Journal of Environmental Treatment Techniques 2020, Volume 8, Issue 3, Pages: xxx-xxx

J. Environ. Treat. Tech.

ISSN: 2309-1185
Journal web link: http://www.jett.dormaj.com

Mitigation of Environmental Degradation in

Merapi Volcano Disaster-Prone Area: A Case
Study of Klaten District
Widodo Brontowiyono* 1
, Lupiyanto R.2, J. Hamidin 3, Julianto E. A3, Widyastuti A3,
Harmawan F.3 and Supriyo 4
1
Department of Environmental Engineering, Universitas Islam Indonesia (UII), Yogyakarta, Indonesia
2
Center for Environmental Study, Universitas Islam Indonesia, Yogyakarta
3
Karunia Sejahtera, Yogyakarta, INDONESIA
4
Dept. of Agrotechnology, University of Pembangunan Nasional “Veteran” Yogyakarta Doctor Candidate, Faculty of Economy, UII

Received: 06/01/2020 Accepted: 13/04/2020 Published: 20/09/2020

Abstract
Eruptions of Mount Merapi have provided economic benefits, including increased soil fertility and abundant sand and stone. As
time goes by, mining has been spreading to yards, getting uncontrolled and disregarding rules as well as good management. As a
result, environmental degradation, particularly land criticality, is highly likely to occur. This study was conducted to identify the levels
of land criticality in the slope of Merapi. The output was recommendations for land rehabilitation to achieve sustainable development.
The results showed that the study area with highly critical land reached an extent of 696.43 Ha or 4.48%. Critical, medium, and
potentially critical lands covered an area of 133.02 Ha or 0.85%, 80.35 Ha or 0.52 %, and 527.17 Ha, respectively. Meanwhile,
uncritical land had the largest extent, reaching 14.123 Ha. Recommendations for critical lands include vegetation and civil
engineering methods.

Keywords: mitigation, environmental degradation, critical land, Merapi Volcano

1 Introduction1 population of spatial soil information systems by the use of field

Indonesia is an archipelago with 129 active volcanoes and
approximately 500 non-active volcanoes [1]. One of the most
active volcanoes in Indonesia is Merapi Volcano. Its latest
eruption in 2010 released around 100 million cubic meters of
volcanic materials [2]. Eruptions of Merapi pose disaster risks
and impacts while at the same time providing considerable
economic benefits. The positive impacts of Merapi post-eruption
include increasing soil fertility and an abundance of sand and
stone materials. The area around Merapi Volcano is a fertile
region for agriculture. A study by [3] showed that the carrying
capacity of agricultural land in disaster-prone area III of Merapi
Volcano is extremely high. Another business activity developing
in the region is sand and stone mining.
With the course of time, sand and stone in the river become
less available, making miners expand their activity to house
yards. Mining activities become uncontrollable without
regulations or good management. Consequently, the area is
prone to environmental degradation in the form of critical land
that makes a negative impact on fertile agricultural land.
Based on the abovementioned empirical conditions, this
study is relevant to identify the criticality levels of Merapi slope
regions. As the research output, land rehabilitation is
recommended to achieve sustainable development. Identified
critical level and rehabilitation recommendation of land used
Digital Soil Mapping (DSP) defined as “the creation and
1
Corresponding author: Widodo Brontowiyono, Department
of Environmental Engineering, Universitas Islam Indonesia
(UII), Yogyakarta, Indonesia. E-mail: widodo.bronto@uii.ac.id,
lupy.algiri@gmail.com, pt.karuniakons@gmail.com.
and laboratory observational methods coupled with spatial and
non-spatial soil inference systems” [4]. This study aims to map
and identify the distribution and extent of critical lands and to
provide mitigation and recommendation for land rehabilitation
in the scope of regional development according to the criticality
map
2 Material and methods
2.1 Data collection methods
Data was gathered using two methods, including: (1)
Secondary Data Collection: Secondary data was obtained from a
range of previous research, studies, and reports as well as from
the reports of related agencies and existing regional regulations.
Such method involved a literature study and institutional
research; (2) Primary Data Collection: Primary data was
collected through field observation and interview. The results
consisted of documents, interview transcripts, and location
plotting from GPS.
2.2 Data Analysis Methods
The analysis methods to determine the criticality levels,
distribution, and land area referred to the regulation from the
Directorate General of Watershed Management and Social
Forestry of the Ministry of Forestry No. P.4/V-SET/2013
concerning Technical Guidelines for Preparing Critical Land
Spatial Data. Classification of critical lands is based on the total
score of critical land parameters shown in Table 1.

1
 Table 1: Classification of Critical Lands Based on the Total tons (MT) while the present production is 600 MT and an
Score additional 200 MT still needs to be produced by increasing
Total Score in productivity per hectare to meet the future requirements [7].
Protected Criticality Suitable rice based cropping has to be evaluated to assess the
Reserved Cultivation stability in production [8].
Area outside Level
Forest Area Area The definition of critical land varies between one institution
the Forest
Highly and another due to different perspectives of each user. From the
120-180 115-200 110-200 perspective of agriculture, critical land is associated with
critical
181-270 201-275 201-275 Critical production whereas the perspective of forestry correlates critical
Rather land to its function as a medium for water management, forest
271-360 276-350 276-350 production, and protection from flood and/or downstream
Critical
Potentially sedimentation [9].
361-450 351-425 351-425 Land degradation is defined as the process of temporary as
Critical
451-500 426-500 426-500 Uncritical well as permanent decrease in land productivity characterized by
decreasing physical, chemical, and biological properties. Critical
The following criteria show criticality levels in agricultural land is one of the forms of land degradation [10]. In general,
land based on the research area (Table 2). Analysis of critical land is among the indicators of environmental
recommendations for land rehabilitation referred to the degradation as an impact of different types of imprudent land use
Government Regulation No. 76 Year 2008 concerning Forest [11]. The main characteristics of critical land include barrenness,
Reclamation and Rehabilitation as well as Regulation of aridity, rocks emanating on the ground, and areas generally
Forestry Minister of the Republic of Indonesia No. located in hilly or steep sloping topography [12, 13]. Low
P.32/MENHUT-II/2009 concerning Guidelines for Preparing productivity is characterized by high acidity, low nutrient content
Technical Plan of Land and Forest Rehabilitation in Watershed (P, K, Ca, and Mg), low cation exchange capacity, base
Area (RTk RHL-DAS). saturation, and organic content as well as high levels of Al and
Mn that can poison plants and are sensitive to erosion. In
3 Literature Review addition, critical land is also generally characterized by reed
Critical land is defined as land with changes in its use and vegetation with a relatively low soil pH of 4.8 to 5.2 due to high
ability that eventually endanger the hydrological function, hydro- intensity of soil washing and large quantity of rhizomes that
orological function, agricultural production, settlements, socio- become mechanical barriers in plant cultivation [14].
economic life, and environment [5]. Critical land is currently According to United Nations University Institute of
unproductive land or soil due to land use and management that Advanced Studies [15], degradation of natural resources reduces
does not consider the requirements of soil and water the productivity. [16] emphasized the development of high
conservation, leading to damage, loss or reduced function to yielding crop varieties with little attention given to the ecology
predetermined or expected limits [6]. on which the plant survival. He suggested that crop yields in
Critical land has to be controlled due to increasing food Africa could be tripled through proper management of the soil
demand. According to Food and Agriculture Organization environment.
(FAO), the global rice requirements in 2025 will be 800 million

Table 2: Criteria of Criticality in Agricultural Land

N Criteria (%
Class Percentage/Description Score Note
o. weight)

5
1. Extremely High >80%
2. High 60-80% Assessed based on the ratio to optimum
Productivity *) 4
1 3. Medium 41-60% general commodity production in a
(30) 3
4. Low 21-40% traditional management
2
5. Extremely Low <20%
1
5
1. Leveled <8%
4
2. Sloping 8-15%
3
2 Slope (20) 3. Medium Steep 16-25%
4. Steep 26-40%
2
5. Extremely Steep >40%
1
1. Light 0-I 5
2. Medium II 4
3 Erosion (20) Calculated using USLE formula
3. Intense III 3
4. Severe IV 2
-Application of soil 5
conservation technology
Complete and in
1. Good
Management accordance with technical
4 2. Average
(30) guidelines
3. Poor
- Incomplete or 3
unmaintained
- Not available 1
Journal of Environmental Treatment Techniques 2020, Volume 8, Issue 3, Pages: xxx-xxx

[17] also reported that long-term fertilization effects on crop

yield and soil fertility changes. Studies showed that rice
productivity was strongly influenced by soil texture, nutrient
concentration and organic matter [18] . Paddy soils are naturally
heterogeneous. Complex interrelationships existing between
physical, chemical and biological soil properties have long been
recognized. Their responses along with management-induced soil
changes, like tillage, liming and fertilizer amendments result in
soil variation within cropped fields [19,20,21], and thus, as a
surrogate measure of more costly soil chemical and physical
measurements that directly affect plant growth and yield [22].

4 Analysis and results

According to the spatial planning of Klaten District, the
research area is intended for farming. Therefore, the
identification of critical land refers to the guidelines for
agricultural land in the Regulation of the Minister of Forestry
No. P.32/Menhut-II/2009. Factors that determine the criticality
include land cover, gradient of slope, erosion, and productivity.

4.1 Land Cover

Land cover was obtained from land use analysis based on the
Landsat Imagery dated 8 August 2018. Figure 1 shows the
spatial display of land use in the study area.

Figure 2: Map of Slope Gradient of the Research Area

4.3 Erosion Hazard Level

Erosion Hazard Level is normally calculated by comparing
the erosion level of a land unit with its effective soil depth. In
this case, erosion level was calculated by assessing average
annual soil loss due to sheet erosion and rill erosion using
Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) formula (Figure 3).

4.4 Productivity
Productivity was assessed based on the ratio to optimum
general commodity production in a traditional management. The
dominant commodities consisted of rice, corn, chili, and durian.
Data was obtained through in-depth interviews with PPL
(Agriculture Extension Agent), and the analysis result is
presented in the following map (Figure 4).

4.5 Land Criticality Level

Figure 1: Map of Land Use in the Research Area
4.2. Gradient of Slope
Spatial data of slope gradient was prepared by processing the
map of area elevations (DEM) obtained from the National
Geospatial Information Agency. The following Figure 2 shows
the elevation map of the research area.
Using the four factor maps, overlay was performed to
determine land criticality. As previously described, criticality
criteria referred to agricultural production area, and the results
are as follows. The research area with highly critical lands
reached an extent of 696.43 Ha or 4.48% of the total research
area. The distribution included 24 villages in 3 sub-districts
(Kemalang, Karangnongko, and Jatinom). Critical lands had
133.02 Ha area or 0.85% of the total research area with the
distribution in 7 villages of Kemalang Sub-district. Meanwhile,
80.35 Ha or 0.52% of the total research area had rather critical
lands distributed in 23 villages of all sub-districts (Kemalang,
Karangnongko, Manisrenggo, and Jatinom). Land with potential
criticality reached 527.17 Ha or 3.39% of the total research area
that covered 7 villages in 2 sub-districts (Kemalang and
Karangnongko). Finally, the uncritical lands had the largest
extent, reaching 14.123 Ha or 90.77% of the total research area

3
covering 61 villages in all sub-districts. The spatial map is
presented in Figure 5.
Figure 3: Map of Soil Erosion in the Research Area
Figure 4: Map of Productivity in the Research Area
4.6 Recommendation for Land Rehabilitation
It is recommended that the aforementioned critical lands be
given rehabilitation through vegetation and civil engineering. In
general, the choice of vegetation is expected to originate from
the existing in-situ vegetation while civil engineering general
recommendations can use the terracing system (bench terrace,
including leveled bench terrace, reverse back bench terrace,
sloping bench terrace, orchard terrace, and intermittent terrace).
Area with >40% slope gradient accompanied by signs of
landslides, including an extremely deep sand mining area, is
recommended to use the vegetative method of organic fertilizer
or permanent vegetation (Figure 6).
Figure 5: Map of Land Criticality in the Research Area
For critical lands in a river cliff area, rehabilitation can be
done through civil engineering with flood control and/or
riverbank protection as well as through vegetation by planting
grass. Rehabilitation of an area with slopes and signs of ravine
through civil engineering can be done by clogging ravines and
through vegetation by grass planting.
Meanwhile, critical lands in a settlement area with sand
mining are recommended to use the vegetative method of grass
stripes and civil engineering method of controlling erosion and
runoff, adding soak pits/biopore holes and absorption wells, as
well as repairing drop structure drains. Kemalang Sub-district is
given the most technical recommendations, indicating the
critical condition compared to other sub-districts, including
Manisrenggo, Karangnongko, and Jatinom Sub-districts. The
Villages of Tegalmulyo, Balerante, Sidorejo and Tlogowatu are
located very near to the peak of Merapi, and these villages have
the largest number of critical lands. The path of critical lands
moves from the north to the south following the river flow, and
most of them are located along the left and right sides of the
river although some of them exist near settlements or road
access.
In the Sub-district of Karangnongko, several spots of critical
land are also found, particularly in Gemampir and other villages
Journal of Environmental Treatment Techniques 2020, Volume 8, Issue 3, Pages: xxx-xxx

around. Tibayan, Temuireng, and other villages around Jatinom Figure 6: Map of Recommendations for Land Rehabilitation Using
Sub-district also have spots of critical land. A detailed Vegetative Methods
observation proves that the location of critical lands is either
near the river or close to road access, which is probably related
to easier access to transportation (transporting sand from the
mining). Civil engineering recommendation for the lower area is
not as challenging as for the upper area of a sub-district that
must combine several recommendations (Figure 7). Therefore,
recommendation is determined based on the critical levels.

Figure 7: Map of Recommendations for Land Rehabilitation Using Civil

Engineering Methods

According to the identification results, highly critical and

critical lands include fields, cemeteries, stream buffers, and
moors. The recommendations for critical land rehabilitation
based on regional spatial planning are as follows.

Table 3: Recommendation for Critical Land Rehabilitation

Spatial Plan Recommendation
Field Migrate to or search for uncritical lands
Cemetery Migrate to (by considering local socio-cultural condition) or search for uncritical lands
Return stream buffers to their function as river protection. In a river without embankments, the distance of 3-20
meters can only be used for bridges, gas pipes, and power cables. Other constructions, including residential
buildings or business sites (such as sand mining) are forbidden. In the area of former extremely deep sand mining
Stream buffer (>40m) terraces can be built for easier access downwards as well as for soil and water conservation. Vetiver grass
can be planted at the initial stage, and when the environmental condition has improved, other vegetation with high
economic benefits can be introduced, such as corn and chili intercropped with perennials, for example durian,
jackfruit, or avocado.
In general, suitable seasonal plants with a dense crown and economic value can be selected, terracing can be built,
and planting surrounding the slope can be done. From highly critical lands, several characteristics will appear, for
example, the presence of river cliffs and ravines for which vegetative recommendation can be executed by planting
grass, and in potential landslide area, the vegetative recommendation is the use of organic fertilizers, permanent
vegetation including industrial plants, plantation, protected forest park, community forests, reserved forests, and
Moor tourism forests. Meanwhile, the civil engineering recommendations can be done by constructing river
embankments, clogging ravines, (or if possible, ravines can be turned into reservoirs for irrigation water reserves
during the dry season). The area of former extremely deep sand mining (>40m) can be given terraces for easier
downward access and also for conservation of soil and water. At the initial stage, Vetiver grass can be planted, and
for improved environmental condition, other vegetation of high economic value can also be planted, such as corn
and chili intercropped with perennials, such as durian, jackfruit, or avocado.

5
5 Conclusion Critical Land Analysis by Using GRASS), Proceeding PIT MAPIN
XIV. Bogor. 2005
The research results showed that all categories of land
13 Herdiana, D. Identifikasi Lahan Kritis dalam Kaitannya dengan
criticality are located in the research area with the following Penataan Ruang dan Kegiatan Rehabilitasi Lahan di Kabupaten
detail: Sumedang (Critical Land Analysis related to Spatial Planning in
1. Highly critical land has 696.43 Ha area or 4.48% of total Sumedang). Unpublished Thesis. Sekolah Pasca Sarjana Institut
research area distributed in 24 villages of 3 sub-districts. Pertanian Bogor (Bogor Agriculture University). Bogor. 2008
2. Critical land is 133.02 Ha in extent or 0.85% of total 14 Balai Pengelolaan DAS Tondano. Data Spasial Lahan Kritis
research area located in 7 villages of Kemalang Sub-district. Kabupaten Kepulauan Sangihe (Critical Land Spatial Data in
3. Rather critical land has 80.35 Ha area or 0.52% of the total Sangihe), Manado: Balai Pengelolaan DAS Tondano (Tondano
River Basin Management Board). 2011
research area spread in 23 villages of all sub-districts.
15 UNU-IAS. Environment for Africa Development: A Sustainable
4. Potentially critical land reaches an extent of 527.17 Ha or Future through Science. 2008
3.39% of total research area covering 6 villages in 2 sub- 16 Sanchez P A. Tripling crop yields in tropical Africa. Nature Geo-
districts. Science 3. 2010: 299-300
5. Uncritical land has the largest area with 14.123 Ha or 17 Ladha J K. How extensive are yield decline in long-term rice wheat
90.77% of total research area distributed in 61 villages of all experiments in Asia? Field Crops Research 82. 2003: 159-80.
sub-districts. 18 Aminuddin B Y, Zulkafli I, Abd Razak H, Abdul
Critical land rehabilitation through civil engineering and Munir J and Abdul Rahim A. Mapping soil and nutrient variations
for precise fertilizer management in rice farm. Poster paper, Modern
vegetation methods can be recommended. In general, the
rice farming, Alor Setar. 2003
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