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any local residents in Palembang depend on the Musi River as their main source of clean water, but the river is heavily polluted and full of harmful trash.

A survey conducted by the South Sumatra Environmental Agency (BLH) from 2008 to 2010 categorized the river as class II and III, meaning it did not meet the standards of people'€™s everyday needs.

There is another water source in the nearby swamp area but it is not potable.

Aware of the situation, Abi Gunawan '€” a local student at SMA South Sumatra senior high school (also called Sampoerna Academy) '€” discussed how to turn the swamp water into potable water with classmate Putrie Rizki.

They discussed the matter with their chemistry teacher, who suggested that they send samples of the swamp water to be analyzed by city-owned water company PDAM Tirta Musi Palembang.

'€œThe lab results showed the water to contain manganese and nickel. For the swamp water to be the same quality as clean water the turbidity had to be reduced and its acidity normalized,'€ Abi told The Jakarta Post.

They also tested water samples from the swamp near their school. Each water sample measured 1,000 milliliters (ml).

'€œWe added 20 ml of ammonium sulfate and 0.1 ml of limestone to the swamp water and then heated it to 50 degrees Celsius. The result was the same quality as PDAM'€™s tap water,'€ Putrie told the Post.

They chose ammonium sulfate because it is less expensive and easily available in comparison to chemicals such as aluminum sulfate. In the future, animal or human urine could replace ammonium sulfate.

The students'€™ research was very helpful for communities in Palembang who have no access to tap water, especially as swampy areas in Palembang cover more than 7,300 hectares.

Thanks to the breakthrough, they represented Indonesia at the 2013 Genius Olympics in New York on June 16-21. There were 86 participants from 30 countries.

The Indonesian contingent included students from Malang Sampoerna Acedemy in East Java and Kharisma Bangsa senior high school in Tangerang, Banten.

Before leaving for New York, Abi said he was hopeful they would win a medal at the event.

Both students claimed to be prepared for the competition.

'€œOur training has focused on how to give a good presentation,'€ said Putrie.

They also performed the North Sumatran Tor-tor dance, to introduce the Indonesian culture to the world.

On Friday, the South Sumatra Education Agency head, Widodo, told the Post that both students won silver medals in New York.

Abi and Putrie had earlier won various medals at international scientific events held in Indonesia. At the Indonesia Science Project Olympics (ISPO), they reaped the Honorable Mention Award in the environmental science category.

At the second Asia-Pacific Conference of Young Scientists (APCYS) this year in Palembang, Putrie won a gold medal for using banana waste to neutralize hazardous substance in swampy water.

'€œBanana peel can activate carbon, which can clean ammonia in polluted river water,'€ said Putrie who presented her scientific paper titled Activated Carbon from Musa Paradisiaa Waste as Ammonia Removal in Polluted Water.

Thanks to the award, Putrie will compete in the Science Super Camp in Japan in August.