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Jakarta. The government’s lack of comprehensive strategy in preventing erosion along the country’s coastlines will pose a threat to the livelihoods of those living along the shore, a Public Works Ministry official said on Thursday.

Making the situation worse is the high population growth rate and unsustainable groundwater extraction by industry.

“Twenty percent of Indonesia’s shores were damaged with abrasion, worsened by global warming that will magnify the intensity and magnitude of abrasion and tidal waves,” said Mochammad Amron, director general of water resources at the Ministry of Public Works.

Abrasion occurs when waves and tides erode an unprotected shoreline, often leading to tidal flooding.

The ministry is prioritizing artificial sea defenses, such as the sea wall built on the shores of the popular tourist site Marunda in North Jakarta.

“The walls would be made of concrete; aside from that we also need to build tetrapods as wave breakers to prevent abrasion,” he said.

Although Jakarta’s shores are not the priority for the sea defense budget this year, Amron told the Jakarta Globe that the national government would conduct an extensive study in partnership with the Dutch government, seeking ways to protect the capital’s shores.

“The budget is at a minimum. We can only afford reconstruction along 19,860 kilometers of coastline while Indonesia has approximately 95,000 kilometers,” he explained.

The public works ministry gives higher priority to flood mitigation projects such as the West and East Flood canals.

This year’s budget for the project amounts to Rp 164.2 billion ($18.4 million).

“Of course we need more money; in the medium term, up to 2014, we plan to construct sea defenses along 300 kilometers and rehabilitate 50 kilometers” nationwide, he added.

Meanwhile, Yayat Supriyatna, an urban planning expert from Trisakti University, warned the threat of rising sea levels due to global warming in the coming years should not be taken lightly.

“Researchers forecast best, medium and worst-case scenarios. In 20 years, the sea level could rise between eight centimeters, 17 centimeters and 27 centimeters, respectively,” he said.

The situation will correspond on the volume of rising sea water caused by global warming and the following land subsidence.

“The key is to start building sea walls and pumps to get the water back out to the sea,” he said.

Separately, Ubaidillah, chairman of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), called on the government to pay more attention to providing natural coastal barriers by adding mangrove forests, instead of only installing sea walls made of concrete.

“These trees were scientifically proven to significantly prevent abrasion and tidal floods. They also provide stability to the soil and serve as a habitat for fish and other plant and animal species,” he said.

Walhi also suggested that at least 30 percent of the “defense belt” along Jakarta’s 32-kilometer shoreline came naturally.

“The only thriving mangrove forest in Jakarta is the one in Muara Angke, which can only protect the areas around it, so this isn’t enough,” Ubaidillah said.