Mapping the environmental impacts from land subsidence hazard in Pekalongan City and its correlation with the subsurface condition

Abstract

Land subsidence in Pekalongan city has affected almost the entire municipality for at least ten years. Land subsidence has occurred in almost all Pekalongan city areas at 2-12 cm/year rates. The direct and indirect environmental impacts of land subsidence are enormous. We aim to map the environmental impacts of land subsidence in Pekalongan city and evaluate the severity of the impacts with the subsurface condition of the affected area. We employed site investigation using resistivity and CPTu soundings at representative sites to reveal the subsurface soils and site survey to map the environmental impacts. Resistivity measurements using a Schlumberger array were carried out at 24 sites, along with 12 CPTu measurements up to 30 m deep. Results show that the subsurface condition up to the depth of 30 m consists of alluvial sediment of clay, silt, and organic soils intercalated with lenses of sand. The alluvial sediment in the southern part is dominated by sandy soils and has a higher stiffness with cone resistance of 1-2 MPa and a friction ratio of 50-200 kPa. The subsurface soils in the northern part are dominated by clay, silt, and organic soils with low cone tip resistance of <0.5- 1 MPa, and friction ratio of <0.25-100 kPa. These values indicate that the sandy soils in the southern part are more compact and have higher bearing capacity than the soft, fine-grained soils in the northern area. The visible impacts of land subsidence include flood and inundation, settlement of buildings and roads, and cracks in houses and infrastructure. The severity of impacts worsens from South to North of the city. This condition is related to the subsurface stratification and engineering properties, where lower bearing capacity occurs in the north.