Heritage and Water - Climate Change

Of all the different climate regions worldwide, the present-day phenomenon of climate change proves to be the biggest threat to the tropical and sub-tropical zones. The Asian tropical monsoon climate, for example, not only covers large natural areas but also many of the megacities found on this continent. For these metropolitan areas, climate change has the potential to intensify floods through increased rainfall, sea level rise and increased river flows.

Of these three risk factors, Jakarta is a present-day example of a city affected by all of them, and is increasingly seen as one of the coastal cities in Southeast Asia that is most vulnerable to climate change. What is making matters worse is the city’s excessive extraction of groundwater, resulting in significant land subsidence. Similar to the Indonesian city of Semarang, which suffers from the same natural and manmade vulnerability to floods, Jakarta’s shared cultural heritage is currently heavily affected by these water problems. Jakarta’s old city centre contains a vast amount of shared Dutch-Indonesian heritage, the remnants of which illustrate the cultural and historical significance of Batavia as an economic powerhouse within the present-day context of Indonesia. To counter this adverse climate change impact – both its current and the expected effects – Jakarta has planned to build ‘The Great Garuda’, a 36-kilometer-wide dike based on Dutch expertise, which is needed to protect Jakarta’s inhabitants and cultural heritage.

A recent Dutch photo project, called ‘The Great Water Wall’, was made to showcase the memories and stories of five Jakartans about their struggle against climate change. The protection of the city proves to be a case where the Dutch and Indonesians can learn from each other and jointly look at water management as a solution for current and future threats to heritage.

"Lifebook - The Great Water Wall"

A project by Dutch photographer Cynthia Boll, the interactive Lifebook will zoom in on five residents of Old Batavia (Jakarta) and their perspectives on the Great Garuda Wall, a proposed Dutch-Indonesian dike. Their memories and stories reflect their struggle with the threat that water constitutes.