Adaptive Capacity of Local Government in Mitigating Environmental Health Impacts if Nickel Industrialization In Morowali

Abstract

Introduction: Downstream nickel industrialization in Morowali Regency has triggered a sharp rise in Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) cases, from 67,732 in 2023 to 81,261 in 2025, in step with a surge of migrant workers and dense settlement growth around the mining ring. This article analyzes the adaptive capacity of the Morowali local government in mitigating this environmental health impact using Clarvis and Engle’s (2015) four-dimensional adaptive capacity framework: networking, flexibility, knowledge, and integration. The study used a qualitative case study design, involving informants from the Health Office, the Regional Environmental Agency, community health centers (PUSKESMAS), sub-district and village officials, the corporation (PT Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park), and affected residents, through observation, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis, verified through source and method triangulation. The findings show that the health bureaucracy has demonstrated fairly strong adaptive capacity in networking, flexibility, and knowledge, reflected in cross-sector collaboration, streamlined emergency procedures, quickly disbursed corporate social responsibility (CSR) funding, and digitalized medical records and emission monitoring. However, the integration dimension fails at its most fundamental point: spatial planning. The absence of an ecological buffer zone between settlements and factories means that the gains achieved in the other three dimensions have not translated into a meaningful reduction in ARI cases. The article recommends revising the industrial spatial plan, establishing a joint task force with binding decision-making authority, and redirecting CSR funds from curative activities toward structural pollution prevention.