VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

As a maritime country with a sea area of 3.25 million square kilometres, Indonesia has tremendous potentials and one of them is in the form of offshore fish farming. To increase this potential, students of the Department of Marine Engineering, Faculty of Marine Technology (FTK) Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS) initiated a design of a solar powered automatic offshore tuna cultivation tool.

One of the team members, Dinda Febriani says that Indonesia has great marine potential and needs to be maximized. One of the great potentials that need to be maximized is offshore tuna cultivation. Furthermore, she also states that currently, offshore fish farming in Indonesia is still done manually. It takes about 15 to 20 people per day to take care of the fish farm. Of course, there are work risks faced such as the high number of work accidents. Departing from these problems, the team chaired by Muhammad Akbar Hardian innovated to design an offshore fish farming tool called ‘ASTOR’ standing for Automatic Offshore Aquaculture with Solar Energy. This tool is designed to increase offshore tuna aquaculture production.

ASTOR is designed to operate automatically which is equipped with a monitoring system, feed feeding system, feed storage room, solar cell system, storage room, and security system using CCTV cameras.

The entire system can work on electrical energy generated by solar cells. The system is fed twice a day. The feed system will receive commands from sensors in the monitor system to issue feed. The sensor on the monitor is divided into two parts: the underwater sensor and the underwater camera. Both sensors are attached to the wall of the pond cage.

The South China Sea dispute has heated up more recently when the United States of America (USA) and China sent their combat fleets to the territory disputed by China and a number of ASEAN countries. Naval military maneuvers, especially both China and the USA fighting for influence in the region almost occur. On March 22, hundreds of ships belonging to China were seen in the disputed area of the South China Sea. The Philippine Defense Minister, Delfin Lorenzana protested against China which was considered to have invaded because it entered Philippine waters. The Philippine coast guard has detected the presence of these vessels on Whitsun Reef, about 320 kilometers from Palawan Island, since March 7. The United States immediately expressed its support for the Philippines, which has long been known as its trading partner in Asia. The American Embassy in Manila said it supported the Philippines' call to urge Chinese ships to immediately leave the Whitsun Reef area. Meanwhile, China ignored the call by insisting that its ships were in offshore territory.

In response to this, Indonesia and other countries bordering with the South China Sea should continue to campaign for joint responsibility to maintain security in the disputed area. This is in line with the position of prioritizing peace and security in the South China Sea region that has been taken so far. Because if the actions of these Chinese ships are responded to by the USA, the potential for open conflict will be more likely to occur. It is time for the related parties or countries that campaign for peace and security in the South China Sea to take a strategic role. It is hoped that in this case, China will be more able to place its position in the territorial waters of the South China Sea.

Recently, the Central Lombok Regency Government in West Nusa Tenggara has launched a program of ‘E-Tourism Go Mandalika’ to promote and revive tourism sector in Lombok. The launch of the E-Tourism Go Mandalika program was carried out by Regent of the Central Lombok, Lalu Pathul Bahri and national tourism practitioner, Taufan Rahmadi in Central Lombok Regency. Pathul Bahri explained that the Go Mandalika is tourism information media, specifically for Central Lombok Regency, which can be accessed anywhere and anytime. With one click, the world community can explore Central Lombok district with all its beauty virtually.

The E-tourism Go Mandalika is one of the digital platforms presented by the Central Lombok Regency Government to make it easy for tourists to obtain information about tourism in the region. Tourists can access it through www.gomandalika.com. The name Mandalika was chosen, because Mandalika is one of the five super priority destinations in Indonesia. So, it is believed to be able to strengthen the brand image of the digital platform. The Go Mandalika applies the concept of a magazine website so that tourists can feel the sense of reading a magazine that is light and not boring. This is supported by the use of pictures and articles about tourism destinations that are very diverse and of high quality. One of the Go Mandalika columns, namely the MotoGp column  specifically informs the development of the Mandalika MotoGp route for 2021. In addition, the Go Mandalika also provides space for local artists to promote their products and creative works. It also provides content in the form of photos, videos and information, which is open license, so that visitors can take the content and use it for various purposes. The Go Mandalika also provides a contribution service where visitors can contribute to the production of content and information that can be processed into tourism promotion materials and the creative economy.

Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno highly appreciates Mandalika tourism amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The local government has realized the application of information technology or e-tourism as a step forward to develop tourism in the digital era. Meanwhile, national tourism observer, Taufan Rahmadi added that the Go Mandalika is a breakthrough that should be appreciated as a form of the seriousness of the Central Lombok Regency Government in preparing Mandalika and Central Lombok as super priority tourism destination. According to him, the E-Tourism Go Mandalika program is in line with the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy policies which emphasize the ability to adapt to conditions and situations, as well as the use of digital technology.

Bogor and its natural attractions are indeed the most effective in releasing fatigue. If you need refreshing by seeing the green scenery on weekends, please come to Situ Rawa Gede located in Sirnajaya Village, Sukamakmur District, Bogor Regency, West Java.  Located at an altitude of 800 meters above sea level, the trip to Situ Rawa Gede is through a fairly steep track. If you visit Situ Rawa Gede for the first time, you don't need to worry, because this area is already listed in the map application and the directions are quite clear. As you go up, the air will be fresher. When you reach Rawa Gede, the air will be colder. During the day, the fog will fall and make this swampy area even shadier. Prepare your thick jacket, if you are not used to cold weather.

At the gate, tourists must buy an entrance ticket worth Rp 20,000 per person. All staffers wear masks, and tourists are asked to adhere to the set health protocols. This lake already has facilities for the convenience of tourists, such as gazebos for sitting around, toilets, and also food stalls. Situ Rawa Gede is more complete with a cliff area, which is usually used as a camping area.  Even amid the Covid-19 pandemic, it turns out that there are still many tourists camping. There are about 4-5 tents standing there. Puffs of smoke might be seen to warm the atmosphere. You don't need to worry, because there is already a place for a campfire or burnt pot provided by the staffers. Tourists who want to camp will be charged an additional fee of Rp 10 thousand per person. As a camping area, Situ Rawa Gede is open 24 hours.

The lake area is decorated with wooden and floating bridges. Photo spots are provided, so tourists can be satisfied with selfies. Another attraction that is given is the waterfalls that are scattered over the lake. Then, you can also swim in a pool where the water is directly from the waterfall. If you don't want to play in the water, there are boats, which are duck-shaped, too. For half an hour, you will only be charged Rp 25 thousand. If you want to stay overnight without bringing a tent, take it easy. Because there is a homestay on the lake side that you can rent. The price is Rp 400 thousand per night and Rp 500 thousand per night on holidays and weekends. Now, Situ Rawa Gede is an agro-tourism. Please prepare yourself for a vacation there.