Climate Change Adaptation and Coping Mechanisms of Coastal Communities in Semarang, Indonesia

Urban coastal communities are at the frontline of climate change impacts. Sea-level rise is impacting their livelihoods and settlements. These communities are impacted by tidal and river floods, which can also be exacerbated by poor waste management practices that affect coastal areas. In Indonesia, these areas have benefited from different types of flood infrastructure, usually provided by local and national governments, which show different levels of technical adequacy, maintenance and success to prevent floods.

Our project examines the impacts of tidal and river floods in Semarang, a coastal city in Central Java, Indonesia, for the communities settled in these coastal areas. These communities are highly vulnerable due to their living and working location as well as their low-income levels. Their livelihoods, housing and neighbourhood infrastructure are affected by these floods. Water is at the centre of their lived experience. Communities are aware of the flood risks but have no other alternatives for living and working. Communities have developed adaptation and coping mechanisms to respond to these floods. These adaptation mechanisms are both reactive and proactive. In most cases, they are developed through grassroots actions, with no or very limited government support.

These mechanisms are influenced by gender, age, and abilities of the residents of these areas as the capacity to withstand to climate change varies within coastal communities. Our project uses qualitative methods (interviews and focus group discussions) to illustrate the lived experience of low-income coastal communities and their differentiated coping mechanisms through a GEDSI (Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion) lens.