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Community responses and adaptation strategies toward flood hazard in Jakarta, Indonesia

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Abstract

Jakarta, as the capital of the Republic of Indonesia, has long been known to be at risk from flood hazard. It is increasingly recognized that community responses and adaptation strategies are essential for planning future mitigation action. In order to investigate the community responses and adaptation strategies employed in Jakarta, in-depth interviews were performed in the flood-prone areas. The results reveal that vulnerability to flooding is increasing, and it is linked to several factors: (1) stakeholders, (2) environment, (3) communities, and (4) infrastructure and its maintenance. Various physical adaptation strategies have been adopted by the local communities, which include raising the housing level, building terraced housing, and building small dikes to prevent water entering the settlements. Several non-physical adaptations were also identified from the fieldwork. These adaptations tend to be conducted through communal work and the reuse of resources and materials left undamaged by flooding. However, uncoordinated responses during flood events produce greater exposure to the hazard, and it can be inferred that community responses remain below the ideal. This study highlights the need for urgent attention to be given to improving the institutional links between stakeholders, especially at the municipal level, which could provide more efficient disaster response.

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Acknowledgments

This research has been supported by a grant from DP2M International Collaboration Competitive Research Grant for International Publication “Hibah Kerjasama Luar Negeri” Universitas Gadjah Mada (Contract Number: KLN: LPPM-UGM/1579/BID.I/2012 in May 7, 2012), and the project Jakarta Climate Adaptation Tools (HSINT02a) of the Dutch national research program Knowledge for Climate and Delta Alliance. We thank the reviewer for their suggestions regarding this paper.

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Correspondence to Muh Aris Marfai.

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Marfai, M.A., Sekaranom, A.B. & Ward, P. Community responses and adaptation strategies toward flood hazard in Jakarta, Indonesia. Nat Hazards 75, 1127–1144 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-014-1365-3

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