Prediction of drought vulnerability and its mitigation measures in the Northern Coast of Java, Indonesia

Abstract

Climate change causes hydrometeorological disasters in Indonesia more frequently happen. One of them is drought. Drought reduces water availability and decreases agricultural production. It is necessary to select soil and water conservation techniques according to the level of vulnerability to mitigate losses. We researched Capluk Watershed which is often experiencing drought. The watershed is located on the Northern Coast of Java. The aims of this study were (1) to analyze the level of drought vulnerability and (2) to recommend drought mitigation measures. The drought vulnerability was analyzed spatially using a modification method proposed by Pramono and Savitri in 2019. The data used included rainfall, the number of dry months, actual annual evapotranspiration, geological formations, land systems, and distance to surface water sources. The analysis shows that 73% of the Capluk Watershed has a moderate vulnerability level to drought. The high level of vulnerability only exists in the upstream area, which is part of the karst landscape. We suggest that drought management focuses on the areas with moderate and high vulnerability levels. The community has been conducted water conservation by making ponds in the agricultural land and wells as water storage structures in the residential areas. In addition, we recommend several vegetative techniques such as planting annual crops with low evapotranspiration, and reforestation using Multi-purpose Tree Species (MPTS) or tree species with low evapotranspiration rates.