Attachments
By Aditi Singh, Ph.D.
Country Profile: Indonesia
The Republic of Indonesia, herein Indonesia, is the world’s largest archipelagic state, consisting of over 17,500 islands with over 81,000 kilometers (km) of coastline. The country’s islands are home to an extremely varied geography, topography, and climate, ranging from sea and coastal systems to peat swamps and montane forests. Geologically, positioned at the convergence of the Pacific, Eurasian, and Australian tectonic plates, Indonesia is one of the most dynamic tectonic regions worldwide. Morphologically, Indonesia consists of lowland (0–500 m), hilly land (500–1000 m), upland (1000–2000 m), and mountain (more than 2000 m). Indonesia has a population of over 273 million (2020), and at present, it is the world's fourth most populous nation.
Disaster Profile of Indonesia
Indonesia stands out as one of the most disaster-prone nations globally, facing frequent exposure to various hazards. The country's natural disaster risk index for events like tsunamis, floods, landslides, droughts, and forest fires is notably high compared to global standards. Consequently, positioned within such a dynamic geological zone and characterized by a dense population, Indonesia regularly experiences various geological disasters, resulting in significant loss of life, casualties, and socio-economic damage. Beyond the intricate geology, human activities have exacerbated communities' vulnerability to numerous hazards. Extensive urban development, often lacking proper planning and regulation, has heightened cities' susceptibility to natural calamities. The process of urbanization, driven by natural population growth and rural-to-urban migration, has expanded cities' exposure to such hazards. Newly arrived urban migrants and settlements frequently settle in vulnerable areas, including flood-prone regions and steep hillsides. Environmental degradation and deforestation stemming from poorly managed urban population growth, land scarcity, and commercial activities are major contributors to pluvial floods and landslides. According to the Indonesian National Agency for Disaster Management, Indonesia has been struck by 6,632 events of natural disasters (mainly geological disasters) within the period of 1997–2009, with a total death toll of 151,277 people. Moreover, the Indonesian Disaster Management Authority (BNPB) data indicates that the number of disaster events in Indonesia increased significantly from 2010 to 2019.
Landslides in Indonesia
Landslide is one of the most frequent disasters in Indonesia. According to BNPB (2020), the frequency of landslides in Indonesia has risen over the past decade, resulting in a wider distribution of disaster-affected areas. This trend is attributed to increased land use practices that are not environmentally friendly, coupled with heavy and prolonged rainfall and a rise in earthquake occurrences. Many areas prone to landslides are fertile lands with ample groundwater, which have been developed for settlements, agriculture, and infrastructure construction. Consequently, the relocation of settlements and infrastructure is challenging. Thus, several factors, including population density, infrastructure quality, economic status, and regional capacity, contributed to the level of landslide risk.
It is estimated that about 108.8 million people live in moderately to highly landslide-susceptible zones, out of which 15.2 million live in highly susceptible zones in 228 districts in Indonesia. Furthermore, the landslide hazard map of Indonesia as released by BNPB 2020 indicates the areas with a high risk to landslides are those in the western parts of Sumatera Island, along the Bukit Barisan mountain belt; the southern and central parts of Java Island, Bali, Nusa Tenggara, almost every part of Sulawesi Island, Maluku, the southern and central parts of Papua. In Indonesia, the collective population exposed to the risk of landslides amounts to 194 million individuals, with a potential financial loss estimated at USD 13 billion.
Despite the publication and availability of the Landslide hazard maps for geological disasters in the public domain and mitigation efforts, landslides are causing casualties. The prominent reasons are: (i) number of settlements and public activity in medium and high susceptibility areas are still growing, (ii) landslide susceptibility maps & EWS (early warning system) are not being optimally used a database for planning and regional development and (iii) early education in school concerning the geological hazard such as landslides as a part hazard management, has not been formally introduced in the school curriculum.
One of the recent landslide incidents in Indonesia's West Java on March 24, 2024, occurred after torrential rain poured over the area for about two hours. The landslide incident claimed one dead and nine missing, while 400 villagers had to flee to temporary shelters as dozens of houses were destroyed. The most prominent reason for the occurrence of this landslide is incessant rainfall. Nevertheless, the problem has been aggravated in some places by deforestation, with prolonged torrential rain causing flooding in some areas of the archipelago nation.