UB and Unram Donate Wave Detection Device to Awang Community
The Department of Physics at Universitas Brawijaya (UB) and the Department of Physics at Universitas Mataram (Unram) have collaborated on a community service programme in Desa Persiapan Awang, Pujut District, Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. The initiative aims to strengthen disaster mitigation efforts in the coastal area by donating a device to detect sea wave height and tidal flooding to the local community on Wednesday (29/7).
Dr Muwardi Sutasoma, a lecturer at UB, stated that the Awang area has a high level of vulnerability to coastal disasters. He noted that the Awang Bay region has a long history of threats from earthquakes, tsunamis, and tidal flooding. “The southern coastal area of Central Lombok, particularly Awang Bay, has geological vulnerability to subduction earthquakes, the threat of tidal flooding, and potential tsunamis. The tsunami tragedy of 1977 in Awang serves as important historical evidence that disaster memory and community preparedness must be continuously maintained,” Muwardi said in a statement on Thursday (30/7/2026).
Muwardi explained that the tsunami on the coast of Awang on 19 August 1977 was triggered by a large earthquake centred in the Sumba region, but the largest waves from the natural disaster were felt in Awang. “The high waves at that time struck the fishing settlements in Awang Bay, causing casualties and damaging a number of facilities in the coastal area,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Unram Community Service Team, Alfina Taurida Alaydrus, said the inter-university collaboration aims to build community self-reliance in facing disaster threats. “This synergy between Unram and UB is designed to provide a direct and sustainable impact for the residents of Desa Persiapan Awang,” Alfina said.
According to Alfina, the presence of the wave height measuring device is not only a monitoring tool but must also be accompanied by an increase in the community’s capacity to operate and maintain it. “We are not only providing wave measurement technology, but also ensuring that the local community has the knowledge and independence to maintain and utilise the device independently as part of community-based mitigation,” Alfina stated.
The activities of the two universities took place from 20 to 23 July 2026. The community service programme carried the theme ‘Improving Preparedness and Self-Reliance of the Coastal Community of Awang Village, Central Lombok Regency through the Utilisation of Sea Wave Height Measurement Technology as a Disaster Mitigation Effort’.
During the activity, UB lecturer and researcher Mayang Bunga Puspita provided education on the characteristics of earthquakes, tsunamis, and tidal flooding. The community was also equipped with knowledge regarding independent evacuation procedures should early indications of a disaster occur. The wave height measuring device was handed over to the village government and the local community. The device is capable of monitoring wave height and sea level fluctuations in real time, and is expected to become part of an early warning system for fishermen and coastal residents of Awang Bay during high waves, tidal flooding, or tsunamis.