FLOOD PROBLEM IN PADANG CITY: THE EFFECTIVENESS SOLUTION

Padang is the most significant natural disaster in Padang City besides earthquake, storm surges, landslides and Tsunami from the perspective of population affected, frequency, area extent and disruption to socio-economic activities. Padang City and its surrounding alluvial lands still suffer from flood damage by frequent floodwaters. The main problems of flooding in Padang City are caused by regular river flooding and urban flash floods. Several engineering works have been implemented in the rivers, in and near Padang City aiming at mitigating the impacts of the floods. However, the city still faces problems with flooding during the rainy season. During the flood on December 25, 2007, three people died and thousands of houses were inundated. Flood problems in Padang City, present status of the ongoing management measures, their effectiveness and future in improvement of flood protection and urban drainage are described. Padang city has a history of vulnerability to floods. This situation will worsen due to changes in land use, impact of land subsidence and of climate change. Therefore an optimal urban drainage and flood protection will have to be developed, that is based on the present and expected future conditions and will be feasible from the economic point of view. Scenarios for efficient flood protection and urban drainage systems in Padang city will be presented.