South Korea to be Involved in Jakarta’s Giant Sea Wall

BANDUNG, August 25 (EngineeringDaily) -- After his recent election, the new president of Indonesia Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has been meeting with ambassadors from countries across Asia, including South Korean ambassador Cho Tai-young, to discuss foreign relations and joint projects.

The result of the meeting between Ambassador Cho and President Jokowi was an agreement for the continued collaboration of the two countries. The South Korean government would like to continue working with the government of Jakarta in many aspects, including the construction of a giant dam known as the Giant Sea Wall (GSW) in north Jakarta.

"The South Korean government wanted to continue cooperation with Indonesia in the field of e-government and infrastructure projects such as the Giant Sea Wall," said Ambassador Cho after meeting with the newly elected president.

On this occasion, Cho also affirmed that South Korea will prioritize its relationship with Indonesia. Cooperation fostered in the past between South Korea and Indonesia in the field of local administration and e-government would continue to be maintained.

One area in which the cross-national relationship will be maintained is local infrastructure, and the Giant Sea Wall (GSW) is an example of one such infrastructure project. The joint project between the central Indonesian government and the Jakarta Provincial Government features plans to build a huge embankment to overcome flooding in Jakarta.

Indonesian Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto has also recently agreed to a plan to accelerate the ground breaking for the GSW. The initial plans for the project have been complete for some time, but construction is yet to begin due to an uncertainty of funding.

According to JakartaGlobe, the value of project is estimated at Rp 400 trillion (33.9 billion USD).  Originally, it was initiated by a joint cooperation between the Indonesian government and the Netherlands.

The objectives of the venture are to protect the capital from flooding caused by high tides and to develop the coastal area. The project will start with reclaiming land to create 17 artificial islands off the coast to serve as a tidal break and as foundation for the sea wall.

By Isamil Al Anshori