Utilization of Water Hyacinth as Organic Fertilizer on Kemaro Island, Palembang City

Abstract

The water hyacinth is a free-floating aquatic plant. Water hyacinth has massive reproductive capacity, which causes several problems, including ecosystem destruction, irrigation problems, and its use as a breeding ground for mosquitoes, which causes the mosquito population to increase. The high growth rate of water hyacinth is also a major problem faced by the people on Kemaro Island. The large number of water hyacinth plants on Kemaro Island causes environmental issues, such as slum settlements. Pupuk Sriwidjaja Palembang (Pusri) Ltd. is here to overcome this problem through a community empowerment program, namely the Sehat Sejahtera Program (Sesera). The methods used in this research are literature study, observation, and interviews. The research results show that the Sesera Program is able to reduce the number of water hyacinths that accumulate around the residences of Kemaro Island residents. Through the Sesera Program, Pusri empowers the community to utilize and process water hyacinth in order to reduce the number of water hyacinth growing around Kemaro Island. Activities carried out by utilizing water hyacinth to become compost. To maintain these impacts or benefits, the Sesera Program through water hyacinth composting activities needs to involve other stakeholders who are able to encourage and increase the impact of the program, such as the Village Government, City government, and agriculture service.