Giant Sea Embankment: City Protection Or Coastal Community Threat

JAKARTA - The construction of Giant Sea Wall or a Giant Sea Embankment on the coast of Banten - Pesisir Gresik, East Java for 500 Kilometers. This project is predicted to eliminate funds of up to 80 billion US$ or around 1,298 trillion, this is part of an ambitious project called the National Capital Integrated Coastal Development (NCICD) which aims to overcome tidal flooding and land subsidence.

Projects that have been launched in the International Conference on Infrastructure 2025 at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC), the work on this project has been carried out this year. Project work is expected to take up to 20 years. The Giant Sea Wall project has been initiated by Bappenas since 2007, inspired by the major flood event that established Jakarta. Since 1994/1995 Bappenas has been thinking about making embankments to overcome tidal flooding and land subsidence. Giant Sea Wall musai was realized during the period of the PJ Governor Heru Budi Hartono.

The master plan for the National Capital Integrated Coastal Development (NCICD) project which includes Giant Sea Wall, coastal revitalization, opens a vision for Jakarta. At the location of Giant Sea Wall, by including the plan to build 17 artificial islands in a formation in the form of Garuda birds and Giant Sea Wall as a closed lagoon that can accommodate clean water for the residents' water supply. It is hoped that later there will be international cooperation between the Government of Indonesia and the Netherlands to build an international port that is connected to the existing port of Jakarta Bay, at the location also developed a waterfront city arrangement with industry and waste treatment.

Although this project is considered vital in terms of infrastructure and protection of the capital, its existence has sparked heated debate due to the social and ecological impacts it has had, especially on coastal communities.

Responding to the plan for the construction of Giant Sea Wall, Walhi's Deputy for National External Executive, Mukri Friatna said the plan to build a giant embankment, this is good, to protect the danger of rob, and to reduce sea level. "But what we don't count is where water runs, when parts of the coast are dammed. There is a potential for other small islands to be submerged, that's the answer we haven't heard of," Mukri told Voi last week.

One of the most obvious impacts of the development of Giant Sea Wall is the eviction of coastal community settlements. Many traditional fishing communities that have lived for generations in coastal areas have lost their homes for the sake of reclamation and embankment construction projects. The relocation process, which is often without deliberation and a viable solution, causes new economic and social vulnerabilities.

In addition to losing their homes, people also lose their social environment, place of business, and direct access to the sea which has been the main source of livelihood.

The construction of embankments and reclamation islands also changes access to marine space. The previously open fishing area is now limited by the concrete structure and project exclusive zones. For small fishermen, this is not just a physical barrier, but a barrier to their livelihoods.

The sea space, which was previously owned jointly and freely accessible, turned into a controlled and managed space by corporations or the government. As a result, there was economic marginalization of traditional fishing groups.

As pressure on the coastal community increases, there is also a wave of social resistance. Fishermen's groups, NGOs, and civil society carry out various acts of rejection, ranging from demonstrations, legal advocacy, to social media campaigns. Institutions such as Walhi and Kiara (People's Coalition for Fishery Justice) Together with KNTI (Indonesian Traditional Fishermen Association) filed a lawsuit to the court over the implementation of GWS Giant Sea Wall. This movement rejects developments that sacrifice small communities for the greater economic-political interest. In fact, they even sued compensation of up to 6000 trillion.

This resistance also raises discourse on ecological justice and city rights, which demands that city development be inclusive and not exclusive to the economic elite or capital.

The Giant Sea Wall project is closely related to the process of privatizing the sea space. Many areas that were previously freely accessible are now exclusive areas managed by private developers. The reclamation that accompanies the construction of embankments creates artificial islands for elite property, business and tourism.

In this context, the sea is no longer seen as an ecosystem that supports life, but as an economic asset that can be traded. This deepens inequality between the lower class and the capital owner.