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AKARTA: Anticipating a worsening rate of land subsidence and rising sea levels, the Jakarta administration is considering a plan to construct a giant seawall surrounding the city’s northern coast.

Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo said Wednesday that a feasibility study on the project had been started in December and would be completed in two or three years.

“In 2025, we are expecting to have a giant seawall protecting the capital from flooding,” Fauzi said. If approved, the wall will be erected in about 10 years.

According to a study by the Jakarta Coastal Defence Strategy (JCDS) consortium, which is partly funded by the Dutch government, land subsidence and rising sea levels caused by global warming are the two main threats to the capital’s coastal areas.

“The northern Java coastal areas are vulnerable to these threats. Within five or 10 years things will get worse,” Fauzi said.

Jakarta is one of many cities in the country located in coastal areas that are less than 10 meters above sea level.

Global sea levels have risen at a rate of about 1-2 millimeters per year on average, and this rate is expected to increase to 5 millimeters per year by 2050. A study by the Bandung Institute of Technology showed that sea levels in the Jakarta bay area were rising at a rate of 5.7 millimeters per year. — JP