OVERVIEW

The flood disasters throughout Indonesia earlier this year[1] raised a simple yet significant question: Why did they happen? A general perception is that the flooding was due to a lack of public awareness about preserving the environment, as well as unsophisticated waste management systems, and environmentally unfriendly infrastructure developments. Others contend that the causes also relate to the wet or monsoon season with heavy rainfall as the main cause leading to the inevitable floods.

A more fundamental down to earth explanation comes from a geology professor at Universitas Gadjah Mada, Totok Gunawan, who sees that the widespread flood disasters throughout Indonesia are caused by the absence of a sufficient regulatory framework on soil and water conservation. He believes that this it is this fundamental inadequacy that is leading to the mismanagement of soil and water resources and their conservation by the Government.[2]