Widhi is a PhD candidate (Dr.rer.nat) at the Institute of Geography, University of Cologne. He completed his B.Ed. in Geography at the Universitas Negeri Semarang, and his master in Coastal Planning and Management at the Gadjah Mada University. Currently he is doing his dissertation project on the Future of Salt Farming under extreme tidal flooding events in the northern part of Java, Indonesia under Prof Boris Braun’s supervision (Economic Geography AG). He received scholarship funding from the Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP). For this research, he focused on the integration of local knowledge, the perception of tidal events, geospatial technology, vulnerability research, hydrodynamic modeling in salt farming as well as the artificial landscape and the interrelationships with its natural process. Beside his PhD, he works as a teaching staff member in Universitas Muhammadiyah Purwokerto (UMP), Central Java, Indonesia.

The GSSC provides a wide scientific environment for me to discuss and receive different insides on my dissertation especially related to the Global South.  On the other side, the scientific workshops and seminars organized and provided by the GSSC have given me the positive experience of further academic exchange, and collaboration with international scholars. 

Widhi’s PhD thesis ‘Future of Salt Farming: Impact and Risk Assessment under Tidal Flooding event’ focuses on the empirical tidal flood. 

Salt as one of the oldest minerals has been produced through traditional practice in the Global South especially in tropical regions of Indonesia. By using salt pan and evaporation process from solar energy, the local farmers have supplied at least 70% of domestic demand. From food processing to the chemical industry, salt has contributed to hundred thousand of people along the coastline especially in northern Java. At the same time, this area has been threatened by various hazards including extreme tidal flooding. This study proposes several methods to identify risk in the salt farming area in Cirebon, West Java as one of the major production areas in Indonesia against tidal flooding which has been recorded by local media. Firstly, we simulate the post multiple events in 2016 and 2018 as benchmarks using a numerical approach. Utilization of hydrodynamic model, Geographic Information System, Benefit-Cost (B/C) analysis, and establishment of a damage curve expand valuable facts on loss estimation in artisanal salt farming due to tidal flood events. This study proposes ideas to extent better flood risk management targeted for specific groups of artisanal salt farmers in rural coastal areas. The result of this project applies technical and economic evaluation (maps, flood simulation, vulnerability curve) and formal management into factual practice on the regional level and a possible implementation in the larger area.

Some related publications:

Nirwansyah, A. W. and Braun, B. (2021) ‘Assessing the degree of tidal flood damage to salt harvesting landscape using synthetic approach and GIS - Case study: Cirebon, West Java’, International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 55(January), p. 102099. doi: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2021.102099. 

Nirwansyah and Braun (2019) ‘Mapping Impact of Tidal Flooding on Solar Salt Farming in Northern Java using a Hydrodynamic Model’, ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 8(10), p. 451. doi: 10.3390/ijgi8100451. 

Further information:

https://geographie.uni-koeln.de/forschung/arbeitsgruppen/wirtschaftsgeographie/team/doktorandinnen-folder/nirwansyah-anang-widhi