00:00 Somaira on her way to work. The 70-year-old used to walk here but those days are over.
00:07 Now she can only get there by paddling a boat for 30 minutes.
00:11 "This area used to be a rice field, a huge rice field. Now it is gone and fish ponds
00:18 have been built. Initially the water was knee deep, but now it is chest deep. I have no
00:28 other option. I do this to make ends meet and to eat. Although the money I make is not
00:35 enough."
00:41 Rising sea levels now threaten her entire village. At high tide, the sea washes through
00:45 almost every house. Residents have been forced to raise their houses three times since 2010,
00:52 but now they can't go any higher.
00:54 And what is going on in Timbus Loko is happening all along Jaffa's north shore.
00:59 Several factors contributed to Timbus Loko's plight, including rising sea levels and ground
01:04 subsidence.
01:06 But the village's problems were compounded after the mangrove forest that held protected
01:10 from the sea was cut down to make room for more fish farms.
01:14 The villagers realized their mistake too late and efforts to reforest the mangroves have
01:19 failed.
01:21 The waves are just too strong and wash the plants away.
01:25 Support from the government has been minimal. This road the residents had to build themselves.
01:32 I'm standing on what used to be the main road. Residents used to be able to drive through
01:38 the village on motorbike, but now people have to get about on foot on wooden boardwalks,
01:44 which are not safe for kids.
01:49 Those same kids now have to take a boat to get to class. The school bus has long been
01:56 replaced.
01:58 The situation for the villagers is becoming untenable. Currently only some 400 people
02:03 remain in Timbus Loko. Over 80 have chosen to move.
02:10 Not every house has a decent bathroom set up, so people around here end up doing their
02:14 business openly.
02:16 Additionally, there is no place to bathe because the house has also sunk. Defecation
02:21 is also haphazard due to the absence of proper facilities.
02:27 This is what climate change looks like on the ground for many people on Indonesia's
02:31 coast.
02:32 While Timbus Loko's inhabitants say they are determined to stay, they have no concrete
02:36 plan on how to save their village.
02:39 The entire coastal area here is predicted to be completely submerged by 2030.
02:43 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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