Local Participatory Flood Hazard Mapping’s Assessment and Coping: A Conceptual Model of Sustainability in Downstream Area of Belu Regency in the Western Timor Island, East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia

This study applies interview, Focus Group Discussion (FGDs), Participatory Geographical Information Systems (pGIS), and a conceptual model of sustainability (CMS) using risk perception of local community to map flood hazard and assess the social and cultural copings to cope with river flooding in downstream areas i.e., Lasaen, Umatoos, and Fafoe villages of West Malaka Subdistrict of Belu Regency, Indonesia. The results of this study indicate that the rural-river flooding was inundated at all three villages. The cycle of flood is twenty-years per event (1939, 1959, 1975, 1999 through 2000), and from 2000 its occurrence was each year until 2012. Based on interviews and FGDs, the information of flood characteristics of Lasaen and Fafoe villages were similar, but Umatoos village was not. The single longevity of flood inundation was in Fafoe village (1 week-1 month). Whilst Lasaen and Umatoos villages were experiencing less duration of flood inundations (0-7 days to 14-21 days). Lasaen and Umatoos Villages were dealing with flood depth’s variation from the lowest depth (0-50cm) to its deepest (251-300cm). For CMS, the most invaluable coping that might be sustainable was cultural capital. Both social and cultural coping enhancements were implemented by local community. The minimum and lack of both these transformable sub-copings were still the problem in the discourse unit of sustainability. As each sub-coping would be overlapped if there has no sufficient distribution of it, utilized by the local community. The genuineness local knowledge of community in applying their social and cultural copings in sustainability is seen as a unique reference and a useful form of local wisdom which can be highlighted and adopted as an effective and/or example discourse analysis by the other rural villages in developing nations that are also still struggling and coping with flood disaster.


Introduction
Global statistics show that floods are the most frequently recorded destructive events, accounting for about thirty percent of the world's disasters each year where the frequency of floods is increasing faster than in any other type of disaster (Medscape, 2005). Flood has impacted social disruptions and many aspects of life and led to environmental problems. Andriyani et al., (2010) revealed that the floods represent the part of environmental problems of physical on the surface of earth resulting loss and can be interpreted a situation where irrigate river characteristics of flood disasters in terms of their discussion using the conceptual model of sustainability (CMS) was believed by key local stakeholders themselves in the three villages, that it can be truly a valuable reference, for adjustment processes and even to change the social and cultural environmental impacts of the flood in the near future. Thus, this CMS has a long-term effect which was developed based on mutual agreement between author and them and themselves in assessing their own risk perception about assessment and copings of social and cultural aspects and flood characteristics. It is noticeable, mitigation, preparation and further development of resilience or copings for the case of rural flood disasters in other regions of global south can also apply this CMS, which is not always relied on the systematically, technically and quantitatively measurements as most previous researcher did; however, as it has unlimited value which is dynamic by changes and adjustments in every people and their social and cultural environments at the ex-post flood disaster in particular. Many technical applications for measuring flood disaster management focused on the environment, economy, social and education, but the criteria are more generally systematic-mathematic-countable based on researchers' reviews, and less specifically on impractical work based on joint reviews (researchers and participants). Meanwhile, the socio-ecological and cultural ecology systems, in terms of the environment affected by floods, have obviously a very prominent role and status of social and cultural understanding and communication among society in understanding and revealing what and how sustainability could be. The concept of sustainability that the author applies in this study is understood as a center and reference for joint achievements between author and participants who can effectively and sufficiently be used as a new foundation, and a further study data for local communities living in the downstream area of the river for flood disaster in order to together strengthen the coping system of social and cultural in adjustment processes for dealing with the barriers of characteristic of flood disaster.
This study applies a conceptual model of sustainability (CMS) that includes social and cultural copings based on community perceptions, represented by key local stakeholders in the FGDs. The discussion on the assessment of this duo copings in understanding each flood characteristic was expressed by the community, with critical studies related to sustainability values that were understood from the perspective of sociology and culture, as well as psychology and few perspectives of religion. This approach advances current local flood hazard mapping practices and improves sustainability risk reduction strategies that consider the environmental impacts of flooding simultaneously. This approach is indeed conceptual but very effective in the long term, because the results of the discussion of social and cultural copings' assessments are considered jointly, integrated, binding, comprehensionable, and effectively increasing awareness, mitigation, and are also able influencing other types of coping such as economic coping and health coping towards solving rural flood disaster problems at other remote villages in Indonesia and/or other developing nations.

Research Site
The research site is located at three most affected villages of river flooding in the West Malaka Subdistrict of Belu Regency, Western Timor Island, East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia i.e., Lasaen, Umatoos and Fafoe. These three villages were impacted by the extreme flood for twenty return period and annual (each year) occurrences and were leading to loss and damage of the community's live and livelihood. Belu Regency is located at coordinates from 124° 35' until 126°12' East Longitude and from 8°57' until 9°49' South Latitude. It has strategic position due it's location at the junction of Timor Leste with the state of another of East Nusa Tenggara Province and at intersections between East Flores and North Central of Timor.
Geographically, Benanain River is the biggest river that is located in Timor Islands includes three Districts administration and one neighbor's country, the boundaries are: The topography of Belu is indicated by flat area to rolling Hills Mountains to the Rivers which flows to north and south and followed by the direction of Rivers' slope, flow from the south and empties into the Ombai Strait and Timor Ocean (Info NTT, 2011). The research site i.e., Lasaen, Umatoos, and Fafoe villages is presented in this Figure 1. Source: Author's own map

Allure or Stage of Assessment and Copings
The flow of assessment and copings of key local stakeholders, after interviews and FGDs, is the assessment and discussion of the CMS model (see Section 3.5, Figure 2 & Section 4.4). In the interview stage, the author was conducted a field-survey and fieldwork to map the hazard locations or points (twenty affected households or families) in each of the three villages (Lasaen, Umatoos and Fafoe). Meanwhile, at the FGD stage, the results of the distribution of affected households were well created and provided in a printed map, with the additional equipment i.e., printed hazard location map, for applying the delineation and for determining information about flood characteristics based on local knowledge of key local stakeholders. In these two stages, this study has two main objectives to present their results (see results and discussion sections), namely (1) to map the hazard map based on the Participatory Geographical Information Systems (pGIS); and (2) to present local people's information and understanding about flood characteristics through the delineated map based on risk perception. Furthermore, in the assessment and copings stages, the CMS model is used as a reference for the assessment of environmental units and flood hazards which describe the form and pattern connectivity and quality of social and cultural copings based on cross-discipline and scientific terms in the conceptual presentation of CMS. By using the qualitative descriptive analysis, the four sub-questions of CMS' assessment are presented on this study.

Survey and Interview
Survey and interview were carried out in different research schedules. A survey of the research location was conducted three months earlier (the initial stage of the field-research that was done in May 2012). Its aim to understand the characteristics of the geographical area and local community's social and cultural geography and to establish communication with key local stakeholders in each village for joint agreement and exposure of determining the type of sampling, the selection of the most prone villages to river flooding and preparing the flood hazard map of the selected prone villages, located at the most downstream area of the Benanain river. Meanwhile, interviews were started from 31 st July to 31 st August 2012 (one month) at the research location using the chosen sampling i.e., purposive sampling, and with a questionnaire was prepared in Indonesian Language. Both survey and interviews have involved local community and key local stakeholder's cooperation and coordination in making conclusion of which type of sampling is suitable and appropriate to be used for interview. We agreed to choose purposive sampling as it purposively relies on author's point of view after understanding the characteristic of the local community and their area, the local knowledge of community who's adhered their trust to their female tribalchief and key local stakeholders. The form of trust that local community implemented was among others; (1) to be their leader (representative) in representing them for deciding important outcomes of a meeting, discussion, interview, and other crucial decisions regarding their resilience and hazard management respectively; and (2) to be their leader and guide in ensuring the information from their everyday-practice-communication both in the formal and informal (social) meeting was comprehensive to be delivered and understood for others including external society. This research paid attention on the fact that, of which village has a longest duration and the deepest inundation of flood disaster, evidenced by the inundation's mark from each household's house was inundated by flood disaster and that was disturbing their social, economic, and cultural daily activities.

Focus Group Discussion (FGDs)
Focus Group Discussion (FGD) is an effective method was used in this study in gathering community's data about flood's knowledge of characteristics that they need to understand to face flood disaster in 2012. Kumar, et al., (2010) revealed that Focus Group Discussion's information were fed into the study. This FGDs may discover important information about sustainable social and cultural copings for flood disaster by collecting the key local stakeholders' decision support. FGDs with men and women beneficiaries from communities (Shah, 2012). FGDs as a research method can be adopted by the government in a wider scope since it costs low budget and relatively effective in digging information of the flood perception and coping strategies of the local people to support the flood hazard management in the city (Febrianty, 2010). The total of interviewees in the study area (i.e., Lasaen, Umatoos and Fafoe) is 60. Nevertheless, FGD in 3 villages were attended by different key local stakeholders. One village is taken from the head of the village (Rukun Tetangga or RT and Rukun Warga or RW) while the other is taken from the head of subvillage (dusun) or the leader of the community (Pamong adat) and the leader of Christian-Catholic religion in the study area. Prior to finalize the FGDs with key local stakeholders in the three villages, the GeoEye Satellite Image, 2012 was applied based on the village map that this research used in order to know the participants' local knowledge and understanding of the flood's characteristic (i.e., flood frequency, flood distribution or flood extent, water depth and flood duration). Key local stakeholders were asked to describe each elements of flood characteristic into three categorizations, they are low or quick, moderate/medium and deep or long. Their risk perception in determining the classification of each element of flood characteristics were varied to be found.

FGDs and pGIS for Flood Characteristics using Risk Perception
FGDs as a forum for key local stakeholders to gather and to counsel in the discussion (it is considerably thought as the way which help gain more collectively and mutually encouragement among each member during discussion and final decision making; result). FGD was carried out in Lasaen and Umatoos villages at outdoor (front yield of each village's leader house) while the discussion in Fafoe village was done at most flexible outdoor (sitting on the grass near to the leader of Fafoe village's agriculture land). The places of doing the FGDs were decided by each leader form these villages, as it was easier and more enjoyable to discuss about their risk perceptions of flood characteristics using pGIS. Meanwhile, the pGIS was used on the FGDs as a technical tool to express their risk perceptions which was derived from their own local knowledge in mapping the type or element of flood characteristics. Each discussion and result from FGDs and pGIS are presented in this section. Considering that this study area is a cultural, matrilineal, and sacred land, with a local leadership; a female tribal chief, then, risk perception in this study has its own definition for implementing the FGDs. Risk perception is defined by the community (represented by key local stakeholders during the FGDs) as the language of culture and local community's beliefs in expressing the facts and reasons about flooding and coping assessments that must rely on social and cultural aspects as the main strength or resilience in handling flood disaster. Thus, this definition of risk perception, which is discussed in this qualitative study, is therefore an appropriate conception to guide us in understanding the flow of the discussion and assessment of the entire study.

Conceptual Model of Sustainability (CMS)
This conceptual model is a practical model that embraces various roles inter-across-trans-disciplines, is conceptualized or interpreted in complex and specific descriptions of related terms from social and cultural copings in a unitary environment and social-practical geography but focuses on one final goal that is the benefits of this model could therefore be useful implemented and sustained by local communities who deal with natural disaster in the long run. It can provide local understanding and the extent to which the interrelationships of the hazards or disasters faced by communities do not reduce resilience efforts and actions despite of the multi-risks from internal and external aspects and do remain apply the copings either in the short-medium term or in the medium-long term. The assessment of social and cultural copings for flood disaster is conceptualized in the qualitative sub-questions of this study, they are (1) to what extent is the flood hazard mapping and its flood characteristics assessment could be understood by local communities in dealing with their ownership and implementation of social and cultural copings ?; (2) What and how could social and cultural copings be applied and enhanced by the quality of the daily adjustment process encountered and dealt by the community with the flood situation that occurs? (3) Could the application of this CMS strengthen the social and cultural copings of the local community in facing flood disaster in a long process or period of time?, and (4) Which type of copings could be considered as the main invaluable local copings of community in this discourse of sustainability?. These four sub-questions in this study use the risk perception of key local stakeholders in three flood-affected villages (Lasaen, Umatoos, and Fafoe) in order to understand and discuss the forms and patterns of diversity of collective action of copings in the specific concepts of risk management and resilience. This CMS is presented in this following Figure

Flood Frequency and Flood Distribution or Flood Extent based on the Interview and FGDs
The flood has began since 1939, and lasted every twenty years thereafter, until 1999-2000 (post-political disaster; Timor Leste and Indonesian civic war were occurred in this time). From 2000 flood was occurred every year until 2012 (See also Table 1, "Flood hazard mapping assessment (flood characteristics) and social and cultural copings" in page [16][17][18][19].

Flood Frequency
Flood frequency is defined as the return period of its occurrence. The return period is the time period over which it is likely that a particular magnitude flood will occur (Frazer, 2010). According to FGDs and interview of 60 affected people of flood disaster in Lasaen village, Umatoos village, and Fafoe village, river flooding has began since 1939, 1959, 1975, 1979, 2000 until 2012. (This research was conducted in July 2012 through August 2012; one-month fieldwork).

Flood Distribution or Flood Extent
Based on interview with 60 households and the FGDs' data with key local stakeholders, it was informed that all of sites at three villages i.e., Lasaen, Umatoos and Fafoe are inundated by river flooding though with different site's elevation. The flood distribution or flood extent is distributed over three villages which is shown in this following Figure

Flood Duration based on the Interview and FGDs at Lasaen, Umatoos and Fafoe villages
Flood risk perception on flood disaster situations which was assessed from the flood characteristics' point of view, was obtained through the interviews and FGDs, is therefore described in this section. Basically, the three villages Sikun). These three villages are nearby the Abudenok estuary which is located at Umatoos village, as we can see in Figure 3 above, the estuary is placed at the boundary between the Timor Ocean and the Benanain riverbank, and are at a point of incontinence due to damage and cessation of embankment and drainage (as a means of protecting the risk of flooding that will overflow through these three villages). Moreover, with the unavailability of the Indonesian local Government policies from local level (Belu Regency), regional level (Western Timor Island of the East Nusa Tenggara Province) and national level (central Government of Indonesia) seemed to let this situation get worse without the controlling and monitoring systems of anticipation, preparedness, mitigations and recovery of the flood hazards as well as the protection measures and their effectiveness in terms of infrastructure or physical resilience (broken embankment and drainage) and social and cultural copings. The problem of dysfunctional of embankment and drainage at these most affected villages causing the speed overflow of river flooding from the Benanain river in each seasonal flooding (raining period) every year, has been spreading its water over and across these three villages and leaving them at long duration of water inundations and making each households had to cope with, recover from, and utilizing or strengthening more their social and cultural coping systems from the short term, medium term and long term. The assessment of social and cultural copings in response to flood characteristics in this study is on the focus of this section's discussion.

Flood Duration based on Interview
Duration of flood inundation that impacted the household's house in Lasaen and Umatoos villages are similar, starting from ranges days of 0-7 days, 8-14 days and >15 days. Whereas flood duration in Fafoe village is very long with a minimum duration of 1 week and 1 month maximum. Duration of flood inundation in this village is longer than the other two villages (Lasaen and Umatoos) due to lack of drainage system that located at these three villages where the vulnerable point of river flooding in the south to western part of these three villages is Fafoe village. Thus, when the rainy season comes while there was no good drainage system that these three villages have, leaving the Fafoe village with more extra-social and cultural copings to manage the river flooding. The access of water in Fafoe village was leaking and cutting off where its water of flood first entered this village. Besides, moreover, it was also caused by the flow of the Benanain river that crosses Fafoe village which is in the western part of these three villages is then highly vulnerable to river flooding. In addition, the collapse of the embankment

Flood Depth based on Interview
Flood depth in three Lasaen, Umatoos, and Fafoe villages has been susceptible for each 60 households. The determination of the sustainability and effectiveness of farming (agriculture activities in social and cultural copings) was also determined by the depth of water inundation due to river flooding. Flood depth that has affected each household's house over three villages have the zone level, starting from the lowest depth of 0-50 centimeter (

CMS Based Local Participatory Flood Hazard Mapping's Assessment and Coping: Reflective and Discourse Analysis for Sustainability
As presented in Figure 2. CMS of Section 3.5, in the assessment and discussion of copings in a specific way, it thus can be described in these results or outcomes through various and cross-disciplines where the terms were expressed from the model, and that there are some subjective and objective specific series of assessment which are then considerably and properly examined on this study for each of this copings analysis. Each of four subquestions of this study (see Figure 2) is discussed on this section by providing its schematic integration and a concise assessment.
The four sub-questions of this research are: Question 1 (Q1): to what extent is the flood hazard mapping assessment (flood characteristics) could be understood by local communities in dealing with their ownership and implementation of social and cultural copings?
This research's definition of coping, social and cultural copings is presented: c) Adjustment is the coping process, the learning process, or the ability of individuals and communities that are patterned from the mechanisms of social and cultural forces; and its every single of implemented mechanism (social and culture) was truly understood, accommodated, regulated, controlled, and sustained by communities in overcoming the flood problem.
Q3: Could the application of this CMS strengthen the social and cultural copings of the local community in facing flood disaster in a long process or period of time?
(Qualitative descriptive analysis was utilized in revealing the answer of this third sub-question. Analysis on the long-term concept of both social and cultural copings using CMS is about the performance of its model could be of significant helpful the local community in understanding their own copings, which last in the short-medium period or medium-long period).
Q4: Which type of copings could be considered as the main invaluable local copings of community in this discourse of sustainability?
This research's definition of discourse sustainability and invaluable coping are presented: a). Discourse sustainability in this study's analysis is related to the cultural coping enhancement in which this definition is part of, but focuses in particular on the analysis of the ability of each individual and group to effectively implement or transform all discourse, historical values, civilization values, cultural wisdom and compliance or obedience, cultural rules, and cultural beliefs as the basis for local people's resilience to adapt to changes in ecosystems or natural hazards such as floods.
b). Invaluable coping is a combination of definitions between or refers to cultural coping and cultural coping enhancement which are on this analysis hereby so called as an environmental unit of coping-transformation (social-cultural copings) of each collective action and the cultural values and capabilities, and of cultural wisdom are contained and sustained in the local community resilience system to response to flood hazard.
The discussion and assessment in answering the questions: Answer 1 (A1): The local community's understanding about their social and cultural copings that they had and implemented in dealing with flood problems (flood hazard maps were mapped by them). This discussion and assessment are presented in this following Table 1, "Flood hazard mapping assessment (flood characteristics) and social and cultural copings".  1939,1959,1979,[1999][2000]    A3: The CMS could strengthen the social and cultural copings of the local community in facing flood disaster in a long process or period of time if the triangle of sub-CMS i.e., environmental policy, environmental communication, and social awareness from external society are implemented. This triangle of sub-CMS could effectively work in the medium through long term of sustainability copings. The specific interconnection between these three sub-conceptual models of CMS is presented in Figure 14 "The schematic of the understanding the interconnection copings from the triangle of sub-CMS (environmental policy, environmental communication, and social awareness)" and Table 3 "Discussion and assessment of this schematic" are presented below.  A4: The cultural coping could be therefore considered as the main invaluable local coping of community in this discourse of sustainability's analysis. This discourse of sustainability and the invaluable copings are described through the trans-relationship and connection and its discussion and assessment which can be seen in the following  Source: Author's own data, assessment, and analysis from the Interview and FGDs (fieldwork's result, 2012)

Summary
The flood frequency in the study area has similar time period that occurred in 1939, 1959, 1975, 1999 through 2000, and from 2000, its occurrence was happened each year until the present year, 2012. All sites in Lasaen, Umatoos, and Fafoe villages were inundated or flooded as the consequences of flood's risk that local community have to cope with, by utilizing their social and cultural copings. The flood characteristics i.e., flood frequency, flood extent and flood depth data were gathered through the interview and have shown that the information was similar with the FGD's result. The duration of flood inundation in Lasaen and Fafoe Villages based on FGD were also similar while Umatoos village was not. Flood inundation in Lasaen and Umatoos villages were starting from 0-7 days (minimum) until 14-21 days (maximum). Whereas, Fafoe village has to cope with longer days which was starting between 1 week and lasted at 1 month. According to interview from these three affected villages, the minimum longevity of flood duration was similar with the FGDs' data, while the exceed days of flood duration was different or taking longer days which was starting from 15 days and lasted at more than 21 days. For flood depth in Lasaen and Umatoos Villages through interview have the same zone depth's variation which was ranged from the lowest of water's depth that was from 0-50cm until the deepest of water that was 251-300cm. Local community's understanding (risk perception) about their own social in response to the current flood hazard mapping assessment that they mapped using pGIS through FGDs and the result of interviews have shown that the informations and assessment were about individual justice-social networking, social rebound and affirmation, social connection and partnership: collective stimuli actions and emotions (psychological resilience/adjustment). Whilst cultural coping has sub-copings such as actualisation of the cultural power from every individual-social's belief, change and development (behavior change; habits nurtured as actions and copings), leadership female tribal chief and key local stakeholders) and traditions for moral values (intangible), and faith intervention (religion resilience/adjustment). The understanding the interconnection copings from the triangle of sub-CMS between the environmental policy, environmental communication, and social awareness concluded that environmental communication and environmental policy which were still lacking. There were still challenges or barriers to be coped with in cultural resilience, which this was less sufficient (medium-long term). The challenges or barriers which were experienced by local community were the unimplemented of transformation copings between social and cultural in CMS. Transformation of copings should be strengthened through the inter-cross connections between social coping and cultural coping. However, the overlapping mechanism in utilizing each sub-CMS for social and cultural copings was still existed. The positive performance of the CMS's analysis showing that the partnership and cooperative work were established to bind each type of copings. The combination of using the mix-methods and approaches i.e., Interviews, FGDs, pGIS, and CMS with risk perception and qualitative descriptive analysis was able to answer the flood problems and reveal several critical issues in discourse of sustainability copings. CMS was quite appropriate and relevant conceptual model to discuss and assess social and cultural copings in detailed.