Analysis of Land Suitability for Water Resources Infrastructure Development in Merauke Regency
Yohanes D. Aditya (a), Anjar D. Sakti (a), Ketut Wikantika (a), Agriarso W. Septiawan (b)

(a) Center of Remote Sensing (CRS), Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), Jalan Ganesha 10, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia
(b) Geospastial Analyst of Merauke Regency Government

Abstract

The availability of water in a region had an important role in the sustainability of the life of the people. According to Laws of the Republic of Indonesia number 7 of 2004 water resources management is needed to plan, and evaluate the implementation of water resources conservation, utilization of water resources that are needed by the community. Rawa Biru is a swamp located in Wasur National Park, Merauke Regency, used as the main water source by the government to fulfill the clean water needs of the people of Merauke. In 2003, the area of Rawa Biru^s potential water body was 881.17 square km with an actual water body area of 1.13 square km or 113 hectares. In 2006, it was noted that the actual area of swamp water bodies had shrunk to 95 hectares. Therefore, this study aims to determine the location of the latest water resources development to prepare if Rawa Biru can no longer be used in the future. This study uses several parameters, namely: rainfall and evapotranspiration to measure the location that has the most water reserves. Then, we use river network data, river flow accumulation, slope to determine the exact location of infrastructure development planning for water resources. The results show that these parameters are able to show the potential of water reserves and suitable locations for the construction of water resources conservation infrastructure for the benefit of the community. This research is expected to be a recommendation for policy makers to develop water resources infrastructure in the regions.

Keywords: Water Resources, Water Infrastructure, Rawa Biru, Merauke

Topic: Environmental Science, Technology, and Education