Pekalongan Regency: Field Reports and Narratives At the Edge of Adaptation
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Lost Land & Relocation: Several hamlets have been permanently submerged and officially declared unsalvageable. At this extreme point, relocation has become the only viable option.
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Short-lived Seawalls: Adaptation infrastructure, such as seawalls, provides only temporary protection. Within 2–3 years, water begins to overtop them again.
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Intrusion & Subsidence: Land subsidence of up to 10–12 cm/year exacerbates seawater intrusion. Wells have turned salty, forcing residents to rely on bottled water and disrupting local agriculture.
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Shaken Livelihoods: Farmers have lost their land, and fishermen require new equipment to adapt. Many families now depend on remittances from relatives working outside the region.
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Multilevel Support for Adaptation: While masterplans, drainage systems, zoning, and livelihood schemes have been drafted, their implementation depends entirely on support from provincial and central governments, as well as political budget priorities.
