Indonesia's seawall project set to expand, drawing mixed reactions

Some residents hope for flood relief, but fishermen bemoan impact on livelihoods

- Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja Indonesia Correspondent

Ms Pangestuti, a mother of one, has become used to cooking in her kitchen while standing knee-deep in seawater. It has been like this for almost 10 years.

“We trust the government will help us. I pray things will return to normal some day,” said the 41-year-old housewife, who like many Indonesians goes by one name. She lives in the coastal village of Bedono, which has been affected by rising sea levels for years.

But relief is on the horizon with the 6.7km Semarang-Demak Seawall that also serves as a toll road. It looked to be half-completed when The Straits Times visited on Oct 2.

As Indonesia accelerates efforts to protect the northern coastal areas of Java - its most populous island, home to more than half of Indonesia’s 284 million population, and the hub for over 55 per cent of the national economy - by constructing seawalls, early sections of the infrastructure have already drawn mixed reactions.

Small-boat fishermen have voiced unhappiness, complaining of reduced catches, while other residents, especially those whose front and back yards are now permanently inundated with seawater, welcome the project as long overdue. Semarang is among the Indonesian cities grappling with severe land subsidence after decades of excessive groundwater extraction.

Work on the Semarang-Demak Seawall along the coast of Central Java, which started in 2023 under the Jokowi administration, is set to be completed in 2026. The smaller seawall will be part of a massive structure stretching hundreds of kilometres along the nation’s main Java island to prevent flooding and coastal erosion.