Indonesians struggle with money to shield homes as sea engulfs coastline

Indonesians are paying comparatively higher prices to shield their homes as the sea engulfs the coastline. Indonesian fisherman Miskan said that his limited income is being further strained as he has to borrow cash to protect his shelter from the high waves coming further inland on this vulnerable coastline. His community has struggled enough to fight against the inundation. The villagers blamed both the man-made environmental destruction and the impact of climate change. It poses a threat to millions of people with a sinking coastline on Indonesia’s most populous island of Java.

The recent flooding in Tambaklorok in Central Java province has affected Miskan and the locals so badly that they had to use the window to enter their homes as their main entrance is blocked by dirt piled up to prevent the seawater entering into the house. He added that it is very difficult to save money for a fisherman. He further added that he had to borrow money from the neighbours to hire workers.

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People across Asia, Europe protest

Hundreds of people across Asia and Europe joined the rallies demanding more action on climate change on Friday. They urged the political leaders to come up with very urgent actions at a United Nations conference that starts on Monday.
Indonesia is an archipelago that consists of a lot of islands and has a coastline of 81,000 kilometres. It is also home to more than one-fifth of the world’s mangrove forests which is naturally responsible to wipe out tidal waters.

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Government puts effort

For a long time, coastal communities have cut down mangrove forests for shipping and shrimp businesses. The government is putting efforts to work with environmental activists to replant mangroves and relocate the threatened villages. Feri Prihantoro of the Bina Karta Lestari Foundation, a non-government organisation (NGO) that is aimed at sustainable development said the coastline of the area is vulnerable to flooding and high tides due to the sinking of the land because of the extraction of underground water and higher sea levels. Jakarta is prone to flooding with almost two-fifths of the city lying below the sea level.

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