Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world, and in 1950 only about 12 percent of its population resided in urban areas, which has risen to around 58 percent in 2022 and is expected to rise to 73 percent by 2050. Asian cities are struggling under the weight of this rapid urbanization, as exemplified by Jakarta, which is literally sinking.

In response, a number of grand mega-infrastructure plans have been proposed to protect Jakarta’s coastline and flood-proof the city, primarily revolving around upgrading existing flood protections and building new Dutch-style seawalls.

The building of the “Giant Sea wall” has been included in the Jakarta 2030 Master Plan, described as a three-layered sea wall, with the outer layer acting as a causeway and breakwater. The dam created by the wall will serve as a water catchment basin for the 13 rivers that run through the city, and a water treatment plant will ensure water quality.

The project, developed with the government of the Netherlands, has gone through multiple iterations, with the most recent, including reclaimed land in the shape of a Garuda, the country’s national emblem, symbolizing the Garuda as the savior of the nation, a bold and courageous figure that can bring prosperity to Indonesia.

Despite progress in planning the Giant Seawall, the project has been postponed due to the high costs, problems with reclamation, and public criticism. Saving Jakarta has become politicized, leading to a never-ending debate over how this should be done.

Partly in response to this, in 2019, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo decided to move the capital city to Kalimantan. The new capital is officially named Nusantara and is set to be inaugurated in 2024. Building is expected to start in 2023, and the first 2 million people are expected to live there by 2039.

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