Giant Sea Wall Development in Central Java to Reach 274.7 Kilometres

Construction of the Giant Sea Wall along Central Java’s Pantura is planned to reach 274.7 kilometres, making it the longest sea wall on the northern coast of Java. ‘The sea toll road development in Central Java is the longest, and it also experiences the most tidal flooding, of course,’ said Didit Herdiawan Asha, head of the Pantura Java Management Authority (BOPPJ), during an audience with Central Java Governor Ahmad Luthfi in Semarang on Tuesday, 3 March. The plan extends from Brebes, through Tegal, Pemalang, Pekalongan, Batang, Kendal, Semarang, Demak, Jepara, Pati and Rembang. He explained that the urgency of building the sea wall along Central Java’s Pantura includes suppressing land subsidence, mitigating hydrometeorological disaster risks and water crises, and minimising potential economic losses for Pantura communities. The first phase will be constructed in the Semarang area and surroundings, from Kendal through Semarang and Demak, spanning about 33.5 kilometres. Details will be discussed later between the BOPPJ team and local governments, including the Central Java provincial government and participating universities. The next phase covers the Brebes–Tegal–Pemalang–Pekalongan stretch at around 105 kilometres, followed by Pati–Rembang at about 74.3 kilometres. Central Java Governor Ahmad Luthfi welcomed the Giant Sea Wall plan, noting that Central Java has a topography characterised by tidal flooding, floods and landslides. He added that annual land subsidence in Central Java ranges from about 8–11 centimetres. He said the project must be integrated with the existing sea toll road concept in Semarang. ‘This Giant Sea Wall is something we have waited for to resolve the tidal flooding problem,’ he said. For information, the meeting was convened to discuss the plan to build the sea wall along Java’s North Coast as a solution to tidal flooding in the Pantura area.