At a Glance

The city, home to about 10 million people, is reportedly sinking at a rate of nearly 10 inches each year.About 40 percent of the metropolis now lies beneath sea level.An overabundance of private water wells under the city, development and rising seas is proving to be disastrous for Southeast Asia's largest city.

The Indonesian city ofJakarta, touted as the world's fastest-sinkingcity, may only have a decade left before it's too late to reverse impending disaster.

About 40 percent of the metropolis now lies beneath sea level, and several districts, includingMuara Baru, have ,the New York Times has reported.

The citythat is home to about 10 million people is reportedly sinking at a rate of nearly 10 inches per year, largely due to the overconsumption of groundwater.

Only about a third of the city's population is served with piped water, so residents are resorting to digging illegal wells deeper and deeper into the ground to access groundwater. As the aquifers are depleted, the land sinks under the weight of concrete and buildings.

There is ample rainfall to fill the emptied aquifers each year, but with an estimated and a lack of sewers, the water is prevented from sinking back into the ground. Instead, it runs offinto the ocean and the 13 highlypolluted rivers that serve the city, which only exacerbates the city's floodrisk.

(MORE:)

In December, hydrologists said the city may only have a decade to reverse the problem. Otherwise, the city's survival is unlikely.

While development andan overabundance of private water wells under the city are proving to be disastrous for Southeast Asia's largest city, rising seasare contributing to the impending disaster, as well as more frequent flooding.

In December, city officials to protect the city in favor of a more "minimalist" version of the wall, which is now under construction, the Jakarta Post reported.

The city has attempted to resolve the issues with tax schemes to entice businesses from digging wells, but nothing appears to be working. The website Vice noted that the "reality here is that ." All the city can really do is postpone the inevitable.

On the other hand, Janjaap Brinkman, a Dutch hydrologist working with city officials on theproblem, told Vice there were two solutions that might save the city.

“The only step forward is to , or build this outer sea dike, which gives you another 20 to 50 years to solve all of the problems,” Brinkmann said.