Environment
Jakarta Is Sinking Itself Into the Ocean
Groundwater pumping and rising sea levels could leave millions flooded out of their homes.
When flood water inundated much of Jakarta, Indonesia, in 2007, many were quick to blame climate change. The city is certainly susceptible to rising oceans, with about 40 percent of land below sea level. But it's also not doing itself any favors. The city has been carelessly pumping its groundwater, leading neighborhoods to sink further.
"Jakarta is one of the worst sinking cities in the world," says JanJaap Brinkman, a hydrologist with the Dutch water research institute Deltares, which has been working in the city to help plan for what may be a very wet future. He was at the recent American Planning Association national conference to explain some of the city's major issues.