Agnes Valentina Christa, Jakarta – Acting Jakarta Governor Heru Budi Hartono on Friday addressed recent concerns about the condition of seawalls protecting the northern coasts. He refuted a viral video on YouTube that depicted cracks in these seawalls as erroneous.

"That's not the great seawall, which is located further out to sea, approximately 100-500 meters from the coastlines," Heru told reporters when asked about the viral video.

He clarified that the video shared on social media was an old one, showing an embankment wall in Kalibaru. Heru said that the cracks in this embankment wall had already been repaired. However, he mentioned his intention to double-check for added assurance.

According to him, the situation is not as dire as some social media users may believe due to the presence of multi-layer embankment walls along the coast. "There is another protective wall behind that," he said.

The viral video was shared by social media personality Jerhemy Owen, who expressed concerns about the condition of Jakarta's seawalls, describing their critical role in preventing the city from sinking.

"Guys, these seawalls are the primary defense against the sea. If you observe closely, you'll notice that the sea level surpasses the land," Owen noted in the video.

"The water seeping through these cracks originates from the sea and exerts pressure on the land in Jakarta."

Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/jakarta-governor-clarifies-social-media-post-regarding-seawall-crack