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Indonesian woman turns to mangroves to fight rising tides

Indonesia, an archipelago of thousands of islands, has about 81,000 km of coastline, making it particularly vulnerable to rising seas and erosion. Sea levels on the country's coasts rose an average of 4.25 millimeters annually from 1992 to 2024.

By Reuters

April 18, 2025

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REUTERS

Pasijah, 55, checks mangrove seedlings after they were planted in the hamlet of Rejosari Senik, Demak regency, Central Java Province, Indonesia, February 19, 2025. Indonesian authorities have turned to mega projects for a solution to rising seas and land subsidence, including a 700 kilometer sea wall that would run along the northern coast between Banten and East Java provinces; meanwhile, Pasijah and her family have turned to nature. "The flood waters come in waves, gradually, not all at once," Pasijah said. "I realized that after the waters began rising, I needed to plant mangrove trees so that they could spread and protect the house, from the wind and the waves."
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REUTERS

Pasijah, 55, plants mangrove seedlings in the submerged hamlet of Rejosari Senik, Demak regency, Central Java Province, Indonesia, on Feb. 19. Indonesian authorities have turned to mega projects for a solution to rising seas and land subsidence, including a 700 kilometre sea wall that would run along the northern coast between Banten and East Java provinces; meanwhile, Pasijah and her family have turned to nature. "The flood waters come in waves, gradually, not all at once," Pasijah said. "I realised that after the waters began rising, I needed to plant mangrove trees so that they could spread and protect the house, from the wind and the waves." REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana SEARCH "ULFIANA INDONESIA SINKING" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
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Pasijah, 55, carries a paddle as she steps into a wooden boat in the submerged hamlet of Rejosari Senik, Demak regency, Central Java Province, Indonesia, on Feb. 19. Pasijah's home is the only one remaining in this part of Rejosari Senik, a small village on Java's northern coast that was once on dry land but is now submerged by water, as over the past few years, her neighbors have abandoned their homes, vegetable plots and rice fields to the advancing sea. "I'm no longer concerned about how I feel about the isolation here since I decided to stay, so we'll take it one hurdle at a time," Pasijah said.
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REUTERS

A drone view of the house belonging to Pasijah, 55, and other buildings, surrounded by mangrove planted by her, in the submerged hamlet of Rejosari Senik in Demak regency, Central Java Province, Indonesia, on Feb. 19. Indonesian authorities have turned to mega projects for a solution to rising seas and land subsidence, including a 700 kilometer sea wall that would run along the northern coast between Banten and East Java provinces; meanwhile, Pasijah and her family have turned to nature. "The flood waters come in waves, gradually, not all at once," Pasijah said. "I realized that after the waters began rising, I needed to plant mangrove trees so that they could spread and protect the house, from the wind and the waves."
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REUTERS

Pasijah, 55, carries a framed photograph of her family as she stands at her home, with a partially submerged building in the background, in the hamlet of Rejosari Senik, Demak regency, Central Java Province, Indonesia, on March 14. Pasijah's home is the only one remaining in this part of Rejosari Senik, a small village on Java's northern coast that was once on dry land but is now submerged by water, as over the past few years, her neighbors have abandoned their homes, vegetable plots and rice fields to the advancing sea. "I do have every intention to stay here and my feelings for this house remain," she told Reuters in February.
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Pasijah, 55, harvests green mussels at her home in the submerged hamlet of Rejosari Senik, Demak regency, Central Java Province, Indonesia, on Feb. 20. Pasijah's home is the only one remaining in this part of Rejosari Senik, a small village on Java's northern coast that was once on dry land but is now submerged by water, as over the past few years, her neighbors have abandoned their homes, vegetable plots and rice fields to the advancing sea. "I'm no longer concerned about how I feel about the isolation here since I decided to stay, so we'll take it one hurdle at a time," Pasijah said.
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REUTERS

Pasijah, 55, serves her family lunch at her home in the submerged hamlet of Rejosari Senik, Demak regency, Central Java Province, Indonesia, on Feb. 19,. Pasijah's home is the only one remaining in this part of Rejosari Senik, a small village on Java's northern coast that was once on dry land but is now submerged by water, as over the past few years, her neighbors have abandoned their homes, vegetable plots and rice fields to the advancing sea. "I'm no longer concerned about how I feel about the isolation here since I decided to stay, so we'll take it one hurdle at a time," Pasijah said.
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