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3 RESULT AND DISCUSSION
This research tries to observe community culture in
dirty and population-dense village (slum area)
located in Bengawan Solo River bank, Kelurahan
Semanggi, Pasar Kliwon Sub District, Surakarta,
Central Java, Indonesia. Kelurahan Semanggi is
located in Pasar Kliwon Sub District, the southeast
of Surakarta City, adjacent directly to Sukoharjo
Regency characterized with the presence of
Bengawan Solo River. In Kelurahan Semanggi,
many poor people live in filthy and population-dense
settlement, exactly in Bengawan Solo River bank.
The phenomenon occurred in this area is very
relevant to the characteristics of poverty culture as
suggested by Oscar Lewis, as explained below.
Some people inhabit an illegal land as riverbank
area categorized as an illegal area in which people’s
houses are constructed. This fact widely happens in
Kelurahan Semanggi people, but they admit that
they had been living there for a long time and there
is no desire to move to other safe areas although
flood disaster occurred frequently. The reason why
the stand to remain there is because they cannot
afford land or house in other areas due to limited
income. Meanwhile, they live in Bengawan Solo
River bank area with the right to build only and they
realize that they reside the illegal land. Surakarta
Government actually has evicted them firmly and
prohibited them from constructing houses again on
the land. It was the beginning of government’s plan
to construct embankment along Bengawan Solo
River to minimize water overflowing from
Bengawan Solo River. In that eviction, government
was also responsible for the activity by providing
flats near the location. Government has also
provided flats used to relocate the people in order to
occupy the livable places and to leave the riverbank
area. However, they do not desire to move because
they admit that they have lived there for along time
even though some people reconstruct their houses
after the eviction. In addition, surrounding people
also has some other reason: they are highly
dependent on the job as laborer and waste-picker so
they are afraid of losing their job and have not
substitute job once they move to new residence.
Riverbank area becomes a slum and population-
dense settlement area. The area is also utilized by
local people as the place to collect wastes and used
products. It is because majority local people, in
addition to working as laborer, are also dependent on
waste-picker. Informal occupation, such as laborer
and waste-picker, was done by riverbank people
because the majority of surrounding people have low
education level. Data collected by the author through
interviewing some people in riverbank area shows
that the majority people have low education level
(elementary school, on average). They admit that
they could not continue their study to the higher
level due to limited fund and their obligation to help
their family by working. These reasons create them
in having improper job and less ability of fulfilling
their need.
Local people’s dependency on their job as
laborer and waste-picker causes them entrapped in
poor life. They realize that their dependency on their
jobs obstruct the improvement of their family’s life.
However, they also realize that they have no
adequate education level to seek other better jobs
with better income. Therefore, they remain working
as laborer and waste picker as long as they can fulfill
their daily need. They do not believe of the job
improvement for their life in the future, they only
believe of the current need for the family.
The income received from the job is very
inadequate to suffice their family’s need. In addition,
its impacts on children’s education, in which their
children cannot finally get high education. Some
people even recognize that they unnecessarily have
children with high education; the most important
thing is that their children are able to work and help
their family earning money to meet their daily life.
In addition to impacting on the minimum income
and low education of children, waste-picker
profession also impact on surrounding
neighborhood. Because waste picker is collecting
used product, it creates slum area with piled used
products and wastes. As they have long lived in
riverbank area, they feel comfortable and not
disrupted with the dirty environment condition even
though some people admit that they have been
accustomed with the scenery of used product and
waste collection.
People have adapted to flood disaster as well and
considered that living in Bengawan Solo River bank
is not always comfortable. It is not only dirty and
population-dense settlement, but also often affected
by flood disaster due to Bengawan Solo River
overflowing. In rainy season, Bengawan Solo has
swift stream and receiving the delivered water from
Wonogiri and Sukoharjo Regency. Therefore, in
rainy season, Surakarta City is often befallen with
flood disaster deriving from Bengawan Solo River
water overflowing. Thus, the people living in
Bengawan Solo River bank area, Kelurahan
Semanggi can not escape from flood disaster as well.
However, from the result of interview with some
people living around the riverbank, the author found
out that the people admit that they have been
accustomed with such condition. Local people have
been accustomed with flood disaster befalling their
residence and not consider it as a calamity. Local
people’s adaptation to flood disaster deriving from
ICPS 2018 - 2nd International Conference Postgraduate School
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