Giant Sea Wall Jakarta


Giant Sea Wall Jakarta is part of a massive coastal development project in Jakarta, Indonesia which commenced in 2014 and expected to be materialized by 2025.The coastal development project includes the construction of a seawall along the coast, building a water reservoir, and the reclamation of land. Construction of an 8 km part of the sea wall along the coast was officially launched on Oct. 9, 2014.

Background

Jakarta is prone to flooding, especially during the monsoon season. In 2007, the city suffered from catastrophic flooding that resulted in 76 deaths and half a million flood victims displaced or otherwise impacted. Jakarta lies on a low flat basin 23 feet above sea level. 40 percent of that, particularly the northern areas, is below sea level. Given the continuous groundwater extraction and the pressure of skyscraper developments, besides flooding Jakarta is also sinking at 5 to 10 centimeters per year, up to 20 centimeters. From 2000 to 2050 the potential coastal flood extent is estimated to increase by 110.5 km2 due to both land subsidence and sea-level rise. To solve it,a feasibility study to build a dike on Jakarta Bay was undertaken. The project is known as National Capital Integrated Coastal Development master plan or Giant Sea Wall Jakarta.The project, which also has the task of revitalizing the coastline and most importantly offering a vision of the future for the Indonesian capital, was designed by the architecture firm KuiperCompagnons of Rotterdam and with a collaboration between Indonesia, and a consortium of Dutch companies, which formed National Capital Integrated Coastal Development and were all involved in the creation of the master plan that started in 2008.

The National Capital Integrated Coastal Development (NCICD) Masterplan

The NCICD includes the construction of a giant sea wall just northern of the bay in Jakarta as a measure to protect the city against floods from sea. Inside this wall large lagoons will be constructed to buffer outflow from the 13 rivers in Jakarta. This giant sea wall will be built in the form of a Garuda and expected to become an iconic structure. It will take 10 to 15 years before construction of this wall is realized. Existing dikes will be strengthened in between the times. After completion of the project, Jakarta Bay would become a water reservoir enclosed in the Giant Sea Wall and would eventually become a source for clean water for the entire city. Cost of the project is estimated about US$ 40 billion. Two phases of this mega-project are:
The giant sea wall will also become a center of urban development, which will be built by private partnership investments. Urban development includes upmarket offices and housing as well as low-cost housing, green areas and beaches. The new integrated waterfront city will also involve 17 artificial islands, complete with toll roads, a railway, and seaport, and should be able to absorb approximately two million people. The length of the giant sea wall may reach 32 kilometers from Tangerang to Port of Tanjung Priok.

Controversy

The project is not without negative environmental impacts and social consequences: one study by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of Indonesia found that the project, once underway, could erode the islands in the western part of the bay of Jakarta, destroy the coral reef and lead to the stagnation of polluted water behind the sea wall. The possibility of this last point is rejected by the Dutch experts who, on the contrary, assure that because the city’s water will be treated, the rivers will dump clean water into the bay.
The reclamation program was also met with opposition from several environmental groups and fisher-folk. Indonesian Forum for the Environment and the People’s Coalition for Fisheries Justice Indonesia submitted an appeal to halt construction work on Islet G, one of 17 islets to be created but the Supreme Court rejected the appeal. Construction work on the Jakarta reclamation project was temporarily banned by central government in 2016 asking for the fulfillment of several requirements. However the ban was lifted in October, 2017. If the great seawalls fail to shut out seawater or the project is suspended or postponed due to economic turmoil, engineering difficulties, environmental impact, or political decisions, and assuming that efforts to reduce land subsidence are not carried out, downtown Jakarta would eventually become submerged.