By Beverley Mitchell, Source: Inhabitat

Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, is sinking into the sea. And forget the fuss about Venice dropping at a rate of 0.08 inches per year, Jakarta – home to 10 million people and counting – is sinking at between 2.9 and 6.7 inches per year, as some areas submerge faster than others. While rising sea levels are a contributing factor to this, by far the greater cause is unchecked groundwater extraction from below the city to provide fresh water to the ever-growing population. To try to stave off the impending inundation of sea water, the city has engaged Dutch firm Witteveen+Bos to manage a $40 billion land reclamation and sea wall project that will construct 17 new islands and take an estimated 30 years to complete. But will it be enough?

See more at: Inhabitat