Creating a Flood Detection and Mitigation Kit

Ever since I moved to Jakarta in 2012, it has been very clear to me that the area in which I live is prone to floods. At the start, it was pretty manageable; the water only flooded the street in front of my house. However, in recent years, around 4 years back, the flood has become more severe. More often the water would come into my house, quite literally reaching new heights every year. It is not rare to see my family and I wade and battle the current of murky brown water, trying to save the furniture by putting it on top of my table. This year’s flood has been the worst so far, with the water being almost at hip level and caused property damage to one of my outside walls. The flood has not only impacted me when it happened even more so after. From mopping to scrubbing, washing to drying, and all other activities synonymous with cleaning have been done to try and restore my house to its former state. Most importantly, is the communal aspect of flooding that happens in my community. Neighbors come together to help clean the streets and houses, food is given out and exchanged, even though these "festivities" are a reminder of the bleak nature that caused it. Due to the tragedies that have been caused by such floods, I was inspired to create a possible solution. That solution coincides with my learning goal which is to first understand the cause of flooding specifically in my area and how to detect as well as mitigate it.

Product Goal

Due to the flooding issue in my community, I hope to create a flood detection and mitigation kit tailor-fit for my problem. The kit will consist of 2 parts, an electronic device that can detect water level and send a signal, the second part is the sandbags which will provide the mitigation portion of the kit to block the water flow. I figured that these two components will provide the most effective solution to my product that I can create for my personal project. Not only for its functionality but longevity which I hope my kit can offer to myself and my community.

Reflection

I went into this project with a lot of questions in mind, and something that I am very grateful for is that most if not all of those questions were answered throughout this process. I conducted my research through multiple mediums, using various sources and using that to help me better understand not only the nature of my project but how to approach it as effectively as possible. The first type of research that I did was, as how many projects start, secondary research, which was insightful but not as fulfilling. What really helped me focus my research was the interviews that I had. The articles and sources I read online were very much a large-scale source that compiles how flooding affects Jakarta as a whole, my interviews however helped ground my research and set the parameter of how I was going to move forward with my project. The interviews also became the most illuminating part of my project because the answers shone a light on how my project can actually help myself and others. What is a bit sad or concerning is the fact that now after the completion, I am left contemplating new questions. How effective will my product be in an actual flood scenario? Is all we can do as a community is wait and brace ourselves when the flood comes? Will the flooding continuously get worse per year and all we can do is accept our fate? These questions are ones that time can only answer, as for my project, it has become a stepping stone into answering them.

Product Evaluation

[My Final product was a flood detection and mitigation kit consisting of 2 items, one is a 40kg filtration sandbag and the other is a water level indicator. The sandbag is made up of a layer of different materials despite the name. The outermost layer is the sack itself, inside there is a layer of microfiber cloth encapsulating the three main materials in the filtration process. Those three materials are charcoal, sand, and coconut husk. Said materials are layered in a manner that will help filter the water, from first separating the larger impurities then finally straining the dirty water to make it a bit clearer and cleaner. I chose to make the sandbag have a filtration mechanism rather than sticking with a traditional sandbag design because completely blocking all floodwater from experience and research is insanely difficult and requires tons and tons of sandbags. With a filter, when some of the floodwater passes through, the clarity of the water will create less damage to one home than extremely dirty water should.

I decided to conduct a small survey on my household members and some of my neighbors. Since they are the people that can actually see the effectiveness of my product and have been somewhat a part of the process, they have a better insight into the evaluation. Even though there might be some bias here and there, I can assure you that it is a much better alternative than asking my friends or other people who can't actually see in person how good the product is.

What became truly evident to me from this survey is that people would like to have the opportunity to use my product when the chance arrives, signifying the fact that it is indeed functional and a good way to detect and mitigate flooding.