Seeing Floods Through the Eyes of the Community: FINCAPES Partners with Yayasan Kolase to Launch Photovoice Initiative in Pontianak

Pontianak, October 30, 2025 — In a city long known as the “City of a Thousand Canals,” water has always been a part of daily life. But as the climate changes and urban development accelerates, the line between “water pooling” and “flooding” has become increasingly blurred. For some residents, floods have become a familiar inconvenience; for others, they are a growing sign of danger.

To better understand how communities perceive and respond to flood risks, the FINCAPES (Flood Impacts, Carbon Pricing, and Ecosystem Sustainability) Project, implemented by the University of Waterloo and funded by Global Affairs Canada, has partnered with Yayasan Kolase to launch the Photovoice initiative: “Understanding Floods through the Eyes of the Community in Pontianak.”

The program began with a series of consultations, meetings, and discussions with local partners and stakeholders, including the Pontianak City Government, Bapperida, and the Mayor, in late October 2025.

A series of meetings and consultations were conducted to gather stakeholder support ahead of the Photovoice implementation (Photo: Yayasan Kolase)

This initiative follows up on the Flood Risk Modeling Study in Pontianak conducted in 2024 under the FINCAPES Project by researchers from the Tsunami and Disaster Mitigation Research Center (TDMRC) at Syiah Kuala University, Banda Aceh.

Through the visual storytelling approach of Photovoice, Yayasan Kolase, as the implementing organization, invites community members to document their lived experiences with floods. The activity aims to explore how people interpret and define “floods” with the escalating climate risks, while amplifying the voices of the underrepresented groups such as women, the elderly, informal workers, and youth.

“This initiative also serves as a tool to disseminate the findings of the previous flood risk study, with the goal of improving public understanding of local flood vulnerabilities. We hope Pontianak residents will become more aware and better prepared for the impacts,” said Mawardi Muhammad, Program Officer for the FINCAPES Flood Risk Study.

The photos and visual narratives produced through Photovoice will become a medium for shared reflection between communities and local authorities, helping to shape more inclusive, experience-based flood resilience strategies. The outcomes are expected to serve as a public guide for understanding the city’s vulnerabilities and the necessary adaptation and mitigation strategies.

FINCAPES Project and Yayasan Kolase meet with the Mayor of Pontianak to discuss collaboration in raising public awareness of flood risks through the Photovoice initiative (Photo: Yayasan Kolase)

“Pontianak faces complex challenges, from tidal dynamics and extreme rainfall to land subsidence. Our residents, especially the younger generation, need to understand the city’s unique conditions and why flooding occurs,” said Edi Rusdi Kamtono, Mayor of Pontianak.

Andi Fachrizal, Chairperson of Yayasan Kolase, shared details of the implementation plan, “We are currently preparing outreach activities in eight flood-prone neighborhoods across Pontianak. These communities were chosen because they have firsthand experience with shifting flood patterns and have previously engaged in environmental programs. After the socialization, we will conduct three thematic photography workshops focusing on documenting local experiences with floods, followed by reflection and sharing sessions among participants.”

The Photovoice initiative will conclude with a public photo exhibition and multi-stakeholder dialogue, bringing together citizens, academics, and policymakers in an open forum to foster shared understanding and collective action on flood risk management in Pontianak.

Through Photovoice, the people of Pontianak own the narratives of their own stories, and are not just subjects of observation, contributing to a stronger, community-driven awareness of flood resilience and climate adaptation.