June 18, 2025
JAKARTA – Despite criticism from environmentalists and apparent conflict with Governor Pramono Anung’s conservation pledge, the Jakarta administration has committed to supporting President Prabowo’s ambitious seawall megaproject along the city’s northern coast following the President’s request last week.
Speaking at the Jakarta Future Festival on Sunday, Pramono announced that the city would allocate around Rp 5 trillion (US$307 million) annually to fund the development of a 19-kilometer structure along Jakarta’s coastline.
“This is a long-term project, Jakarta will prepare for it,” Pramono said.
President Prabowo had previously estimated that the Jakarta Bay seawall project, expected to be completed within eight years, would require an annual budget of approximately US$1 billion. He subsequently called on the city administration to contribute, given Jakarta’s substantial regional budget.
According to Antara, Jakarta’s regional budget this year stands at Rp 91.34 trillion, the highest in the city’s history; the budget stood at around Rp 85.1 trillion in 2024 and Rp 83.7 trillion in 2023.
The seawall, which will span roughly 500 kilometers from Banten to East Java, is projected to cost up to $80 billion over 20 years. The project aims to combat coastal flooding and land subsidence, with some parts of northern Jakarta reportedly sinking by up to 15 centimeters a year.
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However, Pramono’s decision to back the seawall has drawn criticism from environmental groups who argue that the plan contradicts his campaign promise last year to prioritize the development of a massive mangrove ecosystem in Jakarta Bay.
Jeanny Sirait, an urban campaigner with Greenpeace Indonesia, told The Jakarta Post on Monday that the seawall project poses significant environmental risks without offering clear benefits. She urged the government to prioritize greater investment in restoring the mangrove ecosystem instead.
“The government can build temporary, small-scale embankments while simultaneously restoring the mangroves,” Jeanny said, adding that a permanent and costly seawall could strain Jakarta’s budget and most importantly have harmful effects on the environment and local residents.
Elisa Sutanudjaja, executive director of the Rujak Center for Urban Studies, noted that in severely eroded coastal areas, embankments attached to the land might help prevent flooding. However, she questioned the urgency of “building embankments in the middle of the sea, especially if the underlying issue of land subsidence is not adequately addressed.”
The idea of constructing a seawall to prevent flooding has been discussed since at least 1994, but it was only on Feb. 10 that the massive seawall project was officially included as a national strategic project by President Prabowo through Presidential Regulation No. 12/2025 on the 2025-2029 National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN).
This designation facilitates easier access to land acquisition and necessary permits for the project.
A survey published in April by fisheries watchdog Destructive Fishing Watch (DFW) found that 56 percent of respondents disapproved of the project, citing concerns over environmental damage and impacts on coastal communities. The survey polled 105 residents living in the Greater Jakarta area.