50 Prevention and handling efforts that people generally do when there are big disasters
that hit their area are working together to clean and tidy the environment. In addition, residents try to better protect, care, and preserve the existing environment to avoid
disaster.
While for non-coastal areas, where most people depend on agriculture, the social impact that happens is a change in working patterns by doing shift. In the past,
agricultural land management activities are carried out in turn and by helping each other. But today such patterns are no longer valid and have been replaced with
payment or reward system patterns to people who work the land. Although there are values that change, there are also values that have been kept up to this day, which is
the pattern of production transactions. When having short of money, the barter system between residents is still valid, although in limited amounts. Residents who
do not have cash but have items such as rice but do not have vegetables can barter their rice to neighbors who have vegetable. This barter occurs on the basis of mutual
needs.
Table 4.2: Disaster Impact on Residents’ Social Values in the Observed Villages in Semarang City,
No Description
Current condition 1
Social relations
kinship There is still mutual cooperation between large
numbers of village residents to complete a particular activity which is considered useful for
general interest
2 Work relationship
Working in shifts has been replaced with paymentwage
3 Transaction patterns of
production There is still barter system, although limited to
certain conditions 4
Crime Possibility of theft increases
The nature of kinship among residents is also reflected when the dry season arrives, where it is difficult to work on farms, many people go to cities to work as labors.
Information on jobs as labors is usually delivered by residents who are already working in that place. Generally they help other residents who struggle to get a job.
Disaster has the potential for negative impact towards public behavior. Based on the residents’ experience, they revealed that when disaster occurred there was an
increase in crime in their area. The act of crime that often happens is theft of valuables owned by residents. This may occur for several reasons. For example
during floods, residents evacuate to a safe place and leave the house unlocked, thus providing an opportunity for theft. This indicates that there is need for attention and
good cooperation between the village, RT and residents to remind each other and to be cautious when disaster strikes. Crimes such as theft also indicate that when
disaster strikes, the economic level of residents that is already low becomes worse. Surviving residents generally are residents who have other livelihood alternatives.
Meanwhile, residents who do not have livelihood alternatives, have great opportunities to conduct crimes
51
4.2.2 Economic impact
Every disaster has a potential for material or immaterial loss. Generally, the disaster impact towards economy is greater perceived by residents who work in agricultural
sector. Change of seasons causes the cropping patterns in agricultural sector. Extended dry season reduce the opportunity to increase planting intensity. Similarly
rob or floods causes damage to the business location and facility. Many fishponds are destroyed by the rob phenomena. For example, based on FGD results in
Mangunharjo Village, big flood that occurred in 1998 has washed away most of the fishpond lands. Many residents changed their livelihood to become rice field and
mangrove farmers which required much less investment than fishshrimp culture, or work as laborers. The change in the livelihood resulted in deterioration of residents’
economic condition and rapid decrease in residents’ income from the range of Rp. 100,000 - Rp. 300,000 to Rp. 25,000 - Rp. 30,000 per day. This statement is
supported by the results of investigation conducted by Bintari NGO regarding climate change impacts on agriculture and fisheries sectors in the City of Semarang.
The study found that production of freshwaterfishpond fisheries since 1997 until 2006 had a significant decline.
Table 4.3: Amount of FreshwaterFishpond Fisheries Production in 1997 and 2006 Ton
No Type Production
ton difference
million Rp difference
2006 1997 2006
1997 1
Milkfish 251.8 839.5 -587.7
2.079.850 2.938.351 -858.501
2
Belanak 9.3
52.6 -43.3
73.800 268.908
-195.108 3
Shrimp 166.7 1210.5 -1043.8
5.440.725 12.102.267 -666.1542 4
Other 29
262.9 -233.9
149.550 629.711
-480.161 Total
456.8 4.362.5 -3905.7 7.743.925 15.939.237 -8.195.312
Source: Bintari NGO, 2007 Residents who worked as farmers also experienced a similar effect. To get an idea
about the disaster and the loss suffered, an interview was conducted with a farmer who was fixing a damaged dike due to the overflowing water from the river. At the
time, his paddy was more than two months old. It was estimated that the plant could be harvested within approximately a month. According to him, the water came
suddenly and in abundance. With the help of three people, at the time he could not repair the dike. It happened quickly, in less then half an hour, his rice field was
already filled with water. The overflowing of the river was caused by rain for about two hours, which made the river filled with strong currents. The big picture of
financial losses experienced is as follows
“ ... for seed only it costs two hundred thousand, initial fertilizer is three hundred thousand,
tractor rental is three hundred, hoeing and harrowing, then smoothing the ground,
spraying, giving pesticides ... the point is the expense is big’ Azis, 53 years old, resident of Mangunharjo Village.
To get a bigger picture of disaster impact on economy, the data provided is: 1. Amount of loss based on main job, 2. Amount of loss based on sector, and 3 the
impact on prices of some commodities.
52
Amount of loss based on main job
Table 4.4 shows the magnitude of loss in residents’ main jobs due to disasters. Based on this data, the average loss suffered by residents of both coastal and non-coastal is
Rp 1,041,531. Based on area, the loss in non-coastal areas is larger, Rp. 1,699,583, than in coastal areas, Rp. 1,285,333, -.
Table 4.4: Amount of Loss in Main Jobs Due To Disaster in Semarang City
Region Losses Rp
Number of sample Average Rp
Non coastal
Lempong Sari 650.000
2 325.000
Rowosari 19.230.000
8 2.403.750
Tandang 515.000
2 257.500
Sub Total 20.395.000
12 1.699.583
Coastal
Kemijen 3.670.000
8 458.750
Mangun Harjo 19.280.000
15 1.285.333
Tanjung Mas 1.700.000
4 425.000
Trimulyo 5.990.000
10 599.000
Sub Total 30.640.000
37 828.108
Grand Total 51.035.000
49 1.041.531
Fishpond owners also feel the impact of disaster. In non-coastal areas, loss in fishpond business is the loss suffered by farmers who own fishponds. Based on Table
4.5, it can be seen that the average loss of each fishpond farmer in non-coastal areas is Rp 2,942,000, whereas the average loss of each fishpond farmer in coastal areas is
Rp. 2,252,600. Therefore loss suffered by fishpond farmers in non-coastal areas is larger than loss suffered by fishpond farmers in coastal areas. This is caused by a in
general the scale of business of residents who seek additional income as fish farmers is larger than the scale of business of residents who seek additional income as
fishpond farmers, b the number of residents who work as fish farmers is smaller than the number of residents who work as fishpond farmers.
Table 4.5: Amount of Loss in Fishpond Business Due To Disaster in Semarang City
Region Losses Rp
Number of sample Average Rp
Non coastal
Lempong Sari 6.100.000
8 762.500
Rowosari 35.000.000
2 17.500.000
Tandang 3.030.000
5 606.000
Sub Total 44.130.000
15 2.942.000
Coastal
Kemijen 21.045.000
5 4.209.000
Mangun Harjo 1.250.000
6 208.333
Tanjung Mas 1.153.000
4 288.250
Trimulyo 23.448.000
15 1.563.200
Sub Total 67.578.000
30 2.252.600
