Jan. 2, 2020. The provincial government of the Special Capital Region of Jakarta and the national ministries have long invested faith and money in a number of infrastructural interventions: sea walls, embankments, river straightening, flood gates and polder systems designed to control and channel unruly waters. The Authority also has jurisdiction over 13 trans-provincial rivers. Flooding has affected Jakarta for centuries, all the way back to when the city was the capital of the Dutch East Indies and went by the name Batavia. (File photo: Antara Foto/Nova Wahyudi/via REUTERS). Coastal cities across the world are affected because of rising sea levels caused by climate change. As the water levels underground are being depleted, the very ground market-goers walk on is sinking and shifting, creating an uneven and unstable surface. Infrastructural interventions also gain political support because they provide both fast relief and visible evidence that the state is taking action. Flooding in Jakarta in January 2013. But overarching, unified collaboration between all the major players has yet to happen. Critics have noted that it will only reduce flooding in East Jakarta by 30%. Rawamangun is 1kmfrom the nearest waterway, the Cipinang River. As many other cities do, Jakarta has many urban problems. Critics say this scheme would only replace water at a superficial level, whereas in Jakarta water is often pumped out from several hundred metres below ground level. The length of this tunnel is 1.2km. Tokyo was once sinking faster than Jakarta. Around 75% of Jakarta city was inundated, resulting in 57 deaths and more than 400,000 people affected. If this goes unchecked, parts of the megacity could be entirely submerged by 2050, say researchers. There are signs that Mr Baswedan might have changed his mind about the relocation issue. The latest plan is to construct an open coastal dike which reduces the impact of the waves, but still leaves the ports open, mangroves will continue to grow, fishermen can still use these fishing grounds and it will not have such drastic social and environmental impact (as before), Mr Letrite said. Floods occurred throughout Jakarta, Bogor, Tangerang, and Bekasi on the early hours of January 1, 2020, due to the overnight rain which dumped nearly 381 mm (15.0 in) more than 3 times the average amount. In 2020, extreme rain between 335mm and 377m of rainfall in one day was the driving force. The government is planning to build dikes along stretches of the Ciliwung totalling 17km in length. (Reuters: Beawiharta)Indonesian Borneo, where the Government is promising to build a "smart, green, beautiful and . The land surface is sinking while the sea is rising. There are multiple root causes, including deforestation, poor drainage, narrowing rivers andland subsidence. The most recent worst floods in Jakarta in 2007 affected 60 per cent of Jakarta; being 89 villages including Kampung Melayu. The ministry hopes the two dams will be ready before the next rainy season begins in late 2021. It once housed a fishing company but the first-floor veranda is the only functional part left. Flood control solutions are expensive, but the cost of inaction is far greater. How decades of flooding prompted the 'new' Jakarta move. As long as it is for the good of many, we do (it)," he said. Jakarta has faced large-scale severe flooding repeatedly over the past three decades, most recently in 2020. The Indonesian government plans to address the issue . In early 2020, the scientist created a computer simulation on what would happen to Jakarta if land subsidence had been stopped completely in the last 40years. Because the Indonesian government said they have (to deal with) so many issues in other cities. We will not be able to use the water as our freshwater source because there is too much pollution. It also took the government years to secure the land needed for the Ciawi and Sukamahi dry dams before construction finally started in 2016. In 1980, thefigure was74.8 per cent. 23 February 2017. The city is now sinking at rates that vastly outpace sea level rise, garnering Jakarta unwanted international attention. Sinking land, rising seas, and rainfall-driven floods pose big problems for Indonesias largest city. Your email address will not be published. Meanwhile, the need for freshwater increases as we build office buildings, malls, hotels and apartments. The Jakarta government issued a permit to two property developers and state-owned port company, Pelindo in 2016 to build four artificial islands, even as the seawall project was hamstrung by controversies and eventually put on the backburner. Natural springs and rainwater falling on its slopeseventually form major rivers that flow into Jakarta. Here's What to Know. Those steps will already reduce the floods significantly.. Before hewas sworn in, Jakartas budget for flood mitigation was US$221 million, which included numerous land purchaseand relocation projects. Torrential rain from 29 January-2 February 2007 resulted in a 1-in-50-year flood event in Jakarta. It is hard to distinguish where the river ends and land begins, except for the rows upon rows of rooftops jutting out of the water. But the planned inlet is still occupied by settlers, so we cannot do our work, he said. The head of the advisory council for Indonesia's Association of Housing Development, Eddy Ganefo, says he has urged the government to halt further development here. Again, there are issues with land availability and the presence of illegal settlements. During the wet season, the Ciliwung can send 365 cubic metres of water every second to the lowlands and the dams will reduce this to 253 cubic metres every second. I have lived here for 40 years and the flood was never this bad, she told CNA of a flood that happened on Feb 25 last year. And yet here we are, dealing with flood issues year after year, he said. JAKARTA, Nov 18 - Flood control solutions are expensive, but the cost of inaction is far greater. With new land,you need more roads, more infrastructure and so on.. January 8, 2020 7:26 AM EST. A new approach might hold the key to moving forward. And when these storm surges happen at the same time as the fluvial floods, the result can be catastrophic. 1. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. By Dwita Sutjiningsih - Universitas Indonesia. Rescuers evacuate residents from their flooded homes in Bekasi on February 19, 2021, as heavy rain inundated the city on the outskirts of Jakarta. Upgraded but still having issues? Land subsidence can occur naturally through tectonic quakes or followingman-made activities such as construction andgroundwater extraction. The writeris Professor in the Civil Engineering Department at Universitas Indonesia, and teaches Water Resources Management, Stormwater Management, Engineering Hydrology, Ecohydrology and Watershed Health Audit. The gravity system is designed for the area where the rainfall excess flows by gravity force into the drainage channel, while the polder system which consists of drainage channel, retention basin and pumphouse. We need to pay attention to these topographical dynamics. Jakarta residents really only have two expectations for their government:A traffic-free Jakarta and a flood-free Jakarta, city planning expert Nirwono Joga told CNA. the World Bank Group is a unique global partnership: five institutions working for sustainable solutions that reduce poverty and build shared prosperity in developing countries. PDF | On Oct 1, 2021, I B Pramono published Nature-based solutions for integrating flood and land subsidence: A case study in Jakarta and Semarang | Find, read and cite all the research you need . We will end up spending more money each year to treat the water, dredge the sedimentand pump excess water out to sea during the rainy season, Mr Muin told CNA. Unity would help mobilise action on Jakartas flood problem, but so too would increase spending and urgency on infrastructure. That would be to halt all groundwater extraction and solely rely on other sources of water, such as rain or river water or piped water from man-made reservoirs. Land These man-made structures have reduced the soils capacity to absorb the torrential rains and thunderstorms which frequently hit the area during the rainy season. It wont be long before the dams are overwhelmed and officials manning them are left with no choice but to release the water. The land conversion continues as the rivers make theirway north. This project was popular with the middle class but ultimately did not prevent flooding. BBC News Services. The land around it is higher so the water has nowhere to go. Fortuna Sophia lives in a luxurious villa with a sea view. Based on the reading, one of four flood alert statuses will be stated, ranging from normal to dangerous. A devastating combination of sinking land and rising sea level could cause parts of Jakarta to be underwater by 2050.. 517-550. Flood control solutions are expensive, but the cost of inaction is far greater. (Jakarta) has the potential. This paper takes issue with this. They are subject to inundation due to local rainfall andworsenwhen combined with overflows from the river due to flooding from upstream or high tides which hamper the flow to the sea. The mangroves, which need brackish water to survive, are home to a wide variety of wildlife. The islands would be occupied by upscale waterfront properties where the rich can dock their yachts. A computer-generated mockup of the Water-gate system depicting how . The agency also reported flooding was the most frequent disaster in the country in 2022. These floods were only the most recent in a series of increasingly frequent and devastating flood events in Jakarta (1996, 2002, 2007, 2013 and 2020). . It will be a much cheaper solution.. Solutions wait as Jakarta's floods get more devastating. Five people lost their lives. In that scenario, floodwaterwould wash out to sea unimpeded. JANUARY 26, 2015. For the other 12 rivers, the ministry is focusing on restoring the capacity of 208 retention basins and ponds along their courses. That is now the concept. Flight Center, NASA Earth Observatory (2007, February 11), World Resources Institute (2017, July 31). This has contributed to worsening flooding. The permanent flooding of North Jakarta would compromise $220 billion in assets, and would hinder productivity and economic growth, according to Indonesia's Ministry of Economic Affairs. Jakarta is sinking by an average of 1-15cm a year and almost half the city now sits below sea level. by Basten Gokkon on 2 January 2020. It was the worst flood to occur during Mr Baswedans administration and one which caused several people to sue the city. ", She's lived here for four years but it has already flooded several times: "The seawater flows in and covers the swimming pool entirely. Though work on the project began in 2015, a range of environmental, economic, and technical concerns have slowed construction and reduced the scope. Tracking Asias hunger for new coastal land in the era of sea level rise, Jakarta Is Sinking So Fast, It Could End Up Underwater, Indonesia floats idea of Garuda-shaped palace as it revives capital city move, The impossible fight to save Jakarta, the sinking megacity, Without Forests, Jakartas Water Situation Worsens, NASA Goddard Space Land These former marshlands areflood-prone and Ms Yati Saimah, a resident of Rawamangun in East Jakarta knows this first hand. But Jakarta needs alternative water sources for that to work. The scale and impact of . More than half a million people were evacuated from their homes, destruction of property totalled at $453 million, and 80 people died as a result of drowning, electrocution and the inevitable collapse of homes, trees . Othersprefer to stay behind and protect their properties by keeping the water at bay. To make matters worse, land subsidence also occurred in the interior parts of the city,as far away as 20km from the coastline. Human Presence, Image of the Day However, the effectiveness of physical infrastructure will become increasingly limited, especially when . Yet, despite the recent surge in flood risk, the quest for flood risk reduction solutions is not new. A prime example of this is the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, which faces myriad threats from flooding and sea level rises to pollution, earthquakes and overpopulation. Rawa means marshlands in Indonesian. Press freedom is no joke in the Philippines. BY :PATRICK TIBKE. With environmental pressures mounting, Indonesian politicians hope to move the seat of government from Jakarta to a new location on the island of Borneo. By the time the Ciliwung enters Jakarta, the river will have had more water coming in from the hundreds of tributaries along its course and the flow of water will have risen to 570 cubic metres per second. In recent decades, the flooding problems have grown even worse, driven partly by widespread pumping of groundwater that has caused the land to sink, or subside, at rapid rates. Based from a statement from Agie Wandala, an official from Jakarta's Regional Agency for Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics, it is implied that the extreme rainfall that fell between December 31st, 2019 and January 1st, 2020, is not in its peak precipitation yet. Why Indonesia's capital Jakarta is sinking. After decades and billions of dollars later, the goal of a flood-free Jakarta continues to be elusive. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Flooding earlier this year in Jakarta, Southeast Asias largest city, provided a tragic reminder of the human costs of urban vulnerability. He says it will only buy Jakarta an extra 20-30 years to stop the long-term subsidence. We used to let water inundate these areas because they served as buffers to contain excess water. The heroes and politics of Jakarta's floods. On a summer day, the water is shallow and clear, moving sluggishly down the stream. Construction on an Eastern Diversion Canal (East Banjir Canal) commenced in 2003, reportedly 30 years after being planned. (Antara/Sigid Kurniawan), jakarta,flood,Jakarta-flood,climate-change,disaster-mitigation,flood-mitigation, as high as five trillion rupiah or US$3.2 billion including the land acquisition, Netherlands Engineering Consultants (NEDECO, between 335mm and 377m of rainfall in one day, enforcement of the rules is still very weak, Jokowi wants local governments to ditch Visa, Mastercard, Jokowi makes renewed Nusantara pitch to Singapore, Singapore to work with Indonesia to push Myanmar peace plan, How Arctic Monkeys became massive in Indonesia, Syrian, Ukrainian could face 5 years in jail for false IDs, Political parties struggle to engage young voters, President again pitches Nusantara to Singapore. Deltares, his consultancy,was tasked with studying the plan. On average, a flood results inaround US$532 millionof property and infrastructure damage in the metropolitan area,according toestimates by the National Development Planning Agency. Land NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. This is especially true for Jakarta, where flood governance is highly complex and involves numerous state agencies at the local, provincial and national level. It is also politically sensitive, so unpopular in fact that it became a sticking point duringthe 2017 Jakarta election which saw the defeat of the incumbent Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, a proponent of the relocation programme. Land subsidence has increased the number of flood-prone areas by 300 per cent. JAKARTA - Flood control solutions are expensive, but the cost of inaction is far greater. Allare considered flood-prone. On Jan 24, hundreds ofpeople were affected when floods inundated several major streets and housing complexes across Jakarta and neighbouring Bekasi after heavy showers swept across the two cities. According to government data, the upstream regency of Bogor has lost 1,200sqkm of forests in the last 40 years while the number of dwellings increased 6,400 per cent. Learn how your comment data is processed. These solutions help protect vulnerable areas from extreme flooding. Original comments adding insight and contributing to analysis are especially encouraged. it floods regularly and its streets are so clogged that it is estimated . Will new Indonesian capital just move the problem? In recent decades, the flooding problems have grown even worse, driven partly by widespread pumping of groundwater that has caused the land to sink, or subside, at rapid rates. Heavy showers soon drench parts of the city and in just a few hours, rainwater begins to overwhelm thedrainage system. To combat the floods and mitigate the irreversible effect of Jakartas land subsidence problem, the government in 2013 proposed the building of a giant sea wall stretching more than 30km across the Jakarta bay area. Mr Jogaestimated that only 33 per cent of Jakartas drainage system is working properly. But, he says, "so long as we can sell apartments, development will continue". Relocating settlers is a painstakingprocess involving rounds of negotiations. Such developments come with risks because they sit at the front lines of Jakartas inevitable battle against sea level rise and storm surges, cautioned Sengupta. Coastal cities across the world are affected because of rising sea levels. These stretches are now unprotected and illegally occupied by settlers. The latest study from IPB University in West Java, Indonesia, showed various areas in Jakarta were at risk of sinking between 1.8cm and 10.7cm . Standing in the way of successful reform is Indonesias rigid, sectoral system of state administration: it is difficult for authorities to access the budget to empower them to adequately focus on solving region-specific issues such as floods. Be among the first to know the Breaking news. Ultimately, this means addressing the question of who urban development benefits, and who it endangers. "We are avoiding relocation whenever we can but he never promised that there would be zero relocation. The speed at which Jakarta is sinking is alarming experts. READ: Staying in Jakarta -Will a great sea wall protect Indonesia's capital from coastal flooding? TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The newly appointed acting governor of Jakarta Heru Budi Hartono revealed his strategy to tackle the chronic issue related to urban flooding in the capital city. River normalisation also involved forcibly removing residents living on riverbanks, and was deeply resented by those communities and their allies. 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