Jakarta is sinking in pollution and experiencing increasingly frequent floods. Because the current Indonesian capital, located on the densely populated island of Java, is becoming unlivable, the government has decided to build a new one, 2,000 kilometers away, on the island of Borneo. The country’s parliament passed a law on Tuesday approving the transfer.
Borneo, which is home to one of the largest tropical forests in the world and an island shared between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, will therefore host the new political capital, called “Nusantara”, “archipelago” in Indonesian. A name chosen from among 80 others because it is easily recognizable by citizens and easy to memorize, Development Minister Suharso Monoarfa explained on Monday. Jakarta will remain the economic heart of the country.
Jakarta sinks below sea level
Project announced in 2019 by President Joko Widodo, the construction of this brand new capital should be done in stages until 2045. Why such a move? Because Jakarta is suffocating, drowning, and its people with it. A titanic megalopolis of 30 million inhabitants, the capital lacks infrastructure, suffers from giant traffic jams and an air quality that places it in the ranking of the most polluted cities in the world.
In addition, its coastal zone is sinking ten centimeters a year below sea level according to The Jakarta Post, regularly causing flooding. “The main cause: excessive and illegal water pumping, which dries up underground aquifers. It’s a bit like deflating a giant cushion supporting a building., reports the New York Times. Rising sea levels are also aggravating the problem.
So to escape the growing chaos and attract “international talent”, the new capital must be futuristic. The first models show a utopian city among the trees, “zero emissions” and or “people will be close to any destination, and can get there by bike or on foot”, announced President Widodo, who dreams of a “centre for innovation”. There will also be government offices.
A $33 billion project
Occupying over 56,000 hectares in Borneo’s East Kalimantan province, Nusantara will be governed by the Capital Government Authority. A new entity headed by an official, appointed by the President for a term of five years according to the law passed by Parliament.
And with a view to expanding the project, more than 256,000 hectares have been reserved for the surrounding area. Moving cost? $33 billion. A future presidential decree must detail the exact budget.
In Asia, Malaysia also moved its administrative capital to Putrajaya in 2003 while Burma established its new capital in 2006 to Naypyidaw.