Reimagining Ways of Living with Water: An Exploration of the Responses to Reoccurring Floods in the Mangkang Wetan Kampong in Semarang, Indonesia.

Abstract

Floods have been a frequent occurrence, especially in the global south. This thesis examines the realities of responding to floods from the perspectives of formal actors like governmental agencies and residents affected. It argues that there is a certain “disconnect” between these two, in which policies regarding flood management do not align with the lived experiences of residents. Consequently, certain policies have not been sufficient in mitigating the situation and vulnerability of marginalized groups are deepened further. The study suggests that solutions should be found that lie beyond traditional flood management paradigms that seek to control where water flows and in which exclusion is normalized. These solutions may be within the way residents experience floods and respond, also known as informal city making. These practices are exercised by oneself and in collaboration with other (often non- political) actors. Ultimately, this thesis is a call to reimagine flood occurrences, favoring an approach that makes us reconsider our relationship with water and argues for an ideology that seeks to live with water instead of against it. In that way, inclusive flood management could be realized. A case study of Mangkang Wetan, a neighborhood in Semarang, Indonesia, is taken. Data is derived in a qualitative manner, by conducting interviews both from various actors on a governmental, intermediary and residential level.