Toward Sustainable Flood Resilience: Assessing Efficacy of Paddy Field Dams to Reduce Floods in Jakarta

Abstract

Jakarta, a bustling Asian city, grapples with flooding issues due to urbanization, land subsidence, and climate changes. To tackle these challenges, an innovative solution is needed. This study assesses paddy field dam (PFD) to address these complex flood issues. PFD is the latest innovation of flood countermeasure from Japan, by applying the water storage concept on a paddy field to hold runoff before it flows into a river. We compared PFD to four other countermeasures such as embankment, river dredging, river widening, and long storage. A combination of rainfall runoff model and flood inundation model were employed to evaluate the impact of these countermeasures. Expected annual damage cost and benefit–cost ratio were used to assess economic feasibility metrics. The combination of land use change, land subsidence, sea level rises, and climate change was adopted to represent a future condition. This study found that the potential of PFD as flood prevention is very good. In the face of impending flood challenges and climate change impacts, the PFD emerges as a promising and economically viable solution, significantly contributing to Jakarta's sustainable flood management journey.