Living on Water in Borneo

Prof. Dr. Hans-Dieter Evers

Borneo Studies Network Inaugural Meeting and Workshop

Climate Change 2013

WORKING GROUP I CONTRIBUTION TO THE IPCC FIFTH ASSESSMENT REPORT CLIMATE CHANGE 2013: THE PHYSICAL SCIENCE BASIS - Final Draft Underlying Scientific-Technical Assessment

“it is virtually certain that the rate of global mean sea level rise has accelerated during the last two centuries” (p. 122)

Confidential – This document is being made available in preparation of WGI-12 only and should not be cited, quoted, or distributed

Climat Change and Sea Level Rise

• Global warming will have dramatic effect– Warming of ocean temperature– Melting of glaciers and polar cap

• Results: Sea level will rise– During 21st century sea level will rise 18 to 59cm

(IPPC 2007), recent estimate 56 to 200cm, highest estimate 4 to 6 m!

– Increase of „extremes“ is expected

Predicted Sea Level Rise,

East and Southeast Asia

Effects of Sea Level RiseBrunei Darussalam

Consequences of Sea Level Rise

Megacity Population DensityTokyo-Yokohama 37,239,000 4400Jakarta-Jabotabek 26,746,000 9600Soel-Incheo 22,868,000 10600Metro Manila 21,241,000 14800

Sea levels rises, land disappears: • increased population density • rising land prices especially in urban areas

Policies to deal with Sea Level Rise (and rapid Urbanisation)

• (A) Hydraulic waterworks: canals and dykes• (B) Land reclamation• (C) Living on water

(A) Dykes and CanalsMekong Delta

(B) Land ReclamationSingapore

Living on Reclaimed Land:Straits Quay, Seri Tanjung Pinang

Penang, Malaysia

(C) Living on Water

Living on Water

• Waterfront development – a new idea?• Living on water – an idea for the future?

Archeological reconstruction of a Neolitic settlement, 4000 BC to 850 BC Unteruhlingen, Lake Constance, Germany

Living on Water 2013

Kp Ayer - Brunei Darussalam

Living on Watera research agenda for Borneo

There are more than 300 water settlements (kampung ayer) on Borneo

• They are settlements of historical importance• They are architecturally interesting• They are examples of Malay hydro-technology• They are repositories of local knowledge• They are focal points of popular culture• They provide local knowledge for future „living on

water“• They are local Bornean reaction to climate change and

sea level rise

Labuan

Brunei - Bolkiah AModern Water Village

Research AgendaWater Villages (Kp Ayer) on Borneo• The long history of „living on water“ has

ackumulated local knowledge• This knowledge could be a basis for modern

seafront/water settlements• Proposal: Comparative study of water villages

around Borneo island• Phase 1: identify, classify and measure all water

villages around Borneo• Phase 2: develop a template for the study of

individual Kampung Ayer and start field research

Preliminary Results

• We identified 84 major water villages (Kp Ayer) on Borneo

• Water villages occupy a total area of 24.52 sqkm

• An estimated number of 43,025 houses and 215,000 people live in water villages around Borneo

Source: Hans-Dieter Evers and Khairi Latif, preliminary GIS data collection based on Google Earth, IAS-UBD 2013

StateKp Ayer

sqkm

Brunei Darussalam 2,2

Kalimantan Tengah 2,0

Kalimantan Timur 6,4

Kalimantan Selatan 6,7

Kalimantan Barat 1,1

Sabah 5,8

Sarawak 0,4

Total 24,5

Brunei Darussalam9%

Kalimantan Tengah

8%

Kalimantan Timur26%

Kalimantan Selatan

27%

Kalimantan Barat

4%

Sabah24%

Sarawak2%

Kp Ayer area in sqkm

Estimated Areas of Kp Ayer

Source: Hans-Dieter Evers and Khairi Latif, preliminary GIS data collection based on Google Earth, IAS-UBD 2013

Source: Hans-Dieter Evers and Khairi Latif, preliminary GIS data collection based on Google Earth, IAS-UBD 2013

Distribution of Kp AyerBorneo 2013

Source: Hans-Dieter Evers and Khairi Latif, preliminary GIS data collection based on Google Earth, IAS-UBD 2013

Distribution of Kp AyerBorneo 2013

Modern Living on WaterPontianak? Samarinda? Kuching?

Palm Island Dubai

Terima kaseh atas perhatian auda

Brunei Darussalam