Indonesian village sinks under sea

In Indonesia, the fertile rice fields of the Tambulsluco region have now become a network of stone pathways on the water's surface, illustrating the disastrous impact climate change can have on coastal communities.

Despite significant changes in their lives due to rising sea levels, coastal erosion, and excessive groundwater extraction causing land subsidence, over 200 people still inhabit this coastal area on Java Island. The removal of mangrove trees to make way for fishing ponds in the 1990s has made the coast more vulnerable to floods.

Sulkan, a 49-year-old Indonesian teacher, gazes at old pictures, reminiscing about a music band and a group of smiling students standing on a road now submerged under murky water. This man, like many Indonesians, now carries only memories of what used to be.

According to Deni Nugroho Soejianto, a professor at Deboningoro University, the waters have engulfed an area of about five kilometers inland around Tambulsluco and the surrounding Demak area. 

Scientific studies show that the region around Tambulsluco is currently experiencing an annual sea level rise of 20 centimeters, double the rate recorded in 2010. Soejianto emphasizes that this is the highest rate of subsidence ever recorded in the area, signaling a slow-brewing catastrophe.

The coastal villagers living on Java's shorelines are among the first victims of the climate emergency, and researchers estimate that a significant part of Jakarta city is at risk of sinking by the year 2050.

In Tambulsluco, residents have raised the wooden foundations of their homes with soil to keep them dry during worsening floods. Sulkan had to relocate his kindergarten to a higher location. Solarso, a 54-year-old fisherman, has raised the floor of his house three times since 2018, totaling 1.5 meters, costing him around 22 million rupiahs (approximately 1451 US dollars). He expresses a sense of hopelessness, believing that his village will disappear in less than five years, leaving no future for them.

As tides rise, water inundates his house, and he fears that a more violent wave will destroy his home. Khwaria, a 42-year-old housewife, struggles to shop or take her three children to school due to waterlogged roads.

The problem is expected to worsen with further climate change. The United Nations' international climate change agency estimates that a two-degree Celsius increase above pre-industrial levels could raise sea levels by 43 centimeters by the next century.

In response to the rising waters, the village cemetery was raised to higher ground and villagers constructed a makeshift dam using tires. They also funded the construction of stone pathways to connect their homes and provide access to their loved ones' graves.

The monotonous life in Tambulsluco drives the youth away, as Shuwarol Tamimi, a 24-year-old resident, explains that young people often leave their homes due to the waterlogged conditions. He used to wade through flooded streets to reach work, carrying spare clothes.

Professor Soejianto urges the government to provide access to flowing water to reduce reliance on groundwater and to consider sand filling to combat erosion. He emphasizes that without restoring the original coast, a permanent solution to the problem will remain elusive.

In Tambulsluco, Sulkan refuses to give up. He is determined to stay and teach a new generation of children, stating that as long as there are people and houses, he will remain there.




AFP