Predicted to Sink. How?

In Semarang, Surabaya and Jakarta, the land is sinking 15 centimeters per year. In Pekalongan, Central Java, the land subsidence reaches up to 18 cm per year.

KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO

Aerial photo of buildings submerged in seawater around a coastal safety embankment in Muara Baru, North Jakarta, Thursday (19/8/2021).

This newspaper’s report about cities in Indonesia that are predicted to sink in the future only reinforces what we have heard earlier.

We still freshly remember the speech by United States President Joe Biden at the office of the Director of National Intelligence on July 27, which signaled the sinking of Jakarta in the next 10 years. Other predictions are more extended, saying Jakarta will sink by 2050.