Group photo at the research dissemination on Strengthening Flood Resilience Capabilities of Vulnerable Groups, Monday (5/8)

ITS Campus, ITS News — Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS), together with Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) collaborated to find solutions to deal with floods in Surabaya. The research of these three major universities also produced several other recommendations for the city of Surabaya.

ITS Vice-Rector for Research, Innovation, Cooperation, and Alumni Affairs Agus Muhamad Hatta ST MSi PhD hopes for further cooperation between the three major universities involved in this research. “Hopefully, it will not stop here. And hopefully the results of this research collaboration will benefit us all,” he said at Hotel Bumi, Surabaya, Monday (5/8).

Associate Professor from QUT, Dr Connie Susilawati, said this collaboration occurred due to the opportunity to submit a proposal for KONEKSI, a collaborative initiative program in the knowledge and innovation sector that supports partnerships between Australian and Indonesian organizations. This program allows research to be carried out, which is also an event for bilateral cooperation between Indonesia and Australia, with Surabaya as the research object.

Furthermore, the QUT Faculty of Business and Law School of Economics & Finance lecturer said this research collaboration has been carried out since August 7, 2023. This research aims to strengthen Surabaya City’s foundation in facing floods. In its implementation, sampling was carried out on six case studies from six different neighborhoods in Surabaya.

ITS Vice Rector for Research, Innovation, Cooperation and Alumni Affairs Agus Muhamad Hatta ST MSi PhD while disseminating research on Strengthening Resilience Capabilities to Flood Disasters in Vulnerable Groups, Monday (5/8)

Connie said the research consisted of seven phases focusing on strengthening community capacity, especially for vulnerable groups. These phases include literature review, licensing, pilot study, data collection, data processing, and dissemination. “From these seven phases, several results and recommendations for Surabaya City were created,” said Connie.

ITS Civil Engineering Department lecturer Dr. Farida Rachmawati ST MT said that one of the recommendations from this research is to develop flood information. Flood information includes general knowledge and specific details in dealing with it. This information is very important, especially for vulnerable communities, which are the focus of this research.

The development of flood information can also be supported by awareness training. The training is focused on preparing the community, especially vulnerable groups, for flooding. “With this training, the risk due to flooding can be reduced,” Farida explained.

(Left) Associate Professor Dr. Connie Susilawati with (right) ITS Civil Engineering Lecturer Dr. Farida Rachmawati ST MT when giving a speech at a research dissemination event at Bumi Hotel SurabayaIn addition to these two recommendations, the ITS Civil Engineering Construction Management Laboratory lecturer also said this research recommends the government’s role in supporting vulnerable groups during floods. This support can be enhanced by the involvement of vulnerable groups in the Surabaya City Government’s disaster resilience program and decision-making on flooding.

Several supporting data were obtained from this research to facilitate the implementation of these recommendations. For example, secondary data in the form of mapping of the duration, flood height, and demographic conditions of community vulnerability in the object of observation. The data obtained is expected to help the Surabaya City Government strengthen resilience to flooding.

The lecturer, who is a member of the Indonesian Project Management Experts Association (IAMPI), said that with this research, there is hope that the disseminated recommendations can be utilized as well as possible. This research is also expected to produce further research with outputs that can answer more advanced questions. (ITS Public Relations)

Reporter: Ahmad Farhan Alghifari
Translator: Lael Soebakir