At Risk of Sinking, Minister of Public Works Proposes Including Pekalongan in Priority for Giant Sea Wall Construction

VIVA – The Minister of Public Works, Dody Hanggodo, has proposed to the North Java Coast Management Authority (BOPPJ) that the Pekalongan region be included in the first-phase priority for the construction of the Giant Sea Wall (GSW), in addition to Jakarta Bay and the Semarang–Kendal–Demak area.

“I told Mr. Head of the North Java Coast Management Authority (BOPPJ), Didit Herdiawan, yesterday. Sir, the fact today is that Pekalongan is already below sea level, so please consider including Pekalongan in the priorities that you (the BOPPJ Head) have set for the first session (of GSW),” Dody stated in Karanganyar, Central Java, on Sunday, 29 March 2026.

According to Dody, the Ministry of Public Works has been requested by BOPPJ to place personnel in the agency. His side is also continuously coordinating on the implementation of the Giant Sea Wall project.

“Indeed, we have already initiated several aspects. And then because of the initiation, there are several loans, if I’m not mistaken. There are several loans related to the Giant Sea Wall that are still under our management. I have committed to Mr. Head of BOPPJ that whatever loans or borrowings or anything from outside related to the Giant Sea Wall that I (the Ministry of Public Works) still hold, I will allocate 100 percent to BOPPJ as one of my supports to BOPPJ,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Head of BOPPJ, Didit Herdiawan Ashaf, emphasised the urgency of building the Giant Sea Wall to protect the contribution of the North Coast (Pantura) of Java to the national gross domestic product (GDP), which reaches around 368.3 billion USD.

Didit conveyed that protecting the North Java coastal area is urgent, one of which is through the construction of a giant sea wall.

In addition to facing land subsidence, the Pantura region is also frequently affected by tidal flooding due to rising sea levels, which potentially threatens various national assets in the area.

Strategic cities in Pantura, such as Semarang, are said to experience land subsidence as well as increasingly frequent tidal flooding.