The Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development\n(Menko IPK), Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY), has revealed several highly\nvulnerable points that are the priority focus for the Giant Sea Wall\nproject, which spans 575 kilometres along the North Coast (Pantura) of\nJava.<\/p>\n
AHY stated that the government is still finalising the project\u2019s\nmaster plan. Given the massive 575 km scale, the construction of the\nGiant Sea Wall is considered an exceptionally large-scale undertaking,\nprompting the government to prioritise the most vulnerable areas.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is clear is that we are currently continuing to mature the\nmaster plan. This 575 km is an extraordinarily large project. However, I\nalso remind everyone that we will start with the most vulnerable area,\nwhich is Jakarta Bay,\u201d AHY said during a press conference at the BRIN\nAuditorium, Jakarta, on Monday (14\/09\/2026).<\/p>\n
AHY noted that the construction of the Giant Sea Wall will be carried\nout in stages. For the Central Java region, the government identifies\nthe Semarang, Kendal, and Demak areas as being most affected by land\nsubsidence and tidal flooding.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a collaboration with the Jakarta Provincial Government, with\nGovernor Pramono Anung, for example. In Central Java, the areas most\nimpacted by land subsidence and tidal flooding are certainly Semarang,\nKendal, and Demak,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Following these priority areas, construction will be divided into\nseveral segments from west to east.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe remainder will be divided into segments, from segment 1 up to\nvarious others, moving from west to east,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Regarding the construction timeline, AHY explained that the\ngovernment has several stages to complete before physical construction\nbegins. Currently, the government is still refining the project\nplans.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is still being finalised. Although there is a planned\n\u2018groundbreaking programme\u2019, physical groundbreaking will only follow\nafter that,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
Consequently, AHY has not yet provided certainty regarding the start\ndate for the physical groundbreaking of the Giant Sea Wall. He stated\nthat further updates regarding the schedule will be provided by the Java\nNorth Coast Management Authority (BOPPJ).<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will continue to oversee this first; the next updates regarding\nthe timeline will be provided by the BOPPJ,\u201d said AHY.<\/p>\n
Beyond mere embankment construction, AHY emphasised that the Giant\nSea Wall project is not solely about physical infrastructure. Addressing\ntidal flooding and land subsidence requires measures from upstream to\ndownstream.<\/p>\n
\u201cClearly, this is not just a matter of physical infrastructure.\nBuilding coastal embankments and sea walls, including river\nnormalisation, is a massive undertaking from upstream to downstream,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
According to him, the government also needs to prevent land\nsubsidence from worsening, one way being by reducing groundwater\nexploitation. Additionally, upstream regional management is necessary to\nprevent floodwaters from being sent downstream.<\/p>\n
\u201cPreventing tidal flooding and land subsidence is not just about\nbuilding embankments, but also ensuring, for example, that we prevent\nland subsidence from getting worse by reducing groundwater exploitation.\nFurthermore, preventing downstream flooding means the upstream areas\nmust also be managed. I repeat, spatial planning must not be ignored,\u201d\nhe noted.<\/p>\n
Downstream, AHY mentioned that rising sea levels due to global\nwarming is one of the issues that must be anticipated.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we talk about the downstream. The downstream is indeed an\nimpact of global warming\u2014the rising sea level,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
To tackle these issues, he noted that not all areas will require\nembankments. The government will also consider nature-based\nsolutions.<\/p>\n
\u201cTherefore, there are certain sectors where embankments must be\nbuilt. For the rest, we will use nature-based solutions; the best\nnature-based solution we can use is mangroves, which is something we can\nimplement more quickly,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ahy-identifies-initial-locations-for-giant-sea-wall-project-groundbreaking-date-pending-1789379976", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }