Rescuing the Sinking City: A Strategy to Create Sustainable Megacity Jakarta

Drawing upon the historical framework in Urban Flood Risk Management: Looking at Jakarta (2022), coupled with new research on current flood mitigation strategies in Jakarta, it explores the implications of various approaches tried but none wholly successful to effectively deal with flooding and overall water management. Kusno’s recent study, Jakarta: City of a Thousand Dimensions (2023), identifies a variety of initiatives proposed or tested to address flooding over the past three decades reflecting the views of experts, politicians, community advocates and development interests. Their conflicting positions have not worked and have engendered a paralysis of action. Simultaneous application of multiple mitigation and adaptation strategies aimed at reducing overreliance on subsurface water and addressing surface water pollution can create a path forward to a healthier and more equitable urban environment.