By Associated Press
JAKARTA: Indonesia began construction of the new capital in mid-2022 after President Joko Widodo announced that Jakarta — the congested, polluted current capital that is prone to earthquakes and rapidly sinking into the Java Sea — would be retired from capital status.
Now the government is in the process of leaving, moving Indonesia’s capital to the island of Borneo.Indonesian officials say the new metropolis will be a “sustainable forest city” that puts the environment at the heart of the development and aims to be carbon-neutral by 2045.
The project has been plagued by criticism from environmentalists and Indigenous communities, who say it degrades the environment, further shrinks the habitat of endangered animals such as orangutans and displaces Indigenous people that rely on the land for their livelihoods.
While access to the new capital’s site is usually limited, The Associated Press was allowed to tour parts of the site to view construction progress in early March.
Here’s a look at why the capital is moving, the government’s plans and why activists are worried about how it will impact the environment, endangered species and Indigenous communities located near the project site.
Why is Indonesia moving its capital?
Jakarta is home to about 10 million people and three times that number in the greater metropolitan area. It has been described as the world’s most rapidly sinking city, and at the current rate, it is estimated that one-third of the city could be submerged by 2050. The main cause is uncontrolled groundwater extraction, but it has been exacerbated by the rising Java Sea due to climate change.
Its air and groundwater are heavily polluted, it floods regularly and its streets are so clogged that its estimated congestion costs the economy $4.5 billion a year.
President Joko Widodo envisions the construction of a new capital as a nostrum for the problems plaguing Jakarta, reducing its population while allowing the country to start fresh with a “sustainable city.”
What will the new capital be like?
Plans for the new capital — about twice the size of New York City — are grandeur. Officials tout the creation of a futuristic green city centred on forests, parks and food production that utilizes renewable energy resources, “smart” waste management and green buildings.
Widodo’s plan to establish the city of Nusantara — an old Javanese term meaning “archipelago” — will entail constructing government buildings and housing from scratch. Initial estimates were that over 1.5 million civil servants would be relocated to the city, some 2,000 kilometres (1,240 miles) northeast of Jakarta, though ministries and government agencies are still working to finalize that number.
A digital rendering showing a layout of the presidential palace compound at the new capital city is displayed at its construction site in Penajam Paser Utara, East Kalimantan, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 8, 2023. (Photo | AP)
Bambang Susantono, head of the Nusantara National Capital Authority said that the new capital city will apply the “forest city” concept, with 65 per cent of the area being reforested. “We have to think beyond what is happening today and try to tackle (things) that are futuristic,” said Susantono.
Digital renderings shared by the government show a city surrounded by forest, with people walking on tree-lined sidewalks and buildings with plant-covered rooftops surrounded by walking paths, ponds, clean creeks and lush forest.
The building architecture is inspired by modern urban towers combined with traditional Indonesian architecture: the presidential palace in the shape of a garuda — a mythical bird and the national symbol of Indonesia — and other buildings that give a stylistic nod to traditional architecture used by Indigenous groups around the archipelago.
The city is expected to be inaugurated on Aug. 17 next year to coincide with Indonesia’s Independence Day. New capital authorities said that the final stages of the city, however, likely won’t be completed until 2045, marking the nation’s hundredth anniversary.
In its current state, the new city is far from the tidy finish presented by its planners, but there is progress. Basuki Hadimuljono, Indonesia’s minister for public works and housing, said in February that the city’s infrastructure is 14 per cent completed.
Why are environmentalists concerned?
Environmentalists warn that the capital will cause massive deforestation, threaten the habitat of endangered species such as orangutans and imperil the homes of Indigenous communities.
Sceptics worry, however, about the environmental impact of building a sprawling 256,000-hectare (990-square-mile) city down in Borneo’s East Kalimantan province, which is home to orangutans, leopards and a wide array of other wildlife.
Forest Watch Indonesia, an Indonesian nongovernmental organization that monitors forestry issues, warned in a November 2022 report that most of the forested areas in the new capital are “production forests” meaning permits could be granted for forestry and extractive activities that would lead to further deforestation. Until now there has been no certainty regarding the protection status of the remaining natural forests in the new capital city area, the report said. Data analysis from AP also showed that the region can expect more days of extreme heat in years to come.
How are indigenous communities impacted?
A worker uses his equipment at the construction site of the new capital city in Penajam Paser Utara, East Kalimantan, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 8, 2023. (Photo | AP)
At least five villages with more than 100 Indigenous Balik people are relocating because of the construction, with more villages expected to be uprooted as the building site expands. Indigenous groups that reside in the region and already lost parts of their land fear that urban sprawl from the new capital could make things even worse.
The government said the new capital has received support from local community leaders and has provided compensation to people whose land is being used for the city. Officials have vowed to respect Indigenous rights and compensate those losing their homes. Local officials said they would verify all land claims and accept documents of proof of ownership, but much of the area is passed down through families without paperwork and not all tribal areas are formally recognized.
But Sibukdin, an Indigenous leader who like many in the country only uses one name and lives in Sepaku, a ward very close to the construction area, said community members felt compelled to take the money they were offered by the government without knowing how compensation is calculated or if it was fair, he said. “We do not want to be relocated. We do not want them to move the graves of our ancestors, or make changes or remove our historical site,” said Sibukdin.
Susantono said that Indigenous residents have “a couple of options for them to be included in the process” including compensation, relocation or share ownership of stores that will open. “We are going to always persuade them and tell them about the future of the city,” he said. “Hopefully they will understand that this is for the sake of everybody.”
JAKARTA: Indonesia began construction of the new capital in mid-2022 after President Joko Widodo announced that Jakarta — the congested, polluted current capital that is prone to earthquakes and rapidly sinking into the Java Sea — would be retired from capital status.
Now the government is in the process of leaving, moving Indonesia’s capital to the island of Borneo.
Indonesian officials say the new metropolis will be a “sustainable forest city” that puts the environment at the heart of the development and aims to be carbon-neutral by 2045.
The project has been plagued by criticism from environmentalists and Indigenous communities, who say it degrades the environment, further shrinks the habitat of endangered animals such as orangutans and displaces Indigenous people that rely on the land for their livelihoods.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
While access to the new capital’s site is usually limited, The Associated Press was allowed to tour parts of the site to view construction progress in early March.
Here’s a look at why the capital is moving, the government’s plans and why activists are worried about how it will impact the environment, endangered species and Indigenous communities located near the project site.
Why is Indonesia moving its capital?
Jakarta is home to about 10 million people and three times that number in the greater metropolitan area. It has been described as the world’s most rapidly sinking city, and at the current rate, it is estimated that one-third of the city could be submerged by 2050. The main cause is uncontrolled groundwater extraction, but it has been exacerbated by the rising Java Sea due to climate change.
Its air and groundwater are heavily polluted, it floods regularly and its streets are so clogged that its estimated congestion costs the economy $4.5 billion a year.
President Joko Widodo envisions the construction of a new capital as a nostrum for the problems plaguing Jakarta, reducing its population while allowing the country to start fresh with a “sustainable city.”
What will the new capital be like?
Plans for the new capital — about twice the size of New York City — are grandeur. Officials tout the creation of a futuristic green city centred on forests, parks and food production that utilizes renewable energy resources, “smart” waste management and green buildings.
Widodo’s plan to establish the city of Nusantara — an old Javanese term meaning “archipelago” — will entail constructing government buildings and housing from scratch. Initial estimates were that over 1.5 million civil servants would be relocated to the city, some 2,000 kilometres (1,240 miles) northeast of Jakarta, though ministries and government agencies are still working to finalize that number.
A digital rendering showing a layout of the presidential palace compound at the new capital city is displayed at its construction site in Penajam Paser Utara, East Kalimantan, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 8, 2023. (Photo | AP)
Bambang Susantono, head of the Nusantara National Capital Authority said that the new capital city will apply the “forest city” concept, with 65 per cent of the area being reforested. “We have to think beyond what is happening today and try to tackle (things) that are futuristic,” said Susantono.
Digital renderings shared by the government show a city surrounded by forest, with people walking on tree-lined sidewalks and buildings with plant-covered rooftops surrounded by walking paths, ponds, clean creeks and lush forest.
The building architecture is inspired by modern urban towers combined with traditional Indonesian architecture: the presidential palace in the shape of a garuda — a mythical bird and the national symbol of Indonesia — and other buildings that give a stylistic nod to traditional architecture used by Indigenous groups around the archipelago.
The city is expected to be inaugurated on Aug. 17 next year to coincide with Indonesia’s Independence Day. New capital authorities said that the final stages of the city, however, likely won’t be completed until 2045, marking the nation’s hundredth anniversary.
In its current state, the new city is far from the tidy finish presented by its planners, but there is progress. Basuki Hadimuljono, Indonesia’s minister for public works and housing, said in February that the city’s infrastructure is 14 per cent completed.
Why are environmentalists concerned?
Environmentalists warn that the capital will cause massive deforestation, threaten the habitat of endangered species such as orangutans and imperil the homes of Indigenous communities.
Sceptics worry, however, about the environmental impact of building a sprawling 256,000-hectare (990-square-mile) city down in Borneo’s East Kalimantan province, which is home to orangutans, leopards and a wide array of other wildlife.
Forest Watch Indonesia, an Indonesian nongovernmental organization that monitors forestry issues, warned in a November 2022 report that most of the forested areas in the new capital are “production forests” meaning permits could be granted for forestry and extractive activities that would lead to further deforestation. Until now there has been no certainty regarding the protection status of the remaining natural forests in the new capital city area, the report said. Data analysis from AP also showed that the region can expect more days of extreme heat in years to come.
How are indigenous communities impacted?
A worker uses his equipment at the construction site of the new capital city in Penajam Paser Utara, East Kalimantan, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 8, 2023. (Photo | AP)
At least five villages with more than 100 Indigenous Balik people are relocating because of the construction, with more villages expected to be uprooted as the building site expands. Indigenous groups that reside in the region and already lost parts of their land fear that urban sprawl from the new capital could make things even worse.
The government said the new capital has received support from local community leaders and has provided compensation to people whose land is being used for the city. Officials have vowed to respect Indigenous rights and compensate those losing their homes. Local officials said they would verify all land claims and accept documents of proof of ownership, but much of the area is passed down through families without paperwork and not all tribal areas are formally recognized.
But Sibukdin, an Indigenous leader who like many in the country only uses one name and lives in Sepaku, a ward very close to the construction area, said community members felt compelled to take the money they were offered by the government without knowing how compensation is calculated or if it was fair, he said. “We do not want to be relocated. We do not want them to move the graves of our ancestors, or make changes or remove our historical site,” said Sibukdin.
Susantono said that Indigenous residents have “a couple of options for them to be included in the process” including compensation, relocation or share ownership of stores that will open. “We are going to always persuade them and tell them about the future of the city,” he said. “Hopefully they will understand that this is for the sake of everybody.”
