UNAIR NEWS – A few days ago, the President of the United States (US) Joe Biden caused a stir in the Indonesian people. In his speech at the Office of the US Director of National Intelligence on July 27, 2021, he predicted that DKI Jakarta (Special Capital District of Jakarta) would sink in the next ten years. He reminded us that climate change is becoming a serious threat to Indonesia, especially DKI Jakarta.
By phone, the Head of Environmental Engineering, Universitas Airlangga, Dr. Eko Prasetyo Kuncoro, ST., DEA., explained that global warming phenomenon is the cause of experts, scientists, and academics predicting DKI Jakarta and 112 cities in northern Java will sink in 2030.
“Actually, is it absolute? We cannot say it is absolute because the control is not in our hands but the hands of the Almighty,” he said when contacted by UNAIR NEWS on Wednesday, August 18, 2021.
Nevertheless, Eko said rationally that global warming is unavoidable and has many effects.
“One of the effects that are felt by the world community related to global warming is climate change which causes an increase in seawater temperature, causing the sea level to rise relatively and with more volume,” said the lecturer from Kediri.
Furthermore, Eko explained that melting glaciers at the poles are also one of the causes of seawater temperatures and, consequently, rising sea levels. Regarding the north coast of Java, which is in danger of sinking, Eko said that it is due to the sea-level rise and other factors such as the use of groundwater.
“Initially, the land level drops, and then the sea level rises. Well, this combination causes some of the cities to sink,” he added.
Eko observed that several areas predicted to sink are located in the sea level rise area, such as North Jakarta, Semarang, Demak, and Pekalongan.
“This sea level is predicted to have different numbers from one source to another, but from 2001-2009 those areas experienced a sea-level rise of between 1 and 1.5 meters,” he explained.
Furthermore, Eko views why experts focus more on DKI Jakarta, which is predicted to sink than other cities in Indonesia. “In the context of the areal importance, I think Jakarta is a representation of the nation’s capital with dense population, so it is used as an example,” he said (*).
Author: Dimas Bagus Aditya
Editor: Nuri Hermawan
