Minister Dody Reaffirms Giant Sea Wall Development Insufficient to Solve North Coast Problems

Development of the Giant Sea Wall (GSW) on Java’s North Coast (Pantura) must be accompanied by government regional prohibition on groundwater extraction. The project has been emphasised as insufficient to mitigate the impacts of land subsidence causing tidal flooding in the region.

Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo revealed that land subsidence is primarily caused by excessive groundwater extraction, not by ordinary citizens. Whilst household extraction is minimal, hotels and industries extract groundwater in extraordinarily large quantities.

“So it has been proven that merely using a sea wall alone cannot resolve the land subsidence problem. But the sea wall alone is not sufficient; there will be regional regulations (perda) for example that prohibit groundwater extraction,” Dody said in Semarang, Central Java, on Monday, 2 March 2026.

Dody added that the sea wall development aims not only to protect Java’s Pantura region but also to convert seawater into freshwater that can be supplied to surrounding cities.

“This extraction will eventually be prohibited. This is what will be bridged by, amongst other things, the North Java Coastal Management Authority (BOPPJ). That is why the work currently being done by BOPPJ is still considered insufficient. So the sea wall will advance further into the sea and be larger,” he said.

“This will then serve as justification for regional governments to issue regulations prohibiting further groundwater extraction,” he added.

The BOPPJ indicated that water from the GSW retention reservoir can be utilised as raw water or clean water for the public.

BOPPJ Head Didit Herdiawan Ashaf stated that the retention reservoir will serve as a source of freshwater in the future. For utilisation of water from the retention reservoir, he continued, each regional government along Java’s Pantura will make arrangements, not the BOPPJ.

President Prabowo Subianto previously stated that the National Strategic Project of the Giant Sea Wall is ready to be constructed across Pantura to protect 50 million residents from rising sea levels.