Cemarajaya Village is sinking due to global climate change. Sea tide is becoming a threat for residents who live along the coastal area of Karawang in West Java, Indonesia. The global catasthrope erodes 6 km (3.728 mi) of coastal line from the village border since two decades ago. The rising sea level causes an ecological and material damage. Coastal floods have collapsed so many houses and buildings. Pisangan Beach, the most famous tourism destination in this area has also submerged by seawater.
“We lost everythings. We had huge income from the tourism before. Pisangan Beach gave the village Rp. 80 million per month ($5,128) during the 90’s,” Rudi Candia, the Cemarajaya Village chief, recently said.
Residents who can’t rely from tourism business change their occupation to fisher trader or open a small food stall. According to Rudi, Cemarajaya Village has lost 500 meters to 800 meters land from the recent coastal line. He clearly remember fishfond, residential complexs, and a small football field has gone due to rising sea level.
Yusuf, 20, admits he has been a witness to the village environmental decline. As he was born in 2002, he saw mangroves were no longer able to stem the strong tidal waves, as a result, abrasion and subsidence were inevitable.
Jusyang, 54, a Chief of Pisangan Hamlet said that his house and chicken coop were destroyed by the tidal wave during the Christmas Day and it was the worst in the past year. "The waves hit very high. It caused blackouts and the main road was submerged up to 1 meter. The only part of the house that remains is the living room," he said.
Mekarjaya hamlet is the most isolated area in the village and it has a small surviving vihara. Cemarajaya village is known for its diversity and religious tolerance. Currently, the only remaining viahara in Mekarjaya village is guarded by a Muslim named Camrad. He admits that he has guarded this monastery for 10 years from the seawater floods.
The Indonesian government manage to give a relocation program for residents on 2019. Rawin, 54 and his wife Peni, 53 is a family who receive relocation home earlier. "We were lucky because we got a relocation home from the government, but because we were worried, we still often visited our old house," Rawin said. Today 162 out of 299 residents have moved and got relocationa area. 137 peoples choose to stay at their deserted home.
Ruminah, a 65 years old woman doesn't want to leave the village because she feels an emotional attachment to her home and would guard the shoreline. Her daughter and Ruminah would return some stones that were swept away by the tidal waves back to the shoreline. This is also done by Boan, 40 and Eri, 35, fishpond owners in Cemarajaya Village. He took the initiative to repair the sandbags which were damaged by the tidal waves. "Besides defending the ponds, I also try to defend the coastline," he said.
Since two decades ago, resident start to build embankment and rise their house to prevent floodwater. Indonesian goverment also put long wave breaker and sand bag along the coastal line but rising sea level is seem impossible to fight. "We are only buying time. Sooner or later this village will surely disapear", close Rudi Candia.