Flood defense in Bekasi City, Indonesia

Abstract

Bekasi is a development city near Jakarta and is the capital city of Indonesia. The total population of Bekasi has reached 1.8 million (2003) with a population density of about 8.595 people per square kilometer and an area of about 21.049 ha. The growing population and business activities have caused a tremendous conversion of agricultural land for houses, offices industrial parks, etc. This changing land use is increasing the run-off coefficient, which in turn is causing floods in the rainy seasons. To manage and reduce the flood risks, planners and decision makers are in need of accurate information on the spatial distribution, magnitude and depth of flooding, and on the land use affected by it. Integration between hydrologic modeling and a Geographic Information System (GIS) has exhibited advantages for flood defense. This technology allows storage of the information and improves information accessibility. In terms of flood defense, GIS provides a contribution for data display, storage and retrieval, site selection, impact assessment, and modeling. © 2008 WIT Press.