Banjir Laten, Mitigasi Sosial, dan Perubahan Lanskap di Daerah Aliran Sungai Sengkarang Regentschap Pekalongan, 1901-1930-an

Yuni Setya Ningrum, Dr. Sri Margana, M.Hum

2026 | Skripsi | ILMU SEJARAH

Pada awal abad ke-20, Daerah Aliran Sungai (DAS) Sengkarang mengalami transformasi lanskap yang intensif, diikuti perubahan pola banjir dari yang semula bersifat episodik menjadi ancaman yang berulang hampir setiap tahun. Penelitian ini memandang banjir sebagai hasil proses historis yang melahirkan banjir laten. Padahal wilayah ini merupakan simpul penting perekonomian dan kehidupan sosial Pekalongan pada masa kolonial. Penelitian ini mengkaji mengapa terjadi perubahan pada pola banjir sebelum dan sesudah 1901, bagaimana proses terjadinya banjir laten beserta faktor penyebabnya, sejauh mana masyarakat turut berperan sebagai aktor yang membentuk kerentanannya sendiri, bagaimana mitigasi dilakukan, serta bagaimana proyek pengendalian banjir menyebabkan perubahan lanskap DAS. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode sejarah dengan memanfaatkan sumber primer berupa surat kabar kolonial sezaman, laporan dan arsip pemerintah kolonial, peta, serta foto yang telah diverifikasi, disertai sumber sekunder dari kajian-kajian terdahulu.

Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa banjir laten merupakan hasil interaksi antara faktor alam, kondisi fisik DAS, dan antropogenik. Curah hujan tinggi, morfologi sungai, dan topografi wilayah hilir membentuk kerentanan alami terhadap banjir. Kerentanan tersebut diperparah oleh pembukaan lahan, sedimentasi sungai, dan proyek rekayasa sungai yang mengubah keseimbangan hidrologis serta lanskap DAS. Masyarakat di sepanjang DAS Sengkarang bukan korban pasif, pengalaman menghadapi banjir berulang melahirkan mitigasi sosial, mulai dari pengamatan tanda-tanda alam hingga kesiapan evakuasi dan penguatan solidaritas komunitas. Sementara itu, negara kolonial hadir melalui proyek Sengkarang-werken yan  alih-alih sepenuhnya mengendalikan banjir, justru melanggengkan banjir laten dan mengubah lanskap DAS Sengkarang, ditandai oleh hilangnya delta Sungai Mrican. Kondisi ini turut menciptakan kerentanan struktural yang dibentuk oleh kebijakan.

In the early twentieth century, the Sengkarang River Basin underwent an intensive landscape transformation, accompanied by a shift in flood patterns from episodic occurrences to a recurring threat almost every year. This study views flooding as the outcome of a historical process that gave rise to latent flooding. This river basin was, in fact, a vital node of Pekalongan's economic and social life during the colonial period. This study examines why flood patterns changed before and after 1901, how the process of latent flooding occurred and what factors caused it, the extent to which communities themselves acted as agents in shaping their own vulnerability, how mitigation efforts were carried out, and how flood-control projects brought about landscape change in the river basin. This study employs a historical method, drawing on primary sources such as contemporary colonial newspapers, colonial government reports and archives, maps, and verified photographs, supplemented by secondary sources from previous studies.

The findings show that latent flooding resulted from the interaction of natural factors, the physical condition of the river basin, and anthropogenic factors. High rainfall, river morphology, and the topography of the downstream area formed a natural vulnerability to flooding. This vulnerability was exacerbated by land clearing, river sedimentation, and river engineering projects that altered the hydrological balance and landscape of the river basin. Communities along the Sengkarang River Basin were not passive victims; their repeated experience of flooding gave rise to social mitigation practices, ranging from observing natural warning signs to evacuation preparedness and the strengthening of community solidarity. Meanwhile, the colonial state was present through the Sengkarang-werken project, which, rather than fully controlling flooding, instead perpetuated latent flooding and altered the landscape of the Sengkarang River Basin, marked by the disappearance of the Mrican River delta. This condition also created a structural vulnerability shaped by policy.

Kata Kunci : Banjir Laten, DAS Sengkarang, Pekalongan, Mitigasi Sosial, Perubahan Lanskap, Sejarah Lingkungan