To move the capital here you will need to move the sky and the earth.
The Indonesian government is making plans to move the country’s capital from the sinking, overcrowded Jakarta, to a new “forest capital” in the province of East Kalimantan, more than 1,000 kilometers away. Christopher Manza / The Globe and Mail
A series of environmental problems in the current capital of Indonesia, Jakarta, prompted the government to announce the plan in 2019. The transition to Nusantara, located in eastern Kalimantan, will begin as early as 2024 and construction is expected to continue until 2045. until it coincides with the 100 years of the country’s independence.
The name of the new capital comes from the ancient literature of Java. is a union of nusa (island) and antara (intermediate), and can be loosely translated as “archipelago”. With Nusantara, Indonesia has a chance to start a clean slate: Officials want it to be “a smart city in the woods.” But there are serious questions about how the big project will affect vegetation, wildlife and humans. The cost – estimated at $ 34.9 billion – has led some Indonesians to reject the idea altogether.
First photo: The Ciliwung River, which separates Jakarta, is considered one of the most polluted rivers in the world. During the rainy season, the area suffers from frequent, intense floods – one of the main reasons for the relocation of the capital. Second photo: Nusantara, Indonesia’s new capital, is set to open in 2024. The land for the future city is an industrial forest. Critics have warned that the move threatens to accelerate pollution and contribute to the destruction of tropical forests that host primates and mammals.
The rush to build
To many people in Indonesia, the movement seems hurried. The plans were mobilized during the pandemic, when millions of Indonesians were suffering and facing loss. The country has not yet stabilized its economy, and in February 2022 a team of economists, former politicians and academics signed a petition calling for the project to be canceled, arguing that the funds could be better used to meet the health and economy brought about by COVID-19. To date, the petition has garnered 35,638 signatures. In addition, there are concerns about the legislation: The bill for the new capital was passed after only 43 days of revision. Many consider it unconstitutional and say that it does not concern or reflect the voices and needs of the people. All of this is putting pressure on President Joko Widodo. He expects the State Palace to be ready by the second quarter of 2024, which means roads and facilities need to be built quickly. Nusantara, the government’s new project for the capital, has faced public scrutiny over allegations that businesses and their owners closely linked to the government will benefit from relocating to East Kalimantan. The land for the new chapter is owned by PT ITCI Hutani Manunggal (IHM) – a private company that supplies paper raw materials. “The most worrying aspect is that this land was never designed for a city before,” says Sibarani Sofian, Nusantara chief designer. Extensive hazards in the area need to be investigated, he says, along with measures such as soil compaction to reduce the risk of landslides. “To become a city, you need time and attention. In the old traditional years, we needed to create rituals, prayers and offerings to nature, to inform them that we are entering and that we will respect Mother Earth. “For me, this is important,” said Sofian. “What we need to be careful about is whether we are in a hurry and do not listen to the possibility of danger.” This is not the first time that Indonesian leaders have discussed the idea of a new capital. In 1957, the country’s first president, Soekarno, proposed the idea of relocating to Palangkaraya, in central Kalimantan. The motivation is that Jakarta, home to more than 10 million people, is one of the fastest sinking cities in the world. In some parts of the capital the earth shrinks at a rate of one to 15 centimeters each year. In others it is up to about 20 to 28 cm per year. The cause is mainly the extraction of groundwater and the load of constructions from buildings, shopping malls and apartments, which require very compacted ground on which to stand. At this rate, Jakarta is projected to sink by 2050. Floods are another major issue, with small and medium-sized floods occurring almost every year for the past two decades. Significant floods occurred in 2002, 2007, 2013, 2015 and 2020, with the most recent causing $ 70 million in damage. According to an investigation by the Jakarta government, floods have killed 144 people in the last 20 years. The Ciliwung River, nicknamed the Kali Besar (Great River), is one of the sources of this catastrophe. The 119-kilometer-long river is divided into several canals across the city, but the complicated water supply system and other precautionary measures still cannot stop the floods. Pollution is one of the main factors. Illegal settlements and slums on the banks of the Ciliwung are increasing the amount of waste dumped into the river. Garbage takes up space, which means that the river can not hold as much water as expected. And more water is coming to Jakarta as the forests near the Ciliwung spring in Puncak, West Java, have been cleared to make way for settlements. As forests have disappeared, there are no plants to retain moisture during the rainy season. The Pluit Reservoir in North Jarkata helps prevent flooding by holding excess rainwater and transporting water from the Ciliwung and Cideng Rivers before pumping water into the sea. Heavy machinery dumps mud into the Ciliwung River in anticipation of high water flows during the rainy season. Jakarta also has air quality problems: it is usually ranked as one of the most polluted cities in the world. The most important contributors are transport and industry, along with the mutilation movement. More than 20 million registered vehicles are in the capital, of which 80 percent are motorcycles. Meanwhile, factories use fossil fuels and coal-fired power stations provide electricity. Drone footage of the Pantai Mutiara Housing Complex, North Jakarta. Pantai Mutiara was considered one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Jakarta before the continuous floods of the last 20 years. The land will be divided into three development parts: a “central government area” of 6,671 hectares, a more extensive “capital area” of 56,180 hectares and a “development capital area” of 199,962 hectares. The central government district, where the new state palace will be located, will be the first section to be developed. According to the Indonesian Environment Forum, much of the land is state-owned, with at least 154 land concessions to coal mining companies, a pulp company and palm oil plantations (Indonesia is the world’s largest producer and exporter of palm oil). Ninety-four coal mines in the area have not been repaired. A total of 260,000 hectares of industrial forest, consisting of eucalyptus and acacia, will be used to build Nusantara. Despite the underlying environmental issues, Mr Widodo promises to stick to the green commitment and planning. On a national radio show in February, he said “revitalization and reforestation” would take place in the early stages of construction to ensure Nusantara achieves its goals of being a smart city with zero emissions. Key performance indicators include 80 percent use of renewable energy sources, 80 percent dependence on public transportation, and a two-degree reduction in temperature.
“We are ready to move if we are expelled”
Construction will force many indigenous peoples, such as Dayak Paser, to flee their homes. Hamsah, 44, a Dayak Paserese, and his wife, Ijum Maryati, 38, are staying at the last house before entering security at Nusantara. They have three plots of land in the area, almost all of which are used for palm oil. Each month, the couple collects between 100 and 200 kilograms of palm fruit, which can cost up to 1,500 rupees – about 13 cents – per kilogram when sold to a local distributor. While hesitant to move, Hamsah, Maryati and their eight children seek to move as soon as the capital is created. Hamsah and his wife Ijum Maryati work on a small, private palm oil plantation. They also own plots of land in Balikpapan and the Muan River area. Their land and house will be bought and redeemed by …
