BY 2025, sea levels would have risen by only about 5cm, according to estimates by the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change.

But Jakarta will be between 40cm and 60cm lower than it is now, said Mr Jan Jaap Brinkman, an engineer with Dutch consultancy Delft Hydraulics.

The city will be submerged by sea water, come Dec 6, 2025 - when the tidal cycle is at its highest point. But Mr Brinkman warned there are likely to be plenty of floods before then.