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Paper short abstract

Drawing from ethnographic account from Barito and Martapura Rivers in Banjarmasin, I explore how the development of road transport infrastructure, industry, and household plumbing in Banjarmasin reoriented the communities’ relationship with the riverine environment

Paper long abstract

The development of road transport infrastructure, industry, and household plumbing in Banjarmasin reoriented the communities’ relationship with the river, the way they view water (in)security, waste, pollution and daily survival. The shift from river as the main transport channel to its more connected and more popular land transport changes how people engage with the river in their daily lives, one of which is reflected on how the houses switch its orientation from facing the body of water to facing away from it. In this paper, I explore how the infrastructural shifts influence how people’s lives entangle with the riverine environment, from water use, environmental destruction, food source, and recreational needs. Departing from Sara Ahmed’s concept of use (2019), I will explore how the changes of use and disuse of the river and water shifts the relationship dynamics of the people and its riverine environment as part of their day-to-day lives. This paper draws from ethnographic account of the community living along riverbanks in Banjarmasin, Indonesia. I am collecting the data from two of the main rivers in the city, Barito as the main artery of inter-province transport for people, coal, timber, and other commodities, and its smaller counterpart, the Martapura river that cuts through the city centre providing the main transport, recreational area and sustenance for the communities living alongside it.