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Jakarta sinking at slower rate, ministry official says
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Workers repair damaged plaster on Tuesday near houses lining the collapsing banks of a tributary of the Ciliwung River in Pademangan, North Jakarta. Some of the houses were leaning and had nearly fallen because of land subsidence. (The Jakarta Post/Wendra Ajistyatama)
T
he Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry has stated that Jakarta’s ground surface subsided from 0.04 to 6.30 centimeters yearly from 2015 to 2022.
Acting head of the ministry’s geological agency, Muhammad Wafid, said the land subsidence rate during that period declined from its peak levels in 1997 to 2005, in which the subsidence ranged from 1 to 20 cm yearly.
“The decline of the land subsidence rate can also be seen in manual monitoring in North Jakarta’s Groundwater Conservation Center office on Jl. Tongkol,” Wafid said on Friday.
In September, the ministry issued Ministerial Decree No. 291.K/GL.01/MEM.G/2023 concerning standards for implementing groundwater use approval to restore Jakarta’s groundwater levels and reduce the land subsidence rate.
“By controlling water usage, groundwater levels can still function to preserve the environment by preventing land subsidence and seawater intrusion,” said Wafid, who is an expert on environment and spatial planning.
The decree stated that households must apply for groundwater use approval if their water usage exceeds 100 cubic meters per month.
Wafid said most of the households only use an average of between 20 to 30 cubic meters per month.
