The Last Dwellers

If you look at the 1985 Landsat satellite image, the village was 2 kilometers from the nearest beach. Now, the sea has reached Salam\'s backyard.

KOMPAS/SATRIO PANGARSO WISANGGENI

Children play on a boat in Kampung Beting, Pantai Bahagia Village, Muara Gembong, Bekasi Regency, on Wednesday (28/7/2021). In the background, you can see houses that have been abandoned by their residents because the village is often hit by tidal floods.

Near the main road of Kampung Beting, Pantai Bahagia village, Muara Gembong in West Java’s Bekasi regency, is the house of 76-year-old Salam.

But Salam is not a resident of Kampung Beting. Together with his wife, Ocah, Salam is the last resident of Enclek village, which has begun to sink and disappear. “There used to be 11 houses. Now, there is only one left,” Salam said, pointing to the former foundations of his neighbor\'s houses when visited at the end of July.