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JAKARTA — The leakage of the seawall in Muara Baru, Penjaringan, North Jakarta, since Thursday (4/12/2025), has triggered widespread concern among residents. This condition not only reflects the weakening of coastal protection structures, but also increases the risk of flooding as Jakarta enters the peak of the rainy season.
Many residents are anxious, fearing the seawall could suddenly collapse. The sea level, which is nearly as high as the three-meter seawall, has caused people living around Muara Baru to live in constant unease.
Urban planning observer M Azis Muslim said the government must act quickly to carry out mitigation measures. According to him, the leakage appearing at multiple points indicates a serious problem.
This is because, even without a collapse, Jakarta is already facing a rainy season prone to flooding. If the seawall were to break suddenly, the threat to residents’ activities would multiply. According to him, unmanaged leakage has the potential to cause seawater to spill into the city center.
“It is not impossible that this condition could spread to the city center if it is not handled properly,” Azis explained to Kompas.com.
Azis urged the government to take measured actions to prevent major flooding, especially if overflowing seawater mixes with rainwater.
Inadequate maintenance
Azis assessed the leakage of the Muara Baru seawall as evidence that the government has not maximized maintenance efforts.
“This shows that the government’s maintenance of infrastructure has not been entirely optimal or fully effective in protecting the community from the threat of flooding,” Azis said.
According to him, this seawall leakage should serve as an early warning for the government to inspect all seawalls in Jakarta.
A comprehensive evaluation is needed to ensure whether the seawall structures are still effective in preventing seawater overflow or whether they require major repairs.
If routine monitoring is difficult, Azis said local residents could be involved in reporting when they see signs of damage. Community involvement is considered capable of accelerating repairs so that damage does not worsen.
The Muara Baru seawall has been patched by the North Jakarta Water Resources Sub-agency (Sudin SDA) since Thursday (4/12/2025) until Friday (5/12/2025). Four points were handled using sandbags and cement. These efforts are temporary and aim to hold back seawater seepage. However, according to Azis, this method is insufficient for the long term.
“Of course this is a short-term solution, but it will not be effective in the long run,” he said.
Azis emphasized the need for a structural audit to determine the cause of the leakage, whether due to weak construction or maintenance factors. By identifying the cause, repairs can be carried out more precisely and sustainably. He also suggested that the government should not repair seawalls merely as projects, but in a sustainable manner accompanied by proper maintenance mechanisms.
Severe risks
Researcher at the BRIN Center for Limnology and Water Resources Research (National Research and Innovation Agency), Budi Heru Santosa, also called for maximum repair efforts.
“Leakage in seawalls has the potential to cause serious impacts. Such leakage is a form of structural damage that can quickly develop into more severe conditions. It is very important to address the problem immediately,” Budi said.
If left unchecked, leakage can cause piping or internal erosion, a condition in which seepage erodes the foundation soil of the seawall and forms cavities that trigger structural failure.
Another risk is structural degradation, when seawater seepage causes corrosion of reinforced concrete, making the seawall fragile.
Due to these significant risks, Budi urged the Jakarta Provincial Government to take immediate action.
“Grouting should be carried out immediately on the leaking parts of the seawall, and temporarily, sheet piles can be installed at the leakage points to inhibit leakage so it does not worsen,” he said.
He also suggested routine inspections of the seawalls. If periodic inspections are difficult to carry out, the community can be involved as part of an early reporting system.
“Building an agreement between the government and local residents for a monitoring and reporting system,” Budi said.
Residents’ concerns
The leakage of the Muara Baru seawall has made residents around the area increasingly anxious. Several residents fear the seawall could collapse suddenly and allow large volumes of seawater to enter.
Residents hope the government will repair the seawall and also build a new, stronger one.
“It should be repaired better and there should be construction of a new seawall so it’s stronger, because it’s already scary,” said Nurhasan (40).
Iis (42) expressed a similar hope.
“We hope there will be construction of a stronger, taller seawall. It’s already very shaky; without the seawall we wouldn’t be able to sleep,” she said.
The distance between the seawall and residential areas is only about 800 meters. Four neighborhood units (RT) in RW 17, Penjaringan, are located directly along the seawall, mostly consisting of semi-permanent buildings made of wood and boards.
Without the seawall, seawater could easily sweep through residents’ homes.
NCICD seawall to be built
Jakarta DPRD member Tri Waluyo said the government is not remaining idle regarding the leakage. The Jakarta Provincial Government continues to coordinate with Pelindo as the owner of the seawall to carry out repairs.
Going forward, the government will build the National Capital Integrated Coastal Development (NCICD) seawall along the Jakarta coastline.
“Yes, indeed the provincial government itself has the NCICD development assisted by the ministry. The NCICD will be built along the northern coast of Jakarta including Muara Baru, Muara Angke, Cilincing, and Marunda,” Tri said.
The construction will be carried out in stages from Pantai Indah Kapuk (PIK) to Marunda, adjusting to budget availability.
The DPRD will also encourage Pelindo to repair the damaged seawall or build a new one to prevent recurrent tidal flooding.
“As for seawall repairs, we hope Pelindo itself will repair the seawall that has collapsed, or build a new seawall so that tidal flooding does not happen again,” Tri explained.
Dr. Muh Azis Muslim, M.Si.
Lecturer in Public Administration
