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Reclamation, industries worsen coastal erosion
Excessive coastal development and unsustainable economic activities are cited as the main causes of the erosion
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More than just helping to protect the coast from abrasion, mangrove has many other benefits and economic values. (Shutterstock/Ratihrimay)
W
ith Indonesia losing large parts of its coastal areas to coastal erosion, scientists are citing coastal development and unsustainable economic activity as the main causes of the occurrence of the natural process.
Coastal erosion is a natural phenomenon occurring in coastal areas where land along the coastline is displaced due to waves, tides, currents and wind, among other factors. In ideal conditions, such land is replaced by the same amount of sediment eroded from other areas in what is called accretion.
However, this natural balance is not occurring in large parts of the country.
According to a study from the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, the country loses around 1,950 hectares of coastal area annually due to abrasion, while only gaining around 895 ha from coastal sedimentation. In the last 15 years, the country has lost 29,261 ha of coastal area.
A researcher with the Center of Oceanography Research at the government-sanctioned Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Wahyu Budi Setiawan, said any significant man-made changes to coastal areas could result in beach erosion.
“For example, if we construct a sea dike or any structures jutting out to the sea, it might trigger a higher rate of erosion as it affects the water circulation around the coastal area,” Wahyu told The Jakarta Post recently.
The Maritime Affairs and Fishery Ministry’s head of coastal disaster mitigation, Abdul Muhari, said: “In theory, the construction of a [hard] structure extending to the sea will affect areas on either side of the structure. It will cause great erosion on one side, while also causing heavy sedimentation on the other.”
