Mount Merapi in Central Java is one of the most volatile and dangerous volcanoes in Indonesia, and in 2010, a significant eruption resulted in 277 fatalities. Following the disaster, research highlighted weaknesses in community evacuation practice, with many communities ignoring official warnings. Lessons have been learned from this and now there is much better communication […]
Category: South East Asia
Projects in SE Asia
Statistical analysis of change-points ascertains the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) for COVID-19 in Malaysia
The SFC-GCRF project “Post-MCO Strategies for Controlling Covid-19 in Malaysia,” led by Sarat Chandra Dass, Associate Professor at Heriot-Watt University Malaysia, is part of the twelve HWU-GCRF projects tackling the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic in developing countries. This research demonstrates the efficacy of non-pharmaceutical interventions in Malaysia as resilient measures of stemming disease spread […]
Innovative solution to fresh water scarcity in Sumba Island
Climate change, natural disasters, and water scarcity are big challenges that countries are facing at this time. Indonesia is suffering the consequences of climate change being more prone to the occurrence of natural disasters due to rising temperatures and sea levels. It generates a cascade effect where the main consequences are water scarcity, stress, and […]
How can informal settlements respond to COVID-19?
When the spread of COVID-19 accelerated in India, the informal economy and migrant workers were significantly impacted. However the government’s response schemes did not focus on their needs. For these vulnerable populations, it was not easy to follow the official guidelines for preventing virus spread. They experience precarious living conditions, shared water supplies, insecure food […]
Digital inclusion helps refugee communities respond to pandemic.
Heriot-Watt University researchers have created a mobile phone app to help refugee communities in Malaysia to access advice and resources. The app has been developed in close partnership with Aspire Penang, an NGO based in Penang, Malaysia, which works closely with the refugee community. It has also been supported by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. Dr Gina Netto, of The Urban Institute, […]
Research highlights risks for the relocation of the Indonesian capital
The announcement in 2019 about the transfer of the Indonesian capital from Jakarta to Borneo, in the province of East Kalimantan, set off alarms among the scientific community. The location had been identified as an area of potential tsunami risk. In early 2019 a research team from Heriot-Watt University, led by Dr Uisdean Nicholson, started […]