Condition of Poverty in Koto Panjang Resettlement Villages of West Sumatra: An Analysis Using Survey Data of Families Receiving Cash Compensation

Abstract

The Koto Panjang Dam project has risked the lives of 4886 families from 10 villages of Riau and West Sumatra Provinces, Indonesia. The most serious risk is that affected families have to accept relocation of the entire village. The resettlement programme had planned the development of private housing and public facilities for affected families. The programme had also planned rubber plantations to reconstruct livelihoods and compensate families for all kinds of property demolished due to dam construction. The process of relocation commenced in 1993 and ceased in 1997 when the inundation of the dam began. Since the Koto Panjang Dam construction project has involved involuntary resettlement, it is necessary for the project to benefit affected families. Some villages in Riau Province are understood to have experienced livelihood improvement. In contrast, the resettlement villages in West Sumatra Province, Tanjung Balik and Tanjung Pauh, are considered to be under risk of impoverishment. More than 60% of families in West Sumatra's Koto Panjang resettlement villages have suffered a worsened livelihood condition. This paper reports on the condition of poor families in the Koto Panjang resettlement villages of West Sumatra.