[THEMATIC REPORT]

FLOODS IN THE CITY OF SEMARANG ARE A RESULT OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND CHANGES IN CITY SPATIAL PLANNING

Reported by: Amama Ira Amalia Priyono

The current problem of flooding in Semarang is not only due to prolonged extreme weather, but also policies on spatial planning patterns and climate change. The problem of spatial patterns occurs in the city center, the ability of the city to absorb water is decreasing day by day because the capacity of the drainage channels in the city is exceeded. Which is caused by various problems such as clogged drains, small in size to the number of puddles in the water channel causing the city to be unable to accommodate water when it rains

The downstream problem in the city of Semarang is not better than the upstream and the city center, in fact it can be said that it is more severe because the conversion of coastal functions has an effect on land subsidence, causing tidal flooding. As a result, there was an accumulation of ecological disasters in the form of a combination of floods from upstream and flooding due to tides (rob). Apart from causing floods and landslides, spatial changes also have an effect on global warming and climate change. Due to the large number of land use changes from agrarian / forest areas, the function of forests is reduced in stabilizing the climate and global warming.

In recent years, a number of flood and tidal control projects in the city of Semarang have been pushed forward. These projects include the normalization of the East Canal, The Sringin River System and the Tenggang River System, accompanied by the construction of pump houses. Floods and robs in Semarang have tended to decrease in the last two years. However, once hit by the extreme weather, the systems were defenseless too.

The government needs to re-guess urban spatial planning policies to address the possibility of prolonged extreme weather and possible climate changes. It can be ascertained that the floods that hit the city of Semarang at this time have a bad impact on economic activities which have become obstructed and the mobility of the people of Semarang City is looking for them. The government needs to prepare a plan and draft budget for the funds that must be spent in response to this. The amount of funds spent will not be small, because there are many influencing factors that must be revitalized, but in the future, this is an investment to prevent floods from hitting Semarang City. The government's efforts to revitalize this must also be supported by community behavior. Taking part in protecting the environment is one form of appreciation and support from government steps.