Indonesia’s capital of Jakarta is sinking below sea level, at roughly twice the rate of other large coastal cities worldwide. Sea level rise is one factor but local subsidence due to groundwater removal is the other. Since 2000 parts of North Jakarta have been sinking by as much as 25 cm/year. At this rate 95% of North Jakarta will be underwater by 2050.
Indonesia, Jakarta and North Jakarta.
Jakarta downtown.
Jakarta sits on the northwest coast of the island of Java. It is the largest city in southeast Asia, covering nearly 10,000 km2/3900 mi2, with a population of over 10 million people. It is second only to Tokyo globally in overall area. Jakarta’s population has swelled in recent decades due to the economic opportunity there compared to anywhere else in Indonesia. It is this population boom which has led to the city’s current problem.
North Jakarta.
1977 subsidence model of Jakarta. Light blue = 0-1 m of subsidence. Each zone of successively darker blue = one added meter of subsidence.
Overuse of groundwater is the proximate cause of land subsidence, and the Indonesian government is unable to effectively limit it. Alternate sources of water are either insufficient or heavily polluted, meaning locals have no choice but to keep draining the aquifer beneath the city. The extreme amount of subsidence plus sea level rise makes seawalls and other solutions impractical. While the subsidence is most extreme in North Jakarta, it is severe elsewhere as well: 15 cm/year in West Jakarta, 10 cm/year in East Jakarta.
2025 subsidence model of Jakarta. Light blue = 0-1 m of subsidence. Each zone of successively darker blue = one added meter of subsidence.
2050 subsidence model of Jakarta. Light blue = 0-1 m of subsidence. Each zone of successively darker blue = one added meter of subsidence.
This reality led Indonesian President Joko Widodo to announce in 2019 that the government was making plans to move the capital. Three cities have been under consideration, while funding is secured and possible sites are evaluated.
Tomorrow: introduction to the Philippines.
Be brave, and be well.
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