Life in Indonesia’s Sinking Capital

Cities have long flourished along coastlines due to maritime trade, transportation and physical beauty as well as access to fish and other resources. But rising seas and climate change threaten cities with shrinking boundaries, uncertain property values and reduced freshwater supplies. “North Jakarta suffers subsidence rates of up to 17cm a year in some areas – caused by the excessive extraction of ground water from the soft soil on which the city is built – meaning whole neighbourhoods will be several metres underwater by 2030,” reports Jack Hewson for Aljazeera. Removal of freshwater combined with flooding erodes city land base. Indonesia is investing in a $40 billion sea wall to protect residents and property and create a reservoir for freshwater: “Comprised of a 25km dyke that will close the bay of Jakarta and 17 man-made islands … the development is set to become one of the world's largest infrastructure projects,” Hewson explains. Engineers concede that water is a highly destructive force, and city planners did not realize the wall will only protect Jakarta another 65 years. – YaleGlobal