Kind: captions
Language: en
[Reporter] What are these?
[Maming] Rice supply.
[Reporter] Is it for lunch?
[Maming] Yes, lunch and dinner.
[Reporter] Is it collected here?
[Maming] Yes, because our
Community Center is flooded.
The flood Maming talked about was a tidal flood,
caused by high tide overflowing into land areas.
For people living on the northern coast of Jakarta,
this is their daily struggle.
In December 2024,
some areas on the northern coast
of Jakarta were submerged by the tidal flood.
One of them was Muara Angke.
This phenomenon has long haunted those living
on the northern coast of Jakarta.
In view of that,
since 2014, the government initiated a project called
National Capital Integrated Coastal Development or NCICD.
This project consists of construction
of coastal embankments
and sea walls as well as
development of Jakarta coastal area.
Coordinating Minister of Economics, Chairul Tanjung,
stated that this megaproject would
prevent Jakarta from tidal floods.
In three years,
the government and developers
will complete the 32 km giant sea wall.
By then, we hope that Jakarta will be
temporarily free from tidal floods.
This project is expected to be executed in phases.
The first phase, or Phase A,
is the construction of 39 kilometer coastal
embankments along the northern coast of Jakarta.
However, this project sparked controversies
among activists, observers, and scholars.
Among them are Andojo, a technocrat from
Coastal Engineering Expertise Group,
and Suraya, an Anthropologist
from Political Ecology Study.
Tidal floods do not only occur due to rising tides,
but also due to other factors,
such as land subsidence as a result
of the massive use of groundwater.
As for Phase A, we know that
the coast level will remain sinking,
so the embankment does not
solve the groundwater issue.
If I recall correctly, NCICD assumes the land
subsidence rate at 7.5 cm annually.
Imagine in 10 years, it’d be 75 cm,
and in 30 years, it’d be 2.25 m.
See, this solution is not sustainable
because the ground level is sinking.
At one point,
the embankment has to be elevated
Efforts to expand the use of PAM water
should go beyond the northern coast.
In fact, it should cover the whole Jakarta.
Commercial and residential establishments
should be required to stop using groundwater...
...as their main source of water because it
actually accelerates the land subsidence.
- Annual Use of Groundwater in Jakarta -
We can see that NCICD is necessary,
but it does not mean that it
can neglect the people’s rights.
We are looking forward to discussions
where we can seek solutions cooperatively.
If the people’s aspirations are not taken
into account while executing the NCICD project,
it would provoke chaos, which may require police
and even the army to de-escalate the situation.
I think this is a critical issue,
and it would not be resolved without
the involvement of all stakeholders.
Locals are also the stakeholders,
and their aspirations need to be heard,
they may result in part of solutions.
To date, the coastal embankment construction
has been completed in some locations,
such as Kamal Muara, Muara Baru, Kali Blencong,
Sunda Kelapa, Ancol Hilir, and Kalibaru.
In total, it stretches 25.6 kilometers
of the targeted 39 kilometers.
Behind the completed wall,
there are stories of the locals
which have not been completed.
As early as 5 a.m.,
Samsudin and Warsini have
opened their warung (food stall).
After helping his wife,
Samsudin prepares to sail the sea.
His job is harvesting green mussels,
main commodity in Kalibaru.
While Warsini stays in the warung.
[Samsudin] After the embankment was built,
the mussel farms became far away.
Sometimes I can swim from
the coast to the farms and back
[Reporter] Why are the farms no longer near
the coast after the wall is built?
[Samsudin] Because the water quality was poor.
Mussels died easily in polluted water.
[Reporter] Where does the waste come from?
[Samsudin] I don’t know exactly,
some say from the industries, others say from the port.
Since 2023, Suraya has attempted to find out
the effects of the NCICD sea wall on the locals.
One of the locations she visited is Kalibaru,
where Samsudin and Warsini lived.
We must have thought that people living in coastal areas
are fishermen who sail the North Jakarta Sea to catch fish.
While it is true for some coastal locals,
some others do not.
I see that some are into green mussel farming.
[Reporter] How many did you get?
[Samsudin] 38 (sacks).
[Reporter] How much for a sack?
[Samsudin] It is not certain.
[Samsudin] Sometimes it’s expensive
especially when it’s scarce.
[Reporter] How much is it today?
[Samsudin] Well… maybe IDR 100,000 at best,
or at least IDR 80,000 – 90,000.
[Reporter] How much is it when it’s scarce?
[Samsudin] During scarcity, it is around IDR 160,000 – 170,000,
but from the boss, we got IDR 130,000 tops.
[Reporter] How much are you paid
if you work for a boss?
[Samsudin] We received IDR 150,000.
[Reporter] For one day?
[Samsudin] Yes, paid after we got back.
[Reporter] Is it the same for harvesting
and rehabilitation time?
[Samsudin] Same for both.
[Reporter] Is the fee for a person?
[Samsudin] Yes. The boss has many subordinates, six to be exact.
There are still others who have not sailed.
As the main commodity,
green mussels create opportunities
for people in Kalibaru.
They can work as fishermen,
motorcycle drivers delivering the harvest,
and also green mussels peelers.
[Resident] I got 7 kilograms.
[Reporter] How much for a kilogram?
[Resident] IDR 5,000 for a kilogram.
[Reporter] Is it the average price?
[Resident] Yeah, sometimes we get a lot of mussels.
[Reporter] What time do you start working?
[Resident] Depends on the time the mussels arrive.
[Reporter] What time do the mussels usually arrive?
[Resident] Around 11 a.m.
[Reporter] And what time do you finish?
[Resident] 5 p.m. or after dusk.
Women also need space.
We can’t be here, but we can use this space
for selling or peeling green mussels.
The planning can’t be seen clearly.
The only existing planning is
the green belt along Kalibaru, Cilincing.
Additionally, access to the embankment was
once blocked by a wall built behind the locals’ houses,
including Samsudin and Warsini’s.
[Reporter] Was it blocked?
[Warsini] It was not completely blocked.
This wall forced us to stay away.
[Reporter] So they want this road to be cleared?
[Warsini] True, for car access,
or maybe bicycle or bikes, so they said.
[Reporter] How about your warung?
[Warsini] When the road is complete and officially operating,
my warung will be demolished.
[Reporter] Did they demand the demolition?
[Warsini] They did, starting from that side, not this one.
[Reporter] Oh, I see that your house is on the furthest side.
It would be the first [to be demolished].
[Warsini] I guess so. I’ve received one or two letters.
[Reporter] From?
[Warsini] The ward office.
[Warsini mimicking the ward officer]
Do you know what it is about?
[Warsini] Sure. I just need to tear
my warung down, right?
[Ward officer] That’s it.
[Warsini] I don’t have a say in this.
If they order the demolition, so it is.
[Reporter] So you don’t fight?
[Warsini] Even if I fought,
I’d be defeated anyway.
[Reporter] And just surrendered?
[Warsini] True.
The coastal embankments will impact the people,
that they cannot use the embankment.
But I’m sure, I assume that there will be resistance
because it is their source of income.
If the sea wall blocks the sea flow,
it will destroy the area that used to be
the green mussel farm.
It will trigger adverse impacts
for the locals in this coastal area,
as they have no other alternatives.
In Kamal Muara, there is a different story.
It relates to the reclamation of Pantai Indah Kapuk,
as a part of Phase B of NCICD project, i.e.,
reclamation of 17 islands and the sea wall construction.
[Reporter] So, you need to pass through PIK
every time you go fishing?
[Intang] Absolutely.
[Reporter] Why is that?
Why don’t you fish around here?
[Intang] Nothing to fish here because
the water has been polluted.
I need to sail further to Tanjung Pasir or Ancol.
[Reporter] Where are we going right now?
[Intang] We’re going to Tanjung Pasir.
This is the distance Intang has to sail every night.
Around 15 km, if he sails to Tanjung Pasir or Ancol,
with 25 liters of fuel for a single destination, round-trip.
He catches shrimps and squids with
a catching tool called sondong.
[Intang] This is how you set this catcher,
it’s called sondong.
[Reporter] Since when have you used sondong?
[Intang] I’ve been using sondong since 2015,
when my farm was knocked down.
Before, Intang had a green mussel farm,
but it was knocked down for
the development of Pantai Indah Kapuk Island.
28 fishermen, including Intang,
had their farms torn down
without proper compensation.
In some of NCICD design drafts,
the reclamation island is set to play a vital role.
Aside from supporting the project financing,
this island is also claimed to be able
to strengthen the sea wall.
In fact, reclamation is not something new.
It has been planned since 1995,
far before the NCICD project was announced,
to solve the tidal flood.
It is documented in the Presidential Decree Number 52
concerning Reclamation of Northern Jakarta Coast
and Regional Regulation Number 8
concerning Implementation of Reclamation
and Spatial Plan of Jakarta Northern Coast Area.
There are needs that are in line with the private sector's
interest in expanding areas for investment.
Climate change issues are also correlated
with the sea wall construction.
From my analysis,
both issues can be seen as parallel.
If the island [reclamation] is resumed,
those fishermen would need
to seek access and areas for fishing.
Not all seas are the same.
For example, if you’ve moved to another location
while you want to continue fishing,
you need other types of catching devices,
and you need to spend more.
On one hand, from the locals’ perspective,
the coastal embankment brings positive impacts,
though it cannot solve issues such as
difficulty in accessing the sea for fishing.
Nonetheless, they will solve it on their own.
We’ve seen how they built wooden stairs to access the sea.
That’s an example of their way of solving an issue.
If the area is closed,
I think it would lead to bigger issues.
For the last 10 years,
embankment A construction hasn’t been completed,
only a few parts.
For another 10 years and beyond,
the constructed wall will be sinking.
I strongly suggest building offshore embankments instead.
To prevent 100% funding from
the national budget in IKN,
we can collaborate with feasible stakeholders.
We can define a reasonable financial scheme,
so it will be paid in the long term,
not by the national budget,
but by private entities gaining economic benefits
from the proposed activities.
When the sea walls are completed,
people will no longer be able to make
a living from the surrounding water.
Not everyone sails far away for fishing,
maybe hundreds of thousands of people will be affected.
Because even now, the coastal waters are still productive.
There are squids, not just green mussels.
These nearshore fishing grounds still exist today.
If they are affected,
they will cause significant effects.
If we don’t find any solutions,
it will lead to public resistance.
In this case, social science is required
since changes involve humans.
Otherwise, we’d never know or understand
the ways humans are involved.
Any infrastructure solutions
will not solve the issue holistically.
Particularly for the northern coast of Java, mainly Jakarta,
in line with the President’s direction last February,
we formed a task force for
the Java Northern Coast Giant Sea Wall
to consolidate planning and oversee
the execution of coastal protection.
It is not merely a wall,
but an adaptive system to face
the climate crisis and tidal floods,
protecting the ecosystem and the lives
of people living in the coastal area.
A survey was conducted to 1,350 Jakarta residents,
86.07% respondents were not aware of the Giant Sea Wall.
960 people living in Cilincing make
their living from the green mussels.
In Cilincing, green mussel harvest
can reach about 51 tons annually.
Around 1,000 people in Kamal Muara are
working as fishermen (Universitas Tarumanegara, 2020).
Approximately 4,700 tons of fish are received in
Kamal Muara Fish Auction House (BPS, 2022).
The Giant Sea Wall of the Northern Java Coast is listed
in the indicative list of National Strategic Projects for 2025 – 2029.
We have sea walls in North Jakarta,
and Semarang will follow suit.
Right now, we’re focusing on both.
In Semarang, Pekalongan, and Brebes,
water has threatened our people’s lives, so we need to hurry.
This is something we need to take action on.
We are open to companies from China,
Japan, Korea, Europe, Middle East.
Anyone can invest here.