TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Minister of Public Works, Dody Hanggodo, received instructions from President Prabowo Subianto to expedite the construction of the Giant Sea Wall (GSW), stretching from Jakarta to Gresik, East Java.

The Red and White Cabinet Minister revealed that the instruction was based on the alarming land subsidence rate in Jakarta. To start, the minister plans to develop the giant sea wall from Jakarta to Bekasi. 

"We have been mandated on several occasions to speed up the construction of the Giant Sea Wall, at least from Jakarta to Bekasi. Approximately 20 to 30 kilometers,” he said after a working meeting with Commission V of DPR on Wednesday, October 30, 2024.

The ministry budget for this project, however, is limited. Thus, Dody opens the opportunity to partner with private entities to fund the development. Dody also hopes for the Giant Sea Wall in Jakarta to serve as a model for similar projects in other regions, such as Semarang and Surabaya. .

Previously, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto had requested the Asian Infrastructure and Investment Bank (AIIB) to expand its support for infrastructure projects in Indonesia, such as high-speed trains and the Giant Sea Wall.

Airlangga conveyed the statement during a meeting with AIIB President Jin Liqun on the sidelines of the 2024 ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, Laos, on Wednesday, October 9.

This project is one of the major initiatives that will be realized by President Prabowo, as confirmed by the head of the Presidential Housing Task Force, Hashim Djojohadikusumo, during the APEC Business Advisory Council Indonesia meeting at Hutan Kota by Plataran, GBK, Senayan, Jakarta, on Saturday, August 31.

Hashim explained that constructing the giant seawall will involve cooperation between the government and the private sector, including foreign investors.

As Prabowo's brother and advisor, Hashim emphasized that the project is designed to anticipate the sinking of coastal areas on the northern coast of Java. It is estimated that 40 percent of rice fields in this area could be submerged if the project is delayed. 

Hashim also mentioned that the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) drafted the plan to build this giant seawall in 1994. Despite commencing a decade ago, there has been little progress in the Giant Sea Wall project. 

Raden Putri Alpadillah Ginanjar contributed to the writing of this article.

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