UPI Renovates Uninhabitable House of 20 Years in West Bandung

Bandung (ANTARA) - Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (UPI) has completed the renovation of an uninhabitable house belonging to a resident in West Bandung Regency, which had stood in a deplorable condition for about 20 years due to extreme poverty. UPI Rector Didi Sukyadi stated that over the two decades, the house owned by Mak Tati, who is nearly 70 years old, had been without access to electricity, and she occupied a dwelling that did not meet habitability standards. “That condition directly impacts quality of life, particularly in terms of safety, health, and daily activities,” Didi said in Bandung on Wednesday. Didi added that the house relied solely on kerosene lamps at night, and the damaged structure was deemed to increase risks during extreme weather. “Many people still do not enjoy electricity, even though infrastructure is already available. One of the obstacles is the limited funds for installation and monthly electricity payments,” he said. “This system utilises solar panels and batteries as an energy storage source,” he added. Programme implementation chair Yaya Sonjaya noted that the construction was carried out collaboratively, involving the local community. Moving forward, the programme will continue with economic empowerment and education on managing solar energy technology to ensure sustainable benefits for the community. “We targeted completing the house construction in one week, and alhamdulillah, it was achieved as planned through cooperation with the local community,” he said.