resources management” (IWRM), which was
supposed to manage water more holistically (von
Hofwegen and Jaspers 1999; Biswas 2004).
The IWRM concept addresses all related
resources connected in the hydrological cycle
(i.e., water, land, and geology). The IWRM thus
contributes to the objectives of the sustainable
development goals (SDGs) (United Nations
2015). Therefore, this study highlights SDG #6
(ensure availability and sustainable management
of water and sanitation for all), which is essential,
especially during a disaster; SDG #15 (protect,
restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial
ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat
desertification, and reverse land degradation and
biodiversity loss), which applies also to volcanic
river basins; and SDG #11 (make cities and
human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and
sustainable), as the case study is located in a
highly populated urban setting.
The IWRM concept uses the river basin as the
unit of management (Graefe 2011; Burton 1995).
However, when the Indonesian policy adopted
the IWRM, it used river basin territory (WS) as
the unit of management (Government of
Indonesia, Inter-Agency Task Force on Water
Sector Policy Reform 1999). The WS may consist of several catchments in one management
unit. It is a variation of the river basin concept,
used to acknowledge the existence of catchments, and also to recognize the earlier unit of
management in water projects, such as dam
projects, irrigation areas, and river projects. This
change was the result of the reformation of the
water sector by the World Bank in 2000 following the Indonesian financial crises in 1997–
1999 and was conducted through the Water
Sector Adjustment Loan (WATSAL). However,
the implementation of the Indonesian IWRM
approach for this case study is complicated by
the volcanic river basin context. Thus, a definition of a volcanic river basin was developed as a
water catchment with the geo-morphological
condition (Graefe 2011; Burton 1995) of an
active volcano as its origin and its termination at
sea. Within this context, the lahar, as a hybrid
product of volcanic materials and rainwater (De
Bélizal et al. 2013; Pierson and Scott 1985), can
be considered one type of interrelation in
managing water resources and the volcano in this
river basin.
This research investigates the water resource
management using a cultural ecological knowledge (CEK) lens focusing on the volcanic river
basin setting. This CEK lens is derived from
earlier research on traditional ecological knowledge (Berkes et al. 2000) and indigenous technical knowledge (Howes and Chambers 1980;
Agrawal 1995). The working definition of CEK
can be summarized as the collective body of
knowledge and beliefs passed through generations, which explain the human-nature relationships. Since CEK usage is not considered in the
current Indonesian water policy, studying its
impact on resources management should be relevant to both policymakers and academicians.
There have been various studies addressing
the cultural vulnerability of communities in the
Mt. Merapi area, Yogyakarta, Indonesia (Donovan et al. 2012), including the perception of local
knowledge on volcanic eruption (Dove 2007;
Schlehe 1996), historical findings of temples by
the rivers buried under centuries of lahar material
(Degroot 2009), and geological relevance of the
philosophical axis, an imaginary axis connecting
the volcano and the sea, which explains the
geological activities´ interplay between the volcanic eruptions and tectonic earthquakes (Troll
et al. 2015). In addition, research on other volcanic regions in the world has revealed that
culture holds an important role in community
resiliency (Cashman and Cronin 2008; Chester
2005; Paton et al. 2008). However, there is little
research addressing the interrelations among
water, lahar, volcano, and local cultural settings.
The IWRM approach also seldom explicitly
addresses the conjunctions between social conditions, culture, and water resources (Nikolakis
et al. 2015; Ross and Pickering 2002).
The first aim of this study was to identify the
CEK elements in water resource management in
a volcanic river basin, using the case of the Opak
sub-basin. Secondly, it aimed to explain the
formulation process of CEK, as it is important to
know, which knowledge persists through the
long process and why. This formulation process
186
V. Ariyanti et al.
supposed to manage water more holistically (von
Hofwegen and Jaspers 1999; Biswas 2004).
The IWRM concept addresses all related
resources connected in the hydrological cycle
(i.e., water, land, and geology). The IWRM thus
contributes to the objectives of the sustainable
development goals (SDGs) (United Nations
2015). Therefore, this study highlights SDG #6
(ensure availability and sustainable management
of water and sanitation for all), which is essential,
especially during a disaster; SDG #15 (protect,
restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial
ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat
desertification, and reverse land degradation and
biodiversity loss), which applies also to volcanic
river basins; and SDG #11 (make cities and
human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and
sustainable), as the case study is located in a
highly populated urban setting.
The IWRM concept uses the river basin as the
unit of management (Graefe 2011; Burton 1995).
However, when the Indonesian policy adopted
the IWRM, it used river basin territory (WS) as
the unit of management (Government of
Indonesia, Inter-Agency Task Force on Water
Sector Policy Reform 1999). The WS may consist of several catchments in one management
unit. It is a variation of the river basin concept,
used to acknowledge the existence of catchments, and also to recognize the earlier unit of
management in water projects, such as dam
projects, irrigation areas, and river projects. This
change was the result of the reformation of the
water sector by the World Bank in 2000 following the Indonesian financial crises in 1997–
1999 and was conducted through the Water
Sector Adjustment Loan (WATSAL). However,
the implementation of the Indonesian IWRM
approach for this case study is complicated by
the volcanic river basin context. Thus, a definition of a volcanic river basin was developed as a
water catchment with the geo-morphological
condition (Graefe 2011; Burton 1995) of an
active volcano as its origin and its termination at
sea. Within this context, the lahar, as a hybrid
product of volcanic materials and rainwater (De
Bélizal et al. 2013; Pierson and Scott 1985), can
be considered one type of interrelation in
managing water resources and the volcano in this
river basin.
This research investigates the water resource
management using a cultural ecological knowledge (CEK) lens focusing on the volcanic river
basin setting. This CEK lens is derived from
earlier research on traditional ecological knowledge (Berkes et al. 2000) and indigenous technical knowledge (Howes and Chambers 1980;
Agrawal 1995). The working definition of CEK
can be summarized as the collective body of
knowledge and beliefs passed through generations, which explain the human-nature relationships. Since CEK usage is not considered in the
current Indonesian water policy, studying its
impact on resources management should be relevant to both policymakers and academicians.
There have been various studies addressing
the cultural vulnerability of communities in the
Mt. Merapi area, Yogyakarta, Indonesia (Donovan et al. 2012), including the perception of local
knowledge on volcanic eruption (Dove 2007;
Schlehe 1996), historical findings of temples by
the rivers buried under centuries of lahar material
(Degroot 2009), and geological relevance of the
philosophical axis, an imaginary axis connecting
the volcano and the sea, which explains the
geological activities´ interplay between the volcanic eruptions and tectonic earthquakes (Troll
et al. 2015). In addition, research on other volcanic regions in the world has revealed that
culture holds an important role in community
resiliency (Cashman and Cronin 2008; Chester
2005; Paton et al. 2008). However, there is little
research addressing the interrelations among
water, lahar, volcano, and local cultural settings.
The IWRM approach also seldom explicitly
addresses the conjunctions between social conditions, culture, and water resources (Nikolakis
et al. 2015; Ross and Pickering 2002).
The first aim of this study was to identify the
CEK elements in water resource management in
a volcanic river basin, using the case of the Opak
sub-basin. Secondly, it aimed to explain the
formulation process of CEK, as it is important to
know, which knowledge persists through the
long process and why. This formulation process
186
V. Ariyanti et al.