Indonesia revives US$10.5 billion 40-year plan to build sea wall to keep sinking Jakarta afloat

The project will require three phases of construction extending past the year 2040, with the first two stages requiring 164.1 trillion rupiah (US$10.5 billion) in funding, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said on Wednesday at an event in Jakarta unveiling the latest plan for the sea wall.

He didn’t say how much money is needed for the third phase.

Indonesia aims to stop Jakarta from sinking further by curbing groundwater use

While the idea has been tossed around for more than a decade, a proposal to build a sea wall was recently revived as Jakarta becomes the fastest-sinking megacity.

The impetus comes as the capital sinks by as much as 25 centimetres per year while tidal flood rises by up to 200 centimetres annually, Hartarto said.

Home to more than 10 million people on the island of Java, Jakarta has seen some areas descend by as much as 4 meters between 1997 and 2005, with experts predicting that one third of the capital may be submerged by 2050 if left unchecked.

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Indonesia enlists tourists to keep capital Jakarta afloat

Indonesia enlists tourists to keep capital Jakarta afloat

Flooding in coastal Jakarta was estimated to cause losses of 2.1 trillion rupiah per year, which can potentially rise to 10 trillion rupiah yearly in the next decade.

“The problem facing this sea wall is that it needs around 40 years to be completed,” Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto, who’s leading voter surveys for the presidential election, said at the launch of the sea wall plan.

“The problem is whether political leaders have the focus, the thinking and the ability to see through the project. This is our responsibility.”