Dam construction in hazard-prone regions in Southeast Asia

Project Overview

We aim to quantify current and potential environmental impacts of dams on river basins in Southeast Asia, with a focus on Indonesia (Java and Sumatra), one of the most hazard-prone areas in the region. We aim to develop a database on hydropower dams, both existing and under construction, in both islands, through existing data bases, technical reports, literature reviews and key informant interviews with government personnel and non-governmental organizations. Next, we will derive a vulnerability index for river basins affected by dams using as a reference, the Dam Environmental Vulnerability Index (DEVI), which quantifies current and potential impacts of dams in river basins. Our final output is a regional assessment of fluvial basins vulnerability to dams for Sumatra and Java. We anticipate that our predictive assessment and recommendations could be a useful tool for decision makers, stakeholders and scientists to support and design sustainable plans to preserve, and mitigate dam development impacts, in Java and Sumatra. 

Funding Sources

• Earth Observatory of Singapore

Project Years

2019, 2020, 2021, 2022