Kapanewon Gedangsari is one of the areas in Gunungkidul Regency, Yogyakarta Province, which is prone to landslides. The condition of the area is hilly and at an altitude of 200-700 meters above sea level. The area is dominated by latosol soil types, volcanic parent rocks, and typhoon sediments. According to data from the Regional Disaster Management Agency Gunungkidul (BPBD), Gunungkidul Regency has experienced landslides 370 times in 2022, and Kapanewon Gedangsari is ranked first with the highest number of landslides.
The community service team of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences Universitas Indonesia collaborated with University of Gunung Kidul to carry out community service activities, which was the socialization of the Landslide Natural Disaster Potential Inventory in Kapanewon Gedangsari Regency, Gunungkidul. The community service team is chaired by Adi Wibowo, M.Sc., PhD. (UI) with members of Dra. Astrid Damayanti (UI), M.Si., Ir. Limpat Wibowo Aji, ST., MT.ñ (UGK), Sabilla Fitri Handayani, S.Si. (UI), Maulana Eighner Daffa Jalatama (UI), Ezia Purnama Putri (UI).
According to Adi, this activity was carried out by observing the physical condition of the environment and supported by landslide data from BPBD from 2013 to 2023. This process was conducted to formulate the problems that occurred in Kapanewon Gedangsari, both physical and social conditions. “Then, proceed with making a map of the variables to show disaster-prone areas and community ability in dealing with landslides,” said Adi.
Then, the results were presented to the Kapanewon Gedangsari community leaders and agencies to determine actions to help the community handle landslides. The community service team focuses on anticipating and adapting the community to natural disasters, especially landslides. “We emphasize the importance of understanding living conditions and adaptation strategies as proactive steps in dealing with natural disasters,” he said.
Even though the people of Gedangsari District have experience dealing with landslides, he still needs to review government policies and early warning systems to increase disaster capacity in the area. According to Dra. Astrid Damayanti, M.Sc., as one of the disaster mitigation efforts by local governments, village potential books about disasters are needed. This was conveyed in response to input from discussions with stakeholders, including recommendations for pre-during-after-disaster mapping and the authority of each disaster management model.
Based on the research results, all villages in Gedangsari District have implemented all types of adaptation strategies with different percentages of strategy use. “Villages that are superior in dealing with landslides use strong economic and social strategies, such as Serut Village and Hargomulyo Village,” said Astrid.
Thus, he continued, group activities really help individuals have more strategies in dealing with landslides and not just rely on themselves. In Kapanewon Gedangsari, the village community’s level of ability is quite diverse. Some villages are classified as resilient to disasters: Serut Village, Hargomulyo Village, and Ngalang Village. It is influenced by people who are more sensitive to environmental safety and their quick response.
Activities carried out in the Prof. Koesnadi Hardjosumantri Hall, Gunung Kidul University Campus, were attended by 45 participants such as community leaders in Kapanewon Gedangsari and representatives from agencies related to the Landslide Disaster Potential Inventory.
This activity is also a continuation and development of one of UI Research Grant activities for the 2023-2024 Fiscal Year, “Spatial Study of Landslide Risk in Kapanewon Gedangsari, Gunungkidul Regency, Yogyakarta.” It is also a continuation of UI Field-Work-Studies 2, which was previously held in Gunungkidul in May 2022.
