East Kalimantan Environmentally Sustainable Development Strategy

103
The greatest economic risks from inland flooding is concentrated in Samarinda and
Balikpapan. The two cities contain half of the province’s population as well as much of the major
businesses and factories; thus, they have more at stake simply by having more assets. Urban areas
are also more vulnerable due to their higher population concentrations and fixed assets; these are
exacerbated by poor drainage systems. Rural communities, especially those located on floodprone
rivers, are more resilient to changing flood levels by building floating homes or houses on
stilts that can be adjusted.
Adaptive capacity of rural coastal plains is higher than urban areas
Rural communities that historically lived close to
the river developed techniques to adapt…
▪ River communities have for centuries managed
and adapted to changing flood levels by
building floating homes or houses on adjustable
stilts
▪ Farming activities and transportation might be
affected in the long term requiring populations
to relocate
Houses built on stilts along the Mahakam
SOURCE: Mr Nathan, Munich Re, Kaltim Post, literature search
DRAFT
Adaptive measures to inland flooding require both upstream and downstream initiatives.
Watersheds in the upstream areas of rivers play an important role in regulating rainfall in rivers.
Preserving these watersheds from logging or conversion to agricultural land or plantations will
mitigate any increase in inland flooding. A simple yet effective downstream measure is hiring staff
to clean garbage out of the storm and sewer system to allow for better drainage. Like in coastal
flooding, better disaster management including warnings and emergency shelter, is an important
tool for both cities’ to adapt to inland flooding.
PILOT PROJECTS
… while urban areas with higher population
concentrations and fixed assets struggle
▪ Flooding in urban areas has historically been a
key risk because of severe rains and a large
low-gradient river system
▪ Lack of drainage and poorly maintained and
cleaned sewage systems result in slow
drainage in urban areas
Flooding after rains in Samarinda, March 2010
Adaptation for coastal flooding in Balikpapan is a potential pilot project for East
Kalimantan. To implement the identified adaptation measures above, more in-depth analysis is
needed on the cost-benefits of each. Balikpapan is a large city with many highly valuable assets
and thus a good target for more analysis; coastal flooding is also a clear threat. The first step will
be to model the economic losses by creating granular spatial maps of Balikpapan’s residential
and industrial assets and overlapping these with various coastal flooding scenarios. The long list
of coastal flooding countermeasures would need to have their costs estimated and compared to
their ability to reduce the negative impact of the flooding. The prioritized initiatives will be included
Exhibit 72