Reashot Xigwin
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The ambitious $40 billion project will involve a 35-kilometer wall across the Bay of Jakarta in the shape of the mythical bird Garuda
Sam Reeves, Agence France-Presse
Published 2:06 PM, Oct 15, 2014
Updated 2:06 PM, Oct 15, 2014
GREAT FLOODS. Residents wade through flood water in Jakarta on January 30, 2014. Floods and landslides are common during the rainy season in Indonesia. File photo by EPA
JAKARTA, Indonesia - Jakarta has launched a multi-billion-dollar scheme to build a huge sea wall to combat flooding as the Indonesian capital sinks, but there is skepticism about its chances of success in a country with a history of corruption and failed megaprojects.
The 35-kilometer wall, across the Bay of Jakarta off the city's northern coast, is the centerpiece of a project that will cost up to $40 billion over three decades, and also includes reclaiming land for 17 new islands.
The whole project will form the shape of a Garuda, the mythical bird that is Indonesia's national symbol.
PROTECTION FROM GARUDA. The Jakarta sea wall will be in the shape of the mythical bird Garuda, Indonesia's national symbol, as seen in this screengrab from a video from Berita Jakarta, the official news portal of the capital.
While the aim is to prevent floods, it is hoped up to one million people will live and work on the islands, and help take pressure off a crowded city notorious as one of the world's most uninviting urban sprawls.
Supporters of the project, which officially got under way last week and is run by the Indonesian government with help from Dutch experts, say it is the only long-term solution.
"It's a life-and-death situation," said Purba Robert M. Sianipar, a senior economics ministry official with a key role in the project, adding hundreds were at risk of losing their lives from severe flooding if action was not taken.
However, some wonder whether such an ambitious plan will ever be completed, given Indonesia's bad record on infrastructure projects, such as plan to build a monorail in Jakarta that was embroiled in a storm of corruption 6 years ago.
Chief Economics Minister Chairul Tanjung suggested as much at last week's launch event, saying disagreements with future governments could knock the project off schedule.
Others question the approach entirely, saying the project will not stop the city from sinking, while graft is also a major danger, with officials sometimes awarding tenders to unsuitable firms in exchange for large kickbacks.
Jakarta has long been hit by floods during the rainy season, when tropical downpours cause rivers to burst their banks and deluge inadequate drainage systems, forcing tens of thousands out of their homes.
However in 2007, a new type of flood set alarm bells ringing.
FLOOD CONTROL. Children play on giant pipes of a flood control station built along a dike protecting the community from sea water intrusions in Jakarta. The Indonesian capital is constructing a sea wall in the northern coastal district. Photo by Romeo Gacad/AFP
Rivers could stop flowing
Slum neighborhoods were inundated when a high tide surged over sea defenses in northern Jakarta, something that had never happened before and which highlighted the severe land subsidence in many areas.
As Jakarta has rapidly grown to a population of about 10 million, increased water extraction for drinking has caused the ground to compact and parts of the city to sink, a problem seen in other coastal conurbations, such as Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok.
Parts of coastal north Jakarta, which is built on soft clay, are sinking as fast as 14 centimeters (5.5 inches) a year, meaning they could be meters below sea level in a few decades, according to those behind the sea wall project.
"Basically we are pumping ourselves into the ground," said Victor Coenen, from Dutch consultants Witteveen and Bos, which devised the master plan for the project.
The subsidence also means the 13 rivers in Jakarta may sink below sea level and stop flowing, increasing the risk of inundations.
After the 2007 floods – which forced hundreds of thousands out of their homes – officials scrambled to come up with a plan.
It involves strengthening the current, low sea defenses over the next few years to provide temporary protection for north Jakarta, home to more than 4 million people.
Work will then begin on the main wall, which will sit 6 to 8 kilometers from the coast and will be 7 meters above sea level.
Construction of the wall will be finished between 2025 and 2030, while development on the islands – which will have a mix of high-end and low-cost housing – could take another decade.
A huge reservoir will be created between the islands and sea wall, where water from downpours can be stored so it does not flood the city, and into which rivers will be able to flow freely.
Plans are also in progress to slow the land subsidence by providing piped water to Jakarta from other areas and stop extraction of ground water. – Rappler.com
Will the 'great wall of Jakarta' save the capital from floods?
The ambitious $40 billion project will involve a 35-kilometer wall across the Bay of Jakarta in the shape of the mythical bird Garuda
Sam Reeves, Agence France-Presse
Published 2:06 PM, Oct 15, 2014
Updated 2:06 PM, Oct 15, 2014
GREAT FLOODS. Residents wade through flood water in Jakarta on January 30, 2014. Floods and landslides are common during the rainy season in Indonesia. File photo by EPA
JAKARTA, Indonesia - Jakarta has launched a multi-billion-dollar scheme to build a huge sea wall to combat flooding as the Indonesian capital sinks, but there is skepticism about its chances of success in a country with a history of corruption and failed megaprojects.
The 35-kilometer wall, across the Bay of Jakarta off the city's northern coast, is the centerpiece of a project that will cost up to $40 billion over three decades, and also includes reclaiming land for 17 new islands.
The whole project will form the shape of a Garuda, the mythical bird that is Indonesia's national symbol.
PROTECTION FROM GARUDA. The Jakarta sea wall will be in the shape of the mythical bird Garuda, Indonesia's national symbol, as seen in this screengrab from a video from Berita Jakarta, the official news portal of the capital.
While the aim is to prevent floods, it is hoped up to one million people will live and work on the islands, and help take pressure off a crowded city notorious as one of the world's most uninviting urban sprawls.
Supporters of the project, which officially got under way last week and is run by the Indonesian government with help from Dutch experts, say it is the only long-term solution.
"It's a life-and-death situation," said Purba Robert M. Sianipar, a senior economics ministry official with a key role in the project, adding hundreds were at risk of losing their lives from severe flooding if action was not taken.
However, some wonder whether such an ambitious plan will ever be completed, given Indonesia's bad record on infrastructure projects, such as plan to build a monorail in Jakarta that was embroiled in a storm of corruption 6 years ago.
Chief Economics Minister Chairul Tanjung suggested as much at last week's launch event, saying disagreements with future governments could knock the project off schedule.
Others question the approach entirely, saying the project will not stop the city from sinking, while graft is also a major danger, with officials sometimes awarding tenders to unsuitable firms in exchange for large kickbacks.
Jakarta has long been hit by floods during the rainy season, when tropical downpours cause rivers to burst their banks and deluge inadequate drainage systems, forcing tens of thousands out of their homes.
However in 2007, a new type of flood set alarm bells ringing.
Rivers could stop flowing
Slum neighborhoods were inundated when a high tide surged over sea defenses in northern Jakarta, something that had never happened before and which highlighted the severe land subsidence in many areas.
As Jakarta has rapidly grown to a population of about 10 million, increased water extraction for drinking has caused the ground to compact and parts of the city to sink, a problem seen in other coastal conurbations, such as Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok.
Parts of coastal north Jakarta, which is built on soft clay, are sinking as fast as 14 centimeters (5.5 inches) a year, meaning they could be meters below sea level in a few decades, according to those behind the sea wall project.
"Basically we are pumping ourselves into the ground," said Victor Coenen, from Dutch consultants Witteveen and Bos, which devised the master plan for the project.
The subsidence also means the 13 rivers in Jakarta may sink below sea level and stop flowing, increasing the risk of inundations.
After the 2007 floods – which forced hundreds of thousands out of their homes – officials scrambled to come up with a plan.
It involves strengthening the current, low sea defenses over the next few years to provide temporary protection for north Jakarta, home to more than 4 million people.
Work will then begin on the main wall, which will sit 6 to 8 kilometers from the coast and will be 7 meters above sea level.
Construction of the wall will be finished between 2025 and 2030, while development on the islands – which will have a mix of high-end and low-cost housing – could take another decade.
A huge reservoir will be created between the islands and sea wall, where water from downpours can be stored so it does not flood the city, and into which rivers will be able to flow freely.
Plans are also in progress to slow the land subsidence by providing piped water to Jakarta from other areas and stop extraction of ground water. – Rappler.com
Will the 'great wall of Jakarta' save the capital from floods?
