JAKARTA: (Bernama-Antara): Indonesia’s Presidential Envoy for Climate and Energy, Hashim Sujono Djojohadikusumo, announced that President Prabowo Subianto has decided to construct a giant sea wall stretching 700 kilometres from Banten to East Java, reported Antara news agency.
"The president decided to implement several programmes, including the construction of a giant sea wall of 700 kilometres from Banten to East Java," he stated at the 2025 ESG Sustainable Forum on Friday (Jan 31).
According to the presidential envoy, the programme aims to protect rice fields on the north coast of Java Island.
He drew attention to public concerns about the sea wall, particularly the threat posed by rising sea levels to fishermen.
"This is all caused by climate change," Djojohadikusumo remarked.
He stated that plans for the giant sea wall had been in development since 1994, highlighting that the government recognised the dangers posed by rising sea levels at that time. However, the project has not been realised.
He projected that the giant sea wall's construction could take 10 to 20 years.
He pointed out that developing a food estate in Kalimantan or Papua would be futile if millions of rice fields were inundated due to rising sea levels.
Earlier, Prabowo instructed his ranks to review the construction of a giant sea wall extending from Jakarta to Cirebon as part of a National Strategic Programme (PSN) in 2025.
Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, stated that this directive stemmed from an internal meeting led by the president concerning the development of special economic zones (SEZ) and the completion of PSN by 2024-2025.
Hartarto noted that the construction of the Jakarta-Cirebon giant sea wall project will connect with existing flood and tidal control embankments in Tambaklorok, Semarang, Central Java.
The funding scheme for the Jakarta-Cirebon giant sea wall will be carried out through the Government and Business Entity Cooperation (KPBU) scheme.
This giant sea wall is included in the list of National Strategic Projects for 2025 aimed at realising energy and food security, Hartarto stated. - Bernama-Antara
