Brackish water pond management strategies based on salinity and pyrite distribution in the Mahakam Delta, East Kalimantan

Abstract

Brackish water ponds in the Mahakam delta are located in the area that has acidic soil and is affected by the distribution of salinity. This study aims to analyze brackish water pond management strategies based on salinity and pyrite distribution. The location of this research was in the local farmers’ brackish water ponds in the Mahakam delta, East Kalimantan. Sampling collection was carried out on several brackish water ponds with different salinity, namely salinity of 0 – 10 ppt, 11 – 20 ppt, and 21 – 30 ppt. Each type of salinity was represented by 10 brackish water ponds. Samples were selected using a purposive sampling technique in which respondents consisted of farmers, academics, and the government. Data were analyzed using the Analytic Hierarchy Process and qualitative descriptive methods. The results indicated that the alternative pond management strategies employed in the Mahakam delta were brackish water pond management with salinity and pyrite management approaches (0.312), brackish water pond management with pyrite management approach (0.222), and brackish water pond biophysical management (0.155).