Moh Khory Alfarizi, Jakarta – The National Research Agency (BRIN) main researcher Eddy Hermawan on Thursday said there are 115 Indonesian islands facing the threat of sinking. The Jakarta area and areas in Java Island's northern coast (Pantura) are not the only regions that face this bleak future.
"Don't just focus on the Pantura and Jakarta, what will happen in the following years is that there will be 115 small and medium islands that could sink," said Hermawan in an online seminar on September 16.
The meteorologist revealed that the islands include Bali and Nias, also islands along the West Sumatra coastline. "We can imagine what it would be like if Bali sinks, that is a tourism region."
Hermawan solely pinned it down to climate change worsened by land subsidence across regions. He pointed out Jakarta and Pantura due to its soft land which are added with bay areas.
He said shape-wise, the northern coastline of the Java island is prone to sink. It needs to enforce a combination of proper mitigation and adaptation to face this pressing environmental threat.
Hermawan, in the seminar, presented the simulation result of the sea level rise and the effect on Jakarta with 160.4 square kilometers (24.3 percent) predicted to sink by the year 2050.