Study on the risk and impacts of land subsidence in Jakarta

Abstract

Abstract. Jakarta is the capital city of Indonesia located in the west-northern coast of Java island, within a deltaic plain and passes by 13 natural and artificial rivers. This megapolitan has a population of about 10.2 million people inhabiting an area of about 660 km 2 , with relatively rapid urban development. It has been reported for many years that several places in Jakarta are subsiding at different rates. The main causative factors of land subsidence in Jakarta are most probably excessive groundwater extraction, load of constructions (i.e., settlement of high compressibility soil), and natural consolidation of alluvial soil. Land subsidence in Jakarta has been studied using leveling surveys, GPS surveys, InSAR and Geometric-Historic techniques. The results obtained from leveling surveys, GPS surveys and InSAR technique over the period between 1974 and 2010 show that land subsidence in Jakarta has spatial and temporal variations with typical rates of about 3-10 cm year −1 . Rapid urban development, relatively young alluvium soil, and relatively weak mitigation and adapatation initiatives, are risk increasing factors of land subsidence in Jakarta. The subsidence impacts can be seen already in the field in forms of cracking and damage of housing, buildings and infrastructure; wider expansion of (riverine and coastal) flooding areas, malfunction of drainage system, changes in river canal and drain flow systems and increased inland sea water intrusion. These impacts can be categorized into infrastructural, environmental, economic and social impacts. The risk and impacts of land subsidence in Jakarta and their related aspects are discussed in this paper.

The ‘wickedness’ of governing land subsidence: Policy perspectives from urban Southeast Asia

“…Areas in this previous study showing high subsidence (e.g., Muara Baru, Cengkareng) are now subsiding at a lower rate of about 60 mm/a, which can be traced to the relocation of factories out of this area. In summary, comparing our study with previous analyses [ 59 , 62 – 64 ], subsidence levels in Jakarta and its surrounding area show high spatial and temporal variability.…”

“…As previously established, the two metropolitan capitals of Jakarta and Metro Manila are seen to be among the most at risk of LS in archipelagic Southeast Asia [ 25 , 64 , 88 ]. Similar postcolonial trajectories of rapid urbanisation characterised by industrial agglomeration and the high incidence of rural-to-urban migration resulting in urban sprawl lend to their comparability as case studies.…”

“…In the cases of both Jakarta and Metro Manila, the importance of non-anthropogenic effects have hinged on the importance of auto-compaction as a result of tectonic shifting and the consolidation of alluvial soils [ 64 , 82 , 116 ]. Instead of excess carrying capacity that should be monitored, the question of soil consistencies and compaction often took centre stage in policy debates (interview with Association of Urban Planners, Jakarta, February 2017).…”

Assessment of Altimetric Range and Geophysical Corrections and Mean Sea Surface Models—Impacts on Sea Level Variability around the Indonesian Seas

“…Moreover, when analysing tide gauge data, the vertical movement caused by tectonic and volcanic activities and anthropogenic subsidence directly affects the tide gauge measurements. For example, Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, has subsidence rates about 3-10 mm/year for the period 1974 to 2010 [77] and sea level rise derived by tide gauge time series measurement and satellite altimetry for periods 1993 to 2009 are about 23 mm/year and 3.8 mm/year, respectively [18]. For the future work, due to the high seismic activity around Indonesia, the analysis of altimetry, tide gauge measurement and information of vertical motion can be expected to better characterise the actual sea level change in the Indonesian region, particularly at coastal areas.…”

Spatial Variability of Relative Sea-Level Rise in Tianjin, China: Insight From InSAR, GPS, and Tide-Gauge Observations

“…However, land subsidence is still a process threatening this city, especially along the coastal region dominated by aquaculture industry where groundwater is still extensively pumping for aquafarms. Land subsidence exacerbates the relative sea level rise (RSLR) in the coastal regions around the world, such as Hampton Roads, USA [14], [15], Jakarta, Indonesia [16], [17], Mekong Delta, Vietnam [18], [19], Shanghai, China [20], [21] and Tianjin, China [1], [22], [23]. In Tianjin coastal region, the situation is more severe.…”