TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Researcher of the Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Tubagus Solihuddin, revealed the erosion occurring in the coastal areas of the Northern Coast of Java (Pantura) has reached 65.8 percent of the coastline. This erosion stretches from the regency of Serang to Situbondo, directly impacting the loss of living space for the local communities.
One of the triggers for the increasing erosion in Pantura, according to Tubagus, is the massive development of settlements and economic centers in the area due to demographic pressure. This also leads to uncontrolled extraction of marine and coastal resources.
According to Tubagus, the Pantura area is geologically composed of loosely arranged fluvial deposits and deltas. Consequently, this condition makes the coastal land not compacted strongly, making it highly susceptible to erosion and compaction. This vulnerability is also exacerbated by the morphological conditions in the area.
"Pantura is dominated by low relief or low-lying coastal areas with elevations of less than 10 meters," Tubagus said in a written statement on Monday, May 4, 2026. "The challenges are not only erosion, abrasion, and floods, but also the rising sea level and land subsidence."
Analysis of changes in the coastline using Sentinel Satellite images during the period of 2000 to 2024 showed worrying trends. According to Tubagus, the change in the coastline is dominated by an erosion rate of 65.8 percent, while the accretion or land addition rate is only at 34.2 percent.
He highlighted an anomaly in the monitoring data, where massive erosion actually occurs in the delta environment, which is naturally a sedimentation area. This condition is closely related to modification activities in the upstream areas, such as canalization, river diversion, and dam construction, which ultimately disrupt the supply of sediment to the coastal estuarine areas.
Tubagus assessed that the root causes of the problems in the Pantura coast are systemic. The triggering factors include massive land use conversion, including more than 1,500 square kilometers of built-up areas and 5,449 square kilometers of paddy fields, as well as deforestation of mangroves and sporadic and non-integrated wave barrier structures.
Facing the complexity of this crisis, Tubagus emphasizes the importance of transitioning towards a cross-sectoral and regional approach. He asserts that there is no single solution that can be applied across the entire Pantura region because each coastal segment has different characteristics and morphologies, and physical interventions in one area may not be relevant to another.
Read: Indonesian Govt Preparing Blueprint for Pantura's Giant Sea Wall, Minister AHY Says
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