Jakarta – In addition to traffic woes, Jakarta is under threat of soil degradation and rising sea surface levels, experts say.

Geology research conducted at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) revealed that the soil surface in 23 areas in Jakarta had sunk by between two and 12 centimeters per year during the 1997-2007 period.

The soil in the western and northern areas of Jakarta had sunk by between five and 12 centimeters per year, researcher Hasanuddin Z. Abidin said.

"Soil in Jakarta's central and eastern areas was sinking at an average annual rate of five centimeters, while some of Jakarta's southern areas were dropping by between two and four centimeters per year," he added, as quoted by kompas.com.

Another researcher, Safwan Hadi, calculated that with given a one centimeter escalation of the sea surface each year, Penjaringan, Pademangan, Ancol, Pluit and Kamal Muara sub-district will be inundated with sea water by 2050.