Datu High School is a PETRA X champion with an automatic irrigation system

KUCHING, 3 Oct: Datu Patinghi Abang Haji Abdillah College emerged champion of PETRA X Young Innovator Challenge 2026 (PETRA X) through the Aquasense Intelligent Watering System project, which is an automated watering system that uses soil moisture as a basis for watering control.

Facilities facilitator and college teacher Rohaila Rohani said the innovations have potential to be developed for wider use in agriculture sector, besides helping save water consumption.

According to him, the project also demonstrates students' ability to apply technology in creating innovative solutions that can be utilised in agriculture.

"Yes, it can be developed on a large scale because we can in agriculture more broadly is Aquasense's intelligent irrigation system. It means we can use technology to further develop agriculture in our irrigation systems so that we can save water and so on", he said when meeting with TVS after the closing ceremony and presentation of PETRA X Young Innovators C Prize Hallenge 2026 in Kuching on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the student, Arissa Nur Zara Abdul Nasir said that the idea of producing the project was inspired by a school environment with many plants and trees that needed care and irrigation.

According to him, the system was developed to reduce labor burdens in plant management, as well as have the potential to be improved for use on a larger scale.

"If we are given more time to improvise this project, we will increase the size of our water tanks so that they can be used in large industrial areas and then we will convert these hoses into reservoirs so that the water can flow more evenly", he explained.

In addition to Arissa, the team of Datu Patinghi Brother Haji Abdillah also included Nur Izzyan Raisyha Nor Hisham Irwandy and Adam Harisz Azfairul.

The team took home the trophy and cash prize of RM1,500 after being crowned PETRA X Young Innovators Challenge champion 2026. -TVS