Pre-disaster adaptation strategies for houses in landslide-prone residential area, case study of Giripurno Village, Borobudur Sub-District, Central Java, Indonesia

Abstract

The current adaptation strategies are emphasized based on expanding the community's preparedness. A few discuss increasing resilience by lowering the house's vulnerability. Therefore, we aimed to develop suitable adaptation strategies for houses in a landslide-prone settlement area. We conducted a household survey accompanied by descriptive and cross-tabulation analysis to understand the risk and vulnerability of the houses. We then constructed the adaptation strategies based on the vulnerability assessment of the element at risk. We also estimated the cost of implementing the adaptation strategy as an important finding in this study. The element at risk of landslide-prone settlement of Giripurno Village consists of two groups: houses buried by landslides and houses buried the other sites. Most houses buried by landslides belong to the least secure typology characterized by a low distance to the slope and high landslide deposits. Many houses buried the other sites belong to the most dangerous typology, indicated by their location in an unsafe zone and the absence of a retaining wall. The suitable adaptation strategies are shifting the house to avoid the danger zone, elevating the house to prevent landslide deposits to bury them and give a secure place to evacuate, retrofitting the house by closing the opening and coating the wall with wire mesh, and building a retaining wall. Adaptation strategy cost estimation becomes the key finding. The cost of landslide adaptation strategies through house alteration is lower than implementing agroforestry management. Thus, this adaptation measure can be considered a critical long-term adaptation against landslides.