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This activity is part of the ITB Top-Down Community Service Program Scheme, Phase I of 2025, which aims to solve urgent, strategic, and sustainable community problems through the application of science, technology, art, design, management, and humanities by the ITB academic community. The activity was carried out in two phases: a location survey (23/7/2025) and the installation of the filtration system (10–11/10/2025). The community service team was led by Dr. Rofiq Iqbal, S.T., M.Eng., Ph.D., an ITB lecturer in Environmental Engineering, involving students, technicians, and supported by the Ministry of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and stakeholders in Domas Village.

Domas Village was chosen due to its serious problems with access to clean. The community's well water in this area is brackish due to seawater intrusion, with Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) values exceeding 700 mg/L, making it unsuitable for consumption. Meanwhile, the river near the village dries up during the dry season, leading the community to rely on refilled water for drinking needs and a limited supply from the PDAM for daily use. According to Asmarudin, Head of RT 09 in Domas Village, the availability of clean water in the area remains very limited. "When it's the dry season, we usually buy water from tanker trucks. For daily drinking, residents use refilled gallon water. River water cannot be used, and well water is only used for bathing, not for cooking or drinking," he said. The same sentiment was conveyed by Kholish, a representative of the implementing team from Domas Village. "The availability of drinking water here is very scarce. About 90% of the water in this area is brackish," he explained.

As a solution, the Team implemented ultrafiltration (UF) membrane technology to filter well water into potable water. The system works by forcing pressurized water through membrane pores sized 0,01–0,1 ?m. Large dissolved substances such as colloids, bacteria, and particles are filtered on the membrane surface, while the clean filtered water (permeate) can be used directly. This UF technology is considered superior because it is efficient, minimizes chemical use, and is easy to operate, unlike conventional methods such as coagulation-flocculation, which are more complex and require additional steps.

During the implementation phase, the ITB team installed a complete water filtration unit with a 500 L capacity storage tank and a pre-treatment system to ensure the filtered water meets consumption standards.

The team faced challenges in the field, including land preparation and constructing a sturdy foundation for the placement of the tank and filtration equipment. Furthermore, technical assistance for the community is still needed to ensure the system can be managed independently in the long term. "There is a village foundation entrusted with managing the sustainability of the equipment, as well as a village technical head who has been directed by us on maintenance, such as when to drain and use it effectively," explained Dr. Rofiq Iqbal.

The activity was well received by the local community. "If there is assistance like this, I express my gratitude. Hopefully, we can utilize this well water as drinking water for the community," said Pak Asmarudin, Head of RT 09.

Reporter: Azka Madania Nuryasani (Microbiology, 2022)