Jakarta is sinking due to failing infrastructure, land subsidence and rising sea levels, making it vulnerable to flooding. Communities are finding ways to adapt.
00:01Indonesia's capital is constantly threatened by high water.
00:04By 2050, 90% of North Jakarta could be permanently flooded.
00:14A constant worry for Susie Susanti and her family,
00:17whose informal housing borders the ocean.
00:20I live here with my husband, mother, child and younger sibling.
00:24I'm a trader and my husband transports deliveries of salted fish.
00:30The fear of flooding can feel exhausting.
00:36We worry that flood water could enter our home and that our child might drown.
00:47Susie Susanti lives in Mwara Anke,
00:50a low-lying fishing community next to the Java Sea.
00:53It's a precarious existence for most of its roughly 18,000 inhabitants.
01:01The sea level is rising and rains are heavier and more frequent,
01:05as human-caused climate change exacerbates the risk of flooding.
01:10Water in Jakarta's rivers can back up,
01:12especially since dense settlements narrow and block the flow with sludge, faeces and waste.
01:18We're trying to widen and deepen the rivers to increase water flow capacity.
01:27But residents must help too, by preventing the accumulation of garbage,
01:31which is a problem across Jakarta.
01:33The high flood risk is worsened by ground subsidence.
01:45In addition to being extremely heavy, high rises vastly increase water use.
01:50Faced with an inadequate municipal supply, Jakartans have dug wells to pump up groundwater,
01:56causing the land to sink up to 10 centimetres per year.
02:02The groundwater extractors involve not only residents but also factories that draw from deep groundwater sources.
02:09This activity must be regulated and halted.
02:11In North Jakarta, the government is building a coastal embankment to hold back the sea.
02:2023 of the planned 39 kilometres are finished, but some parts are already leaking.
02:25And the wall has yet to reach the part of Moira Anki, where Susie Susanti and her family live.
02:34A much bigger wall may also be built in the ocean itself.
02:38It would create a whole new district.
02:43For now, a network of storage basins, dikes and pumps mitigates flooding from sea water and overflowing rivers.
02:50More green spaces in Jakarta would increase natural groundwater replenishment.
03:05Allowing the rain to find its natural path could help prevent land subsidence and lower flood risk.
03:11Jakarta's water comes from two dams to the east and the west of the city.
03:16An agreement has now been reached with the local stakeholders, which guarantees Jakarta an increased water supply.
03:33Currently, 66% of Jakarta's area has clean water.
03:38By 2030, we aim to reach 100%.
03:41Where does the water come from?
03:42It comes from the Jatilohua and Karian dams, which will supply 7,200 litres per second.
03:52This water will be brought to Jakarta and distributed to areas that have not yet been served.
03:58Some areas will remain flood-prone for some time, and people are starting to adapt.
04:03For example, this flood-resistant still construction in Kampung Aquarium in North Jakarta.
04:12The modern apartment complex may be a model for nearby Mwara Anke.
04:17Perhaps even a model for a safe home for Susie Susanti and her family.
04:21Kampung Aquarium was originally an informal settlement that the government demolished more than 10 years ago.
04:29When the residents protested against their eviction, Elisa Sutanujaya and her team helped to negotiate a compromise.
04:36During the rebuilding process, we wanted to demonstrate that this multi-storey settlement could be accepted by all parties, especially the government.
04:49However, it takes time for residents who previously lived in ground-level houses to adjust to moving into multi-storey housing.
04:56In Mwara Anke, there are now 200 smaller stilt houses built with steel construction, a pilot project supported by the Indonesian government.
05:13It's unclear whether the entire neighbourhood will be redeveloped.
05:17Susie Susanti is sceptical. An apartment in a stilt building would be safer, but she wants her own home.
05:27Although in our current home we only have a building permit, the house is ours. In flats, we need to pay rent.
05:38A solution for Mwara Anke will require politicians and residents to find a compromise, as was achieved in Kampung Aquarium.
05:48Nasiya will be 30 years old in 2050. I hope my child will be more successful than I am. Have a better life, receive a good education and secure a decent job.
06:02decent job. I hope she lives in a good environment, one that is free from air pollution and, of
06:08course, free from flooding.
06:16Jakarta is trying hard to find solutions to its environmental problems. As sea levels
