Strategic for Mitigating Urban Disasters on the Northern Coast of Banda Aceh City, Indonesia

Abstract

Many cities in Indonesia are situated in hazard-prone areas—along coasts or on floodplains, on top of or near seismic faults, in the shadow of volcanoes, and in areas prone to tropical cyclones and extreme storms, including tsunamis. The northern coastal area of ​​Banda Aceh city is currently still vulnerable to natural disasters that endanger settlements there, such as tidal waves, coastal abrasion, strong winds, and tsunamis. Alue Naga village is a representative of this phenomenon: The village remains arid without optimal greening even after reconstruction efforts following the tsunami on December 26, 2004, and even though Banda Aceh city Spatial Planning documents designated Alue Naga village as a protected area for developing natural tourism. Therefore, it is important to conduct studies aimed at mitigating the impacts of natural disasters on such settlements as Alue Naga. By referring to settlement standards based on disaster mitigation, research studies were carried out of current land use including canopy cover, current community livelihoods, and efforts to balance coastal forestation protection needs with support for farmers’ aquaculture in reducing the risk of natural disasters. The results showed that coastal and river boundaries in the study area were not optimally protected with either soft or hard mitigation techniques, and the housing infrastructure provided for disaster mitigation was also not optimal. There is still low canopy density in the study area, and it is recommended that layered canopies be planted at the coastal areas to break the tidal waves, buffer backflow, prevent coastal abrasion, and support silvofishery in the pond areas. A sustainable coastal city management considering the disaster risk should, therefore, be incorporated within the decision making for the protection of the coastal city area.