Recent Land Condition on Hazardous Area of Merapi Volcano Based On Post-Disaster Land Damage Assessment

The aim of this study was to examined the recent land condition on hazardous area of Merapi Volcano after last eruption on 26 Oktober and 5 Nopember 2010. Land damage assessment is used due to comprehend recent land condition at the study area. Basically, the land damage assessment that is formulated by Research Center for Land Resources at University of Gadjah Mada is applicable for three type of land resources, i.e dry land, wet land, and forest land. The parameters which are used to assess land damage based on and accordance with Indonesian President Regulation (Peraturan Presiden/PP) Number 150/2000, viz: climate, slope, land use, flooding occurrence, and soil condition. That regulation put in order about damage land standard for biomass production. This research used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as spatial analysis tools in order to establish land damage class distribution.

The research found four classes of land damage in Merapi volcano hazardous zones (in this research focused on second and third level of hazardous zones only), they are damaged, slightly damaged, undamaged, and steady land. The most dominant factors on land damage condition in the study area are slope and land utilization. Post-disaster land damage assessment can be used as a consideration in the land management in such a way that the land can be maintained optimally, as well as the environment.

This research was done due to examine some recent physical problems caused by 2010’s Merapi eruption, and funded by using Indonesia's National Strategic Grant Scheme 2012–2013.