The paper presented at the International Symposium on Climate Change and Human Settlements
Sanur Beach Hotel Bali, Indonesia, March 18-20th 2008
ANDARITA ROLALISASI (rolalisasi@yahoo.com)
MAHESTI OKITASARI (mahesti_okitasari@yahoo.com)
ABSTRACT
The oceans play a major role in weather and climate because over 70% of the Earth's surface is covered by oceans. The atmosphere picks up most of its moisture and heat from the oceans and thus weather patterns and climate are controlled by the oceans. Indonesia as an archipelago owned 81.000 km coastal zone, which is second in length after Canada, therefore coastal zones are important zone in Indonesia because a majority of the population inhabit such zones.
Increase in the earth’s temperature due to an accumulation of carbon-based greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and hydro fluorocarbon, is promoting climate change. Change in the global temperature is also apparent in the oceans, causing changes to weather cycles and climate. For Indonesia, predicted increases in sea levels by the end of this century could potentially submerge some coastline up to 50 meters inland. It is estimated that more than 405,000 hectares of Indonesian land will be submerged, thousands of small islands will disappear from the map of Indonesia, hundreds of thousands of hectares of fishponds and paddy fields in tidal areas will be lost, and coastal abrasion and seawater intrusion will threaten even the terrestrial population (Cornejo, Pilar, 2007).
The fisherman settlements at Pasuruan spread from Tambaan to Mandanrejo with 502.378 ha of fishponds (Pasuruan in Figures, 2005). The settlement also affected by the climate change, which affect the fisherman incomes. The study indicate that the rise of sea level becoming very often, which hit the fisherman settlements and the people everyday life activities.
The study was conducted by collecting data about the floods and survey in the inundated areas. The aim of the study was purposed to grasp the current physical and environmental of the affected area.
Keywords: climate change, fisherman settlements, flood, sea level rise.
1. INTRODUCTION
It has been widely recognized that global sea level rise may generate immense impact on physical and biological system such as coastal morphology and natural ecosystem. It also induces both habited and inhabited areas. The environment in the coastal zone is predicted in fragile balance regarding natural processes and human activities.
The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), an association of leading climate, atmospheric and oceanographic scientists from around the world, has released a series of sea-level rise projections as a result of climate change. IPCC also stated that farmers, coastal inhabitants, traditional communities living in forest and dessert are most exposed to climate change (Fussel, Hans-Martin, 2005). The coastal zone is a major focus of human habitation and economic activity. Therefore, low income inhabitants such as the fisherman in Pasuruan, are also vulnerable to climate change due to limited adaptation (Laboratory for Housing and Human Settlements ITS, 2007).
Sea-level rise has a number of biophysical effects on coastal areas including relevant interacting climate and non climate factors. Data Book of Sea-level Rise 2000 (National Institute for Environment Study, 2000) indicated that physical impacts of sea-level rise on the coastal zones are listed as follow:
1. inundation and displacement of lowlands and wetlands
2. coastal erosion intensification of coastal storm flooding
3. increase in salinity of estuaries, salt-water intrusion into freshwater aquifers, and degradation of water quality.
4. change of tide in rivers and bays
5. change of sediment deposition patterns
All of these increase degradation of the environment. The natural-system effects of sea-level rise have a range of potential socio-economic impacts, including: increased loss of property and fisherman settlements, increased flood risk and potential loss of life, damage to coastal protection works and other infrastructure (Laboratory for Housing and Human Settlements ITS, 2007).
In Pasuruan, the socio-economic impacts of sea-level rise are anticipated to affect a large proportion of the Pasuruan population. There are a large number of local inhabitants will be affected directly by the impacts of sea-level rise due to direct property loss at present, future development along the coast and the implications of rising sea level and coastal storms on the wider community will be extensive.
2. FISHERMAN SETTLEMENTS AT PASURUAN AND THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE
Pasuruan is a coastal urban area situated on the lowland part/coastal area of East Java province in Indonesia. Most of the area of Pasuruan Regency located on low land between 3 up to 6 m above sea level and the height is 25 up to 50 m above sea level. The type of all seashores is plain with its slope 0 – 2%. This low land areas of the coastal have the highest impact of the sea level rise in Pasuruan (Pasuruan in Figure 2005).
Pasuruan has two different types of flooding. These are referredlo to locally flood inudation and tidal flood. Tidal flood occurs due to high tidal waves overflowing coastal land. The effect of tidal floods increases every year. Flooding creates several problem that must be taken into account:
• Economic activities of fishermen decreased regarding loss on fisheries sector which plays important role for inhabitant in coastal Pasuruan (while flooding, people will stop catching, drying and selling which caused decrease supply to the market)
• School children has to stay at home due to closed schools for about 2-3 days
• Inundated fishermen housing when tidal flooding reach into the house and disturb the lives of the inhabitants. Oftenly the flood water reach about 100 centimeters in height.
• Areas surround the houses also inundated, creating unhealthy environment for the people. Because of the flooding, the fishermen are difficult to go out or came to the settlement. Toilet and bathing facilities also flooded and sewage system did not work properly (Laboratory for Housing and Human Settlements, 2007).
Hundreds of settlements and fish ponds flooded with sea-water intrusion spread from Panggungrejo sub-district in the coastal area to Mandaranrejo, Ngemplakrejo and Tambaan district in the downtown Pasuruan. The tidal flooding also evident in Kalirejo Village, Kraton district, Pasuruan Regency . Not only damaged several buildings, it also broke the construction of seawalls or bulkhead.
The potential of fisheries sector in the north coastal Pasuruan are undoubted. Most people inhabited the coast work as fishermen. Fishermen settlements are found in Tambakan sub-district (Gadingrejo district), Ngemplakrejo sub-district (Purworejo district) and Panggungrejo sub-district (Bungulkidul district). From those fisherman settlements, Ngemplakrejo sub-district is the most famous; not only because it has most number of fishermen but also regarding its nearness to the main fisheries landing port.
Almost all fishermen inhabitated in this area sell their products in the fish market nearby including fishermen from Panggungrejo, Tambakan and even from other area outside Pasuruan. The inhabitants in Ngemplakrejo sub-district depend their income on fisheries sector. Their source are not only from the sea but also from dykes and fishponds. Even, the total area of fisheries is the second large after the settlements. It reach about 13,321 ha from the total area of Ngemplakrejo sub-district whisch is 53,69 ha. The settlements cover about 36,03 ha and the rest are forrest and non-settlement buildings (Pasuruan in Figures, 2005).
3. ACTIVITIES FOR REDUCING THE CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT
Several activities that have been done to reduce the flooding frequency in the Pasuruan are:
• Fisherman activities to reduce the impact of floods using basic infrastructure technology, for example: build embankment and steps constructed above the floods.
• Obtain other work opportunities; low income fisherman are less adapted to capital accessibility, production equipments and information. To fulfill their living expenses while they can not go seafaring during the flood, fishermen work at factories and farming labors in its neighborhood.
4. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Sea-level rise due to climate change is of concern, as it has the potential to cause serious coastal damage. The flooding in the fishermen settlements caused by the sea-level rise disturb the inhabitants of the area. In the coastal area of Pasuruan, the suggested response to sea level rise is to protect the settlements and its environment. The response strategies are:
• Raising public awareness
There is a need in raising disaster awareness for coastal inhabitants, particularly in neighborhood level. The first thing to do is socialize the awareness to the public. For student, this phase should be added to their obligatory curriculum without neglecting its locality. Guidance and training in floods disaster evacuation should cover the entire fishermen settlements. The aim of the activities is so that inhabitants are aware what and how is the evacuation process when the flooding hit the settlements.
• Government should provide guidance and monitoring the environment conditions from time to time and also arrange the spatial system in the coastal area.
• Wetland preservation
The estuaries and rivers the Pasuruan coastal zone contain economically important wetlands and mangrove system. Efforts should be made to protect this areas by declaring them as protected wetlands.
• Coastal zone management plan
Land-use planning in Coastal Zone, such as the use of building setbacks or allocating low lying vulnerable lands to lower value used will help reduce the over all vulnerability to sea level rise. Other land use planning mechanisms, such as construction standards, reduce the risks of living in coastal areas.
REFERENCES
Cornejo, Pilar, 2007, Fighting climate change: Human solidarity in a divided world. Human Development Report 2007/2008. Human Development Report Office, New York
Fussel, Hans-Martin, 2005, Vulnerability: A generally applicable conceptual framework for climate change research from journal Science Direct, California
Laboratory for Housing and Human Settlements. (2007). Studi Penelitian Penyusunan Pedoman Teknis Pembangunan Permukiman (Kawasan Bencana) di Jawa Timur, Surabaya
National Institute for Environment Studies Japan, 2000, Book of Sea Level Rise 2000, Ibaraki
Statistic of Pasuruan City; City Planning of Pasuruan, 2005, Pasuruan in Figures 2005, Pasuruan
Bakosurtanal, 2000, Peta Rupabumi Digital Indonesia, Bogor
www. earth.google.com, March 7, 2008
www.bakosurtanal.go.id, March 7, 2008
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