Urgent Need for Land Subsidence Education in Indonesia to Increase Community Awareness and Preparedness

Abstract

Natural hazards and disaster education are significant for building community resilience and preparedness necessary for mitigation and reconstruction measures. Natural hazard education in Indonesia has covered tiie topics of seisrmc-mduced, volcanic, and hydro-meteorological disasters extensively. However, there has been little to no mention of land subsidence yet. Land subsidence is the lowering of the ground surface due to the downward movement of the earth's surface. The process of land subsidence is so subtle that many do not realize that subsidence takes place until the impacts are widely visible and felt. Exposure to land subsidence is very high, where subsidence has occurred in 134 districts across 21 provinces in Indonesia, particularly in the coastal regions in North Java and East Sumatra. There is an urgent need for public education to build me community's capacity for effective mitigation. This paper aims to provide state-of-the-art knowledge on land subsidence hazard m Indonesia and propose a framework for land subsidence education. Land subsidence in Indonesia is potentially dnven by its natural condition and rapidly accelerated by anthropogenic mterventions. The structure for land subsidence learning material should cover formal and non-formal education and provide separate modules for each stage. Collaborations between researchers and educators are needed to ensure successful formulation and implementation of land subsidence.