Launched RAD API Document of Provincial Goverment and Municipal and District Governments of North Coastal Central Java

SEMARANG – KEMITRAAN and the Central Java Provincial Government through Adaptation Fund funding are working to build community resilience in the face of climate change threats, namely sinking coastal areas. For this reason, KEMITRAAN together with the Central Java Provincial Government and five district and city governments on the north coast of Java launched the Regional Action Plan for Climate Change Adaptation (RAD API) document at the Grand Arkenso Parkview Hotel, Semarang, Thursday (26/9/2024).

The launch of the RAD API is a response to the increasingly real threat of sinking the north coast of Java. One by one, cities and regencies are starting to have their land eroded by rising sea levels. Among them are Pekalongan Regency and City. The Regional Development Agency (Bappeda) of Pekalongan City even predicts that 90 percent of the land in the Batik City will sink by 2035.

Rising sea levels on the north coast of Java are caused by climate change. This is exacerbated by the decline in land surface due to the massive use of groundwater. The impact is no joke. Hectares of agricultural land and residential areas are now submerged and can no longer be used. Therefore, quick, strategic and comprehensive steps are needed to solve these problems by developing a joint RAD API involving the provincial government.

In his remarks at this event, Head of Central Java Bappeda Harso Susilo said that Central Java has the potential to experience economic losses of Rp 14.90 trillion rupiah in the period 2020-2024 due to climate change. In the marine sector, the loss is Rp 29 billion, in the coastal sector it is Rp 893 billion, in the water sector it is Rp 301 billion, in the agricultural sector it is Rp 11.09 trillion, then in the health sector it reaches Rp 2.59 trillion.

“The implementation of climate change adaptation strategies requires cooperation and synchronization between parties, so this launch is expected to produce concrete steps as a joint commitment in the implementation of climate change adaptation which is the responsibility of all parties,” Harso said.

The preparation of the RAD API document refers to the Minister of Environment and Forestry Regulation Number P.33/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/3/2016 concerning Guidelines for Preparing Climate Change Adaptation Actions.

Meanwhile, KEMITRAAN Program Director Eka Melisa said the preparation and integration of the Central Java Province RAD-API with affected districts and cities was an initial initiation in the preparation of landscape-based climate change governance. Eka hopes this initial step can optimize the concept of cooperation and synergy between districts and cities on the North Coast of Central Java.

Eka said the RAD API document can be useful in decision-making and other policies related to regional development planning that is being and will be prepared such as the Regional Long-Term Development Plan (RPJPD) and the Regional Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMD). Eka also said that the community and the private sector can also be involved to contribute to implementing climate change actions.

“Through this activity, we hope that it can be used as an initiation to jointly intensify coordination and communication and formulate policies for the welfare of the community and for the progress of regencies and cities in the Central Java Pantura region,” Eka said.

The same thing was conveyed by the Director of Climate Change Adaptation of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Irawan Saad. He said that in the future it is necessary to consider the preparation of aseascape-based approach to the RAD API, so that the policy does not only coverlandscapes.

“Because environmental management cannot be done separately based on administration. Because water originating from upstream rivers has no KTP, no identity, from wherever it runs downstream. Likewise, the impact of climate change does not recognize administrative boundaries,” said Irawan.