Proposed national strategic project: Giant sea wall awaits green light
This article has been translated by PwC Indonesia as part of our Indonesia Infrastructure News Service. PwC Indonesia has not checked the accuracy of, and accepts no responsibility for the content.
Bisnis Indonesia - Usulan proyek strategis nasional: Giant sea wall tunggu lampu hijau
2 October 2024
By Alifian Asmaaysi
Bisnis, Jakarta – The giant sea wall megaproject in Java will be seriously discussed following the inauguration of President-elect Prabowo Subianto and Vice President-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka.
Public Works and Housing (PUPR) Ministry Secretary General Mohammad Zainal Fattah stated that the plan to construct the giant sea wall, located between Tangerang, Banten and Bekasi, West Java, would cost Rp90 trillion. The project is still awaiting approval from the cabinet of President-elect Prabowo Subianto.
“We have not received any information. Maybe later after the inauguration, we will hold another discussion [with the cabinet of the President-elect],” he explained at the PUPR Ministry Office on Tuesday (1/10).
Zainal explained that the plan to construct a giant sea wall from Tangerang to Bekasi has undergone a joint study with the Japanese and South Korean governments.
To facilitate the project, PUPR Minister Basuki Hadimuljono has explored cooperation with Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute (NHRI) from China to develop breakwaters and sea dikes.
“This initiative represents a transfer of knowledge from China to Indonesia. The financing for the project is planned to be implemented through a loan scheme,” Basuki explained.
He added that the meeting in China would be followed by a visit from NHRI to Indonesia to review the data and the basic design of the sea wall, which has been prepared by teams of experts from South Korea, the Netherlands, and the PUPR Ministry.
In the study, Basuki noted that the cost required to construct the sea wall spanning from Tangerang to Bekasi is estimated to be Rp90 trillion.
PUPR Ministry Engineering Expert Arie Setiadi added that the northern coast of Java is facing a land subsidence rate of 15 cm to 16 cm annually, compounded by significant soft soil issues.
Therefore, he stated that the plan to construct the sea wall is one of the government's key focuses.
Currently, the plan to construct the sea wall has entered the echo sounding stage, where bathymetry data is being collected, and investigations are underway to design the 22 km of sea dikes from Tangerang to Bekasi.
“The project is designed to be integrated with the sea wall that has a double function as a road to reduce traffic congestion in Jakarta and as an estuary to collect fresh water,” Arie explained.
Before constructing the sea wall, he added that sanitation must first be enhanced to avoid water pollution in the sea wall area.
“Sanitation must first be improved, as there are 13 rivers that culminate in the area. This is crucial to ensure the sea wall does not become a septic tank,” he stated.
Previously, President-elect Prabowo Subianto mentioned that the construction of the sea wall was initiated to protect the coast of Java from various natural disasters.
“I understand that the project cannot be completed quickly. Meanwhile, our people live in inhumane conditions,” he stated.
Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartanto also revealed that the megaproject would be established along the northern coast, starting from Jakarta and extending to Pekalongan and Semarang in Central Java.
From Semarang, the Maleh Dadi Segoro (MDS) Coalition, a group consisting of numerous communities, academicians, and non-governmental organisations, initially rejected the giant sea wall megaproject. The MDS Coalition argued that the sea wall project, planned as a national strategic project (PSN), was counterproductive to the ecological conditions in the northern coastal area.
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