The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA) of UNY, together with the community group Pemerti Kali Code, held an event themed “Elinging Lahar, Karsaning Karya: Remembering 15 Years of the Cold Lahar, Crafting Works for a Sustainable River.” The gathering reflects on the 2010 cold-lahar event on Mount Merapi and introduces an innovation in the digitalisation of the “River School (Code)” programme as part of the DigiCODE initiative for environmental education.

The event was opened by Dr Iis Prasetyo, M.M., Secretary of the Directorate of Student Affairs and Alumni at UNY, who praised the collaboration between students and the community in preserving river ecosystems and supporting the sustainability of the River School Code programme.

As part of the programme, Pemerti Kali Code presented a reflection session entitled “Remembering the Cold Lahar 2010” followed by a presentation from the UNY PKM team on the use of digital media (such as QR codes) as tools for education on history, environmental conservation, and disaster mitigation.

A multi-agency forum (sarasehan) brought together representatives from the Dinas Lingkungan Hidup Kota Yogyakarta (Yogyakarta City Environment Agency), the Dinas Pariwisata Kota Yogyakarta (Tourism Agency), the Dinas Pertanahan dan Tata Ruang DIY (Land & Spatial Planning Agency of the Special Region of Yogyakarta), the BBWS Serayu‑Opak (River Basin Authority Serayu-Opak), along with various community organisations and academics. The forum produced recommendations to strengthen a “pentahelix” collaboration — involving government, academia, community, business and civil society — to sustain the river-education initiative along the Code River.

During the event, a cooperation agreement was signed between FMIPA UNY, Pemerti Kali Code, and the Kelurahan Cokrodiningratan administration. A policy brief was also submitted to relevant agencies. The event closed with the handing over of commemorative mementos and a group photo, symbolising the commitment to continue environmental education and action.

The activity underscores how a disaster experience can give rise to a spirit of collaboration and innovation in preserving rivers and supporting sustainable development goals (SDGs) — especially SDG 4: Quality Education, SDG 15: Life on Land, and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals.