environment
February 8, 2026
'I feel like an amphibian': The lives of people on a sinking island
Every morning, water begins to enter Suvandi's house and the level gradually rises.
TL;DR
- Residents on Java's northern coast, like Suvandi and Ningsih, face daily flooding that submerges their homes and communities.
- The flooding is caused by a combination of rising sea levels and rapid land subsidence, with coastal erosion exacerbated by the destruction of mangrove forests.
- Excessive groundwater extraction due to population growth, urbanization, and a lack of reliable water supply is identified as a major cause of land subsidence.
- Industrial development, particularly Special Economic Zones, is suspected of accelerating land subsidence by adding weight to the soft soil.
- The Indonesian government plans to build a 500-kilometer sea wall to protect millions, but experts question its effectiveness against land subsidence.
- Geologists suggest that controlling groundwater extraction is the most crucial step to address the sinking land issue.
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