RETRACING CULTURE OF RAINWATER HARVESTING IN PONTIANAK RIVER CITY
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Abstract
This paper investigates the origins and ongoing practices of rainwater conservation in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, asking how residential environments have adapted to the city’s distinctive climatic and hydrological conditions through culturally embedded water practices. Situated on the equator within a tropical wetland environment, Pontianak is shaped by abundant rainfall, rivers, and peatlands. Its urban and domestic landscapes have developed through encounters and exchanges among Chinese, Dayak, Malay, and colonial communities, each leaving distinct traces in how water is inhabited, managed, and incorporated into everyday space. The paper examines how cultural practices and historical encounters have shaped residential rainwater harvesting systems in Pontianak, particularly how Chinese, Dayak, Malay, and colonial influences are reflected in the collection, storage, and everyday use of rainwater. Rather than viewing rainwater harvesting solely as a technical response to water availability, the study considers it as a culturally embedded spatial practice that has evolved within domestic environments. The findings suggest that Pontianak’s relationship with water is embedded in a layered cultural landscape, where Chinese, Dayak, Malay, and colonial spatial practices intersect and remain visible in contemporary residential environments. Understanding these cultural traces provides an alternative way to read Pontianak’s urban form. It offers insights for more context-sensitive approaches to housing, water management, and urban planning in tropical wetland cities.
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