Prolonged Tidal Flooding Hits Central Java's North Coast, Residents on High Alert

Residents along the northern coast (Pantura) of Central Java have been urged to remain on high alert as the duration of tidal flooding (rob) has significantly increased. According to the latest data on Friday (19/6), the inundation now lasts up to seven hours, from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM Western Indonesia Time.

Monitoring by Media Indonesia indicates that tidal flooding in areas such as Pekalongan, Batang, Kendal, Semarang, Demak, Jepara, Pati, and Rembang is becoming increasingly uncontrollable. The extended duration means the water does not recede quickly, causing floodwaters to spread further into residential areas and centres of activity.

Lessy Andari, a forecaster at the BMKG Maritime Station in Tanjung Emas Semarang, confirmed the phenomenon. “It is true, the duration of the tidal flood in the northern waters of Central Java has lengthened compared to before. It now reaches 7 hours with a maximum height of 1 metre,” she said, adding that the condition is expected to persist for several more days due to current weather dynamics at the start of the dry season.

The tidal flooding has not only submerged hundreds of villages but has also paralysed the people’s economic lifelines. Vital points such as markets, Fish Auction Sites (TPI), and inter-regional connecting roads are inundated. Transport activities, loading and unloading at ports, inland fish farming, and salt farming have been reported as completely disrupted.

In Pati Regency, the Speaker of the Pati DPRD, Ali Badruddin, revealed the massive scale of the damage. “Based on the data, the tidal flood has caused hundreds of metres of embankments to collapse and 400 hectares of fish ponds to be submerged. The people’s farmed fish have been lost, with losses reaching hundreds of billions of rupiah,” he stressed.

Responding to the worsening crisis, the Demak DPRD has taken a strategic step by proposing a Draft Regional Regulation (Raperda) on the Prevention, Mitigation, and Handling of Tidal Flooding. The Secretary of the Demak DPRD’s Regional Regulation Formation Agency (Bapemperda), Isa Ansori, stated that this regulation is necessary because the existing Regional Regulation on Disaster Management does not specifically address tidal flooding.

“The drafting of this raperda is a joint commitment to assist the community in the four affected sub-districts, namely Sayung, Karangtengah, Wedung, and Bonang, whose conditions are getting worse,” said Isa.

Local governments in the Pantura region are now being urged to immediately update the tidal flood-prone area maps and coordinate with the central government to implement permanent mitigation measures, including addressing coastal abrasion that threatens the long-term safety of coastal areas.