Assessing the impacts of climate-induced resettlement on livelihood vulnerability: A case study in Jakarta Special Province, Indonesia

Preventive resettlement can mitigate the risks of climate-induced disasters for people living in vulnerable areas. However, given the risks of resettlement, especially its impact on resettlers' livelihoods, it is important to identify individuals whose livelihoods are changed by climate-induced resettlement. This study evaluates a climate-related resettlement project in a flood-prone area in Jakarta Special Province, Indonesia. The study identified changes in the livelihood vulnerability of resettled households by using the Livelihood Vulnerability Index, which comprises seven major components: socio-demographic profile, livelihood strategy, social networks, health, water, finance, and exposure. We conducted a questionnaire survey in five Rusunawa (public apartments) with 312 households that had resettled from nine original communities. We asked about resettlers' socio-economic status, jobs and income, physical condition, receipt of subsidies, and flood damage before and after resettlement. The values of each indicator in Livelihood Vulnerability Index before and after resettlement were calculated to demonstrate how households' livelihoods changed after the resettlement. The results showed that the exposure, livelihood strategy, and health components of vulnerability were significantly reduced after respondents moved to a less flood-prone location, the built environment of the Rusunawa, and due to the government subsidies associated with the resettlement project. In contrast, other major components, such as social networks, water access, and finance, became more vulnerable due to the loss of kinship and economic activity that had roots in the respondents’ original communities.