Jeff Bennett:
Coastal cities in the United States and around the world are facing rising sea levels and worsening flooding. Now let’s look at where we face these threats on an even larger scale.
Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, is currently the world’s largest city with a population of 42 million people, but due to the collision of climate change and overdevelopment, the city is rapidly sinking.
Fred De Sam Lazaro reports from North Jakarta for our Climate Series Turning Point.
Sam Lazarus’ Fred:
To the north of Jakarta, only a sea wall stands between the megacity and the Java Sea, keeping the tides at bay, but this is not always the case, especially between October and April, when the rainy season coincides with rising sea levels.
Entire neighborhoods are submerged, motorcycles stall in the water, and children find new joy in the polluted, flood-filled streets. For millions of people like 35-year-old Ratini, who, like many Indonesians, goes by just one name, the floods are now commonplace.
Latini, Jakarta, Indonesia, resident (via interpreter):
Water can reach up to thigh level. Cars and motorcycles are not allowed to enter.
Sam Lazarus’ Fred:
She has lived here all her life and takes care of her family of seven.
Latini (through interpreter):
When floods occur, it is difficult for everyone because it is difficult for me and my children to make a living.
Sam Lazarus’ Fred:
When we visited, one of the sons was sick, a reminder of the effects of the flood season.
Latini (through interpreter):
We often get sick during floods. Everything becomes chaotic. Sometimes the electricity goes out too.
Sam Lazarus’ Fred:
Like many people here, her husband collects scraps to support the family, earning about $6 a day. During the flood, that amount was cut in half. About 40 percent of Jakarta is below sea level, and it is estimated that nearly half of the city could be flooded and uninhabitable by 2050.
With 17,000 islands, Indonesia has water everywhere. Farmers here rely on rain to flood the rice fields that feed the world’s fourth most populous country. But in the densely populated capital, water is no longer a lifeline. That’s a threat.
M. Abdul Bates, Indonesian Environmental Forum (through interpreter): We have arrived on the second floor.
Sam Lazarus’ Fred:
M. Abdul Bates, one of Indonesia’s most prominent environmentalists, told us how years of flooding have affected neighborhoods in Latini.
M. Abdul Bates (through interpreter):
This is proof that Jakarta is submerged below sea level. This was originally a two-story house.
Sam Lazarus’ Fred:
The nearby submerged mosque, whose dome has disappeared in recent years, has become a symbol of what has been lost in the world’s largest Muslim-majority country. The capital is sinking 6 inches a year, while sea levels have risen about 4 inches over the past 30 years.
That led to even more severe flooding, which reached record levels in 2020, killing more than 60 people and forcing tens of thousands to evacuate. Decades of growth have depleted groundwater, slowly hollowing out the land and causing subsidence.
M. Abdul Bates (through interpreter):
The 1970s and 1980s saw extensive development, especially in the industrial and commercial sectors. Construction at that level required a lot of water.
Sam Lazarus’ Fred:
And now, glittering skyscrapers stretching for miles add to the burden.
M. Abdul Bates (through interpreter):
Most structures are made of concrete. The weight of these buildings puts great pressure on the land.
Sam Lazarus’ Fred:
This work covered wetlands and mangrove swamps.
M. Abdul Bates (through interpreter):
It no longer works ecologically. Jakarta is a city like a sponge. If the sponge becomes sealed, it won’t be able to absorb water and will eventually collapse.
Sam Lazarus’ Fred:
By law, one-third of Jakarta is supposed to be green open space. In reality, that percentage is less than 5%, Bates said, and rainwater has nowhere to go. Dirt and debris often clog existing drainage points.
M. Abdul Bates (through interpreter):
Floods in Jakarta have had a major impact on people, especially those living in slums and densely populated areas. This is very unfair. Although they are not causing the flooding, they are the ones suffering the most.
Lives in Karitem, Jakarta, Indonesia (via interpreter):
Storm surge is the worst. Fortunately, this house is now on stilts. We couldn’t cook at all. Sometimes candles were used to boil water.
Sam Lazarus’ Fred:
Latini’s mother, Karitem (ph), lost her nearby home in the floods and moved in with her daughter. They feel safe at the level above the street for now.
Latini (through interpreter):
Since the embankment was built, the flooding has stopped as much. Now that the water is shut off, I think it’s pretty safe.
Sam Lazarus’ Fred:
The government began building coastal defenses and pumps in the early 2000s. Approximately nine miles of seawalls currently protect portions of the coastline. Last year, the government announced plans for a massive 435-mile seawall project.
In 2019, Indonesia also announced plans to move its capital, currently located on Java, to Borneo, with the move expected to occur in 2028. Touted by former President Joko Widodo as a green city of the future, the city was meant to ease the burden on Jakarta.
Former Indonesian President Joko Widodo (through interpreter):
This is a large project that will take 15 to 20 years. This is not a 1-2 year project.
Sam Lazarus’ Fred:
But progress was slow. There are only a few areas where government offices and residences have been built, and there are currently very few residents. And environmental and indigenous groups have warned that the project could endanger one of the world’s largest extant rainforests.
M. Abdul Bates (through interpreter):
Relocating the capital will not solve fundamental environmental or social problems. Those issues remain unresolved.
Sam Lazarus’ Fred:
Mr Bates would like to see existing laws on green spaces enforced and local communities consulted to find solutions, rather than what he calls large, top-down infrastructure projects.
M. Abdul Bates (through interpreter):
This is not a long term solution. Seawater gradually erodes concrete, weakening it and causing it to fail over time. In fact, it could be a ticking time bomb. Having a wall may make people feel safe, but that doesn’t mean there are no risks. If a larger disaster were to occur, the impact could be even more severe.
Sam Lazarus’ Fred:
Bates says the city has adapted to the sea since its birth 500 years ago, and future generations will put those skills to the toughest test.
The person in charge of “PBS News Hour” is Fred de Sam Lazarus.
