Indonesia to form giant seawall authority this year
‘Hopefully we can establish the agency this year,’ says State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi
JAKARTA, Indonesia (MNTV) – – The Indonesian government is planning to form a giant sea wall authority, reports Tempo.co.
The government is engaging in talks to develop the project that will stretch along the northern coast of Java.
“Hopefully we can establish the agency this year,” said State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi, adding that the discussions involve the local governments of Jakarta, Banten, West Java, and East Java.
Seawalls are onshore structures with the principal function of preventing flooding of the land and the structures behind due to storm surges and waves. They are built parallel to the shoreline as a reinforcement of a part of the coastal profile.
When asked about the potential names or agencies to be involved in the authority, Prasetyo said that the most important thing is the plan to build the giant sea wall. “It’s been said several times in scientific and academic forums that our land surface is sinking,” he said.
President Prabowo Subianto has said that the project can no longer be postponed. Although it has been a part of the National Development Planning Agency’s plan since 1995, the project has not yet commenced.
Prabowo says that the project, spanning 500 kilometers from Banten to Gresik, will require approximately $80 billion.
The plan however, has been criticized by the People’s Coalition for Fisheries Justice (Kiara).
Kiara’s Secretary General Susan Herawati says the project is a false solution. “The seawall does not address the roots of the problem, namely massive land conversion,” she says.
Susan believes that the primary solution is not to build large infrastructure, but to rearrange space and stop land conversion. She highlights the entry of industries into the Pantura region, especially in Central Java. “There should be no more land clearance. These cities cannot bear the ecological sins caused by investments,” she stated.
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