Can A Giant Seawall Save Indonesia's Disappearing Coast?

ETVBHARAT

Indonesia is building $80-billion, 700-kilometre seawall along Java's coast to tackle land loss as climate change lifts tides and groundwater extraction prompts land to sink.

Transcript

00:00The ocean is slowly swallowing villages along the northern coast of Java in Indonesia.

00:14In places like Bidono and Semonet, homes, schools and farmland have sunk under rising seas and land subsidence.

00:23To fight back, the government has announced an ambitious plan, a giant sea wall stretching 700 kilometers along Java's coastline.

00:36Costing $80 billion, the wall is described as one of the country's most important projects.

00:53For millions of people living in coastal villages, the sea wall promises safety.

01:14But with construction expected to take decades, many fear it may come too late.

01:20So, when I have a permanent house, I don't know if it's going to happen like this.

01:27I mean, abrasive is becoming worse.

01:31Then land subsidence is becoming more than ever.

01:35I want to go to the place where I want to build up until the location of Semonet.

01:42I want to know how many years ago, I don't want to go out.

01:45I don't want to build up the mountain, but if it's going to the countryside, I don't want to go out.

01:51Sampai sana itu air semua nggak bisa lihat

02:15All the water is like this.

02:18At school, you can't play.

02:20You can't play.

02:23You can't play.

02:25You can't sit down and see the water.

02:30Climate experts warn the wall could also create new problems,

02:34destroying beaches, pushing erosion elsewhere,

02:37and damaging marine ecosystems.

02:40What is the most important part of the land?

02:43The most important part of the land is how we control the length of the land.

02:50The reduction of the land.

02:53In fact, in this case, the reduction of the land is the exploitation of the land.

02:57So, if we can manage the exploitation of the land,

03:01we can manage the reduction of the land,

03:03the mitigations will be more effective and more important.

03:07But if it's visible at this time, it's another question.

03:11Some say, nature-based solutions like mangroves and reefs could offer better protection.

03:17Villagers are left to cope.

03:20They raise their homes on soil, build makeshift barriers,

03:24and travel by raft through what were once streets and farmland.

03:28Every year, the ocean creeps further inland.

03:32And every year, more families are forced to leave behind the places they once called home.

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