The construction of the Giant Sea Wall along the north coast of Java\nhas become one of the major projects highlighted by President Prabowo\nSubianto in his speech on the Financial Note and the 2027 State Revenue\nand Expenditure Budget Draft on Friday (14\/8\/2026).<\/p>\n
Based on the government\u2019s presentation, the Giant Sea Wall is\ndesigned to stretch 575 kilometres along Java\u2019s north coast with an\nestimated cost of around US$100 billion or approximately Rp 1,800\ntrillion (US$1 = Rp 18,000). The project, planned to be divided into 15\nsegments, is expected to require 15 to 20 years of construction.<\/p>\n
\u2018A large dyke to secure the north coast of Java is absolutely\nnecessary. We must not wait for disaster to come; we must learn from\nother countries such as the Netherlands, which built long-term\nprotection infrastructure without waiting for disaster,\u2019 Prabowo said at\nthe MPR\/DPR RI Building in Senayan, Jakarta, on Friday (14\/8\/2026).<\/p>\n
\u2018This project will take 15 to 20 years to complete. That is a long\ntime; I do not know which president will inaugurate it. I am determined\nthat the 8th president will start this project,\u2019 he added.<\/p>\n
The Giant Sea Wall is intended to protect around 50 million coastal\nresidents along the north coast. The area also contributes around 38% of\nIndonesia\u2019s GDP and is home to 70 industrial estates, five economic\nzones, and the national logistics corridor.<\/p>\n
However, Prabowo stressed that the project will not merely be a\ncoastal protection dyke. The Giant Sea Wall is also designed to become\nclean water infrastructure, a new growth corridor, and an engineering\nproject that develops national technological capabilities.<\/p>\n
\u2018Moreover, our Giant Sea Wall on the north coast must become clean\nwater infrastructure, must become a new growth corridor, a project\nengineered by the nation\u2019s own people,\u2019 Prabowo explained.<\/p>\n
In his speech, Prabowo cited the Netherlands as one of the countries\nthat can serve as an example.<\/p>\n
One of the most famous water protection projects in the Netherlands\nis the Afsluitdijk, a 32-kilometre dyke separating the Wadden Sea and\nthe IJsselmeer. The infrastructure has protected parts of the\nNetherlands from sea flooding since 1932.<\/p>\n
The Afsluitdijk is one of the most iconic water engineering projects\nin the Netherlands, separating the Wadden Sea from Lake IJssel\n(IJsselmeer).<\/p>\n
The construction of the Afsluitdijk cannot be separated from the\nthreat of sea flooding that has long haunted the Netherlands. One\nturning point occurred in 1916, when a major flood struck the\nNetherlands, causing casualties, leaving thousands homeless, and\nresulting in economic losses.<\/p>\n
The disaster prompted the Dutch government to take a major step. In\n1918, the government passed the Zuiderzeewet, a law that became the\nbasis for a project to close off the Zuiderzee, control water, and\nsimultaneously create a freshwater area and new land.<\/p>\n
Construction of the Afsluitdijk then began in the 1920s. After years\nof work, the final section of the dyke was closed on 28 May 1932.<\/p>\n
Since then, the Afsluitdijk has not only become the Netherlands\u2019\nfortress against the sea but also an example of how flood protection\ninfrastructure can be designed as a long-term project.<\/p>\n
However, more than 90 years after its construction, the Afsluitdijk\nnow has a much broader function than merely a dyke.<\/p>\n
The Afsluitdijk combines a flood protection system with water\nmanagement. The Netherlands is improving the discharge capacity from the\nIJsselmeer to the Wadden Sea through additional sluice gates and\nhigh-capacity pumping stations.<\/p>\n
The dyke also serves as a transport corridor because the A7 motorway\nconnects Noord-Holland and Friesland via the Afsluitdijk. The area is\nalso used for the development of energy technology based on wind, solar,\nand water, as well as the meeting point of fresh and salt water.<\/p>\n
The Netherlands has also faced ecological consequences from the\nconstruction of the Afsluitdijk. The separation of the saltwater Wadden\nSea and the freshwater IJsselmeer has hindered fish migration. To\naddress this, a Fish Migration River is now being built, an artificial\nriver that allows fish to migrate between the two bodies of water\nwithout reducing the flood protection function.<\/p>\n
The Afsluitdijk experience shows that large-scale sea dykes can be\ndeveloped into multifunctional infrastructure. However, such projects\nalso require adaptation and long-term management. The Afsluitdijk itself\ncontinues to be reinforced after more than nine decades to face rising\nsea levels and extreme weather.<\/p>\n
Prabowo estimates that the construction of the Giant Sea Wall along\nthe north coast will take a long time. Although the process is lengthy,\nhe stressed that the project must begin immediately. \u2018We must not wait\nfor disaster to come,\u2019 Prabowo said.<\/p>\n
He even admitted he does not yet know which president will eventually\ninaugurate the project. However, as Indonesia\u2019s 8th president, Prabowo\nstressed that he is determined to be the president who starts the\nconstruction of the Giant Sea Wall.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/prabowos-giant-sea-wall-dream-what-does-the-netherlands-massive-dyke-look-like-1786773064", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }