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Prabowo revives plan to build giant seawall across Java coastline
Experts opined that building a vast concrete wall without addressing the root causes of land subsidence would not solve the region's problems.
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Part of the Semarang-Demak toll road is pictured while under construction in this undated photograph from the website of PT Perumahan Pembangunan (PTPP) (www.ptpp.co.id/-)
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efense minister and presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto has revived the idea to construct a giant seawall along the northern coast of Java Island, as he sought to address the land subsidence in the area, but experts opined the mega-project would not solve anything.
He put forward the idea during a public seminar on the giant seawall on Wednesday, where he emphasized that the country needed to start constructing the giant seawall immediately. He forecast that the project would require up to US$60 billion.
“I have agreed with the Coordinating Economic Minister [Airlangga Hartarto] to establish a task force in order to study and accelerate our preparations to build the wall,” Prabowo said.
Airlangga, who also attended the seminar, explained that the land on the northern coast of Java Island sunk between 1 and 25 centimeters per year, while the sea level rose between 1 and 15 cm per year, making the area continuously experience tidal floods.
Rising sea levels could heavily impact the national economy, he said, as 70 industrial areas and five special economic zones (SEZs) were located on Java’s northern coastline.
“Around 50 million people live in northern Java. The area also contributes around 20 percent to the national GDP through various industries, such as fishery, transportation and tourism,” Airlangga said.
Read also: Jakarta braces for floods as rainy season begins
