REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - The Indonesian government will launch the giant sea wall project on Thursday (October 9) to protect Jakarta from floods and rising sea levels.

"We will launch the first phase of the giant sea wall project at 4 p.m. on October 9," Coordinating Minister of Economy Chairul Tanjung said on Friday.

Earlier, Tanjung led a coordination meeting to discuss the progress of the National Capital Integrated Coastal Development (NCICD) project, which was also attended by Deputy Minister of Public Works Hermanto Dardak and Deputy Minister of Transportation Bambang Susantono.

Tanjung said during the meeting that the government agreed to construct eight kilometers in the first phase, and complete it by 2017. 

The total length of the sea wall is to be 33 kilometers. The Ministry of Public Works and the Jakarta Capital Region government will build eight kilometers of the total 33 kilometers, while the remainder will be built by a private agency.

"This project should be completed within three years because we urgently need such an infrastructure. The central and Jakarta governments will share the expenditure on the eight-kilometer phase, the total of which has been estimated at 3.2 trillion IDR," Tanjung said. 

The government of Jakarta has been carrying out the reclamation of coastal areas along the Jakarta Gulf and relocation of the people there to flats. Tanjung said finishing the first phase of the sea wall would be an important milestone in completing the project, which is expected to cost 400 trillion IDR to 500 trillion IDR, by 2030.

"This is just the initial phase. There will more phases. If we are consistent, the sea wall will be ready by 2030, and after that we will be dealing with related development issues," he said.

Meanwhile, some foreign investors have reportedly expressed interest in joining the giant sea wall project. Though one of them was said to be from South Korea, this has not been confirmed.

Ikuti Whatsapp Channel Republika