11 percent of the surface of the Pari Island has disappeared into the sea. It is predicted that most of the islands can stall in 2050.
In December 2021, Arif Pujiyanto was relaxing after a day’s work at his home on Bintang Beach, Pari Island, a popular vacation spot some 27 miles north of Jakarta. He heard his neighbor shouting. “Seawater is coming in!” they repeated.
Mr. Pujiyanto grabbed his sandals and fled his house, only to discover ankle-deep tidal flooding had already flooded his neighborhood. It did not take long for the seawater to reach his knees, to flood his kitchen, and to engulf most of this land. It then recedding in the early hours of the morning.
RELEVANT SUSTAINABLE GOALS
An Existential Crisis at Pari Island
Environmental groups say Pari Island has lost around 5 acres of land due to sea-level rise in recent decades, and most of the island could be submerged by 2050. But residents aren’t going down without a fight.
The residents of Pulau Pari feel threatened by losing their livelihoods at present. There is a possibility that tourist beaches will disappear in the future. This also has an impact on local tourism and overall livelihoods. Additionally, rising sea levels have also resulted in salt water contamination of residents’ water wells.
Edi Mulyono, one of the Pari Island Fishermen, admitted in a written statement that he had felt the loss of this condition. As he stated, the tidal flooding that occurred during 2019 and 2020 has been the largest rob that has occurred on this island during its existence.
“The sea air continues to rise, tidal flooding occurs more often and more intensely. As a result of this climate crisis, residents must always be vigilant. Some wells cannot even be used because of seawater pollution. Residents in the western part and in RT 1 must also increase their houses every year,” said Edi, Wednesday, September 21.
“Our island will sink. Where are we going to live?” he complained.
The tidal floods inundated Bintang Beach and several areas in the central and eastern parts of the island, including Pasir Perawan. On that beach, sea water enters tens of meters, inundating the stalls along the beach with up to half of an adult’s calves. The topography of Pari Island is a flat coral island with a height of 0-3 meters above sea level. In other words, Pari Island has no defense because there is no plateau to shelter from tidal floods.
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