Indonesia refines giant sea wall plan to protect flood-prone Java coast

At a press briefing in Jakarta, Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono outlined the next phase of Indonesia’s 575-kilometre Giant Sea Wall, a mega-project aimed at curbing coastal flooding on Java. The plan will be divided into over a dozen segments stretching from west to east, with the first construction slated for the most vulnerable stretch around Jakarta Bay, in coordination with the Jakarta Provincial Government.

Subsequent priority zones include the Central Java coast—specifically Semarang, Kendal and Demak—where rapid land subsidence and recurring tidal floods have intensified risk. While physical works such as concrete dikes and sea walls are being scheduled, Yudhoyono stressed that these alone cannot resolve the crisis; comprehensive spatial planning, strict controls on groundwater extraction, and upstream watershed management are also required.

The project will integrate nature-based measures, notably mangrove ecosystem restoration, to provide faster and more sustainable protection against erosion. The ministry is now refining the master plan with regional leaders to move from macro-level concepts to actionable engineering designs.