself. That is why she formed Jaga Semesta and began a expedition around Java.

Generating public awareness about the availability of water, according to him, is indeed difficult to do before they themselves experience problems, difficulty, or a water crisis. However, don't just think about the current situation, every individual is expected to think further for the continuity of the future generations to come.

Fainta Susilo Negoro

Place, date of birth: Magelang, August 14 1980

Last education: Bachelor of Agriculture, Jember State University

Job: Country Head of Sustainability & Corporate Affairs Syngenta

Organization: Founder of Jaga Universe