"BRI Clean the River" Program Encourages Environmental Sustainability and Community Economic Empowerment in the Kalisari River Region

SEMARANG,Indonesia,Oct. 28,2020 -- The condition on the edge of Kalisari River on Wonosari road,Randusari village,South Semarang Subdistrict,Semarang City,which was once shallow,full of garbage,is now neatly organized and clean. Thanks to the "BRI Clean the River" program by BRI Bank (BRI) (IDX: BBRI),the function and role of Kalisari River in Kampung Pelangi has been restoredto support the environment and driving the community's economy.

Central Java Governor,Ganjar Pranowo with President Director of Bank BRI,Sunarso visiting Kalisari River area on Sunday (25/10)

Currently,the presence of Kalisari River in Kampung Pelangi is slowly becoming a new local tourist attraction capable of driving the economy of the surrounding community. Not only the residents,but the people from other regions also come visiting the area.

Cleaning activities on Kalisari River are carried out through several activities including cleaning and structuring the river,educating the importance of healthy environment,empowering and managing waste,building facilities and infrastructure on the riverbank and empowering the community's economy through the role of BRILink Agent.

In collaboration with the local government,BRI educates the resident around the river on how to create a healthy environment,namely by continuing to encourage changes in people's perspective on the function and role of rivers in their lives and their future. A clean and orderly river flow does not only reduce the potential for flooding when it rains,but rivers can also have an economic impact and driving the community's economy.

So far,the role of rivers has often been misunderstood only as water channels from upstream to downstream. Many people throw garbage into the river. Whereas the essence of a river is a hydrological cycle that needs to be preserved. Thus,in this program BRI collaborates with Bank Sampah Waras to further educate the public in managing household waste. It is necessary to select and sort out which waste is organic and which is inorganic,to use organic waste for fertilizers,agriculture and animal feed,to convert inorganic waste in order to provide added value and economic value to society through the recycling process.

In its management,the organic waste that has been sorted from each house will be collected by Bank Sampah Waras to be processed into organic fertilizer / compost using a garbage chopper from BRI. It takes 3 weeks to convert the waste into compost which then can be used by the residents around the area. These fertilizers are also traded commercially to third party with profits that will be managed by Bank Sampah Waras.

On top of that,inorganic waste collection (plastic bottles / cups,plastic bags,towel cloth,used clothes,etc.) that cannot be recycled will be sold to collectors with the help of the Bank Sampah Waras. Meanwhile,those that can still be reused will be processed into items that have a selling value,such as plastic flowerpots and plastic home decorations.

The facilities and infrastructure built along the river,such as playgrounds and open spaces,are now also being used by the community. By becoming a gathering place for residents,the area around the river has become a potential economic development for residents. To support banking services that are easily accessible to residents around the river,BRI through BRILink Agent provides banking transaction services such as cash deposits and withdrawals,payment of electricity,water bills,BPJS (Social Security Administrator),telephone,credit purchases,instalment payments,loan deposits and other transactions.

Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo revealed that the Provincial Government appreciates the program that has been carried out by BRI Bank to encourage public awareness on the importance of preserving and cleaning the rivers in the city. "We warmly welcome and thank BRI for organizing Kalisari River to be clean and beautiful like this. But most importantly,BRI has provided examples and education to the community to keep the environment clean,from waste education to structuring and building facilities for the community. Our next task is to preserve it," said Ganjar when he visited Kalisari River area with President Director of Bank BRI,Sunarso on Sunday (25/10).

"Through this cleaning program,we want to educate the importance of a healthy river environment. In fact,if the river is cleaned,organized and maintained,its existence can bring many benefits to the residents who live around it. This is in accordance with our commitment that the presence of BRI can provide and deliver value to the community. We will manage the discarded waste,but the sustainability of this program really depends on the behaviour of the community. Let's preserve it together,"concluded Sunarso.

Information about BRI Bank can be accessed through the website www.bri.co.id