Jakarta is sinking due to rising sea levels and is also prone to earthquakes; the new project arouses criticism
jakartathe fourth largest city on the planet (30 million people, including its metropolitan area) is going to be relocated due to climate change and the natural disasters to which it is prone. Nusantara will be the new capital of Indonesia and it is already being built on the island of Borneo, but the environmental and social impact that this gigantic project will have has generated great controversy.
The jungle on the east of the island of Borneo begins to be furrowed by roads and signs, the first step for the construction of the new capital of Indonesia that the Government has undertaken. Is about a macro-project of biblical proportions that is justified for ecological reasons, but that, at the same time, will cause a great impactaccording to alert experts and ecologists.
The Administration promises a “sustainable forest city” that puts the environment above all else and aims to be carbon neutral by 2045. But the project has been plagued with criticism from environmental entities and indigenous communities, who warn that it will actually destroy the environment, further reduce the habitat of endangered animals like orangutans, and displace indigenous peoples who depend on the land for their livelihood.
Indonesia began construction on the new capital in the middle of last year, after President Joko Widodo announced that Jakarta, the current capital, totally congested and polluted, prone to earthquakes and rapidly sinking into the Java Sea, would cease to be capital. The rise in sea level due to climate change and its exposure to extreme weather events due to global warming prompted such a decision.
Twice as big as New York
Plans for the new capital, whose area will be approximately twice the size of New York City, they’re great. Officials tout the creation of a futuristic green city centered on forests, parks and food production that will use renewable energy resources, “smart” waste management and green buildings.
“We have to think beyond what is happening today and try to address the future,” said Bambang Susantono, chairman of the Nusantara National Capital Authority, speaking about the design of the city and its ability to respond to changes. future challenges.
Virtual recreations shown by the government show a city surrounded by forests, with people walking on tree-lined sidewalks and buildings with plant-covered roofs and surrounded by walking paths, as well as ponds, clean streams and lush forests.
7,000 workers on the move
The architecture of the buildings is inspired by modern skyscrapers, combined with traditional Indonesian architecture: the presidential palace in the shape of a garuda (mythical bird and national symbol of Indonesia), and other buildings that give a stylistic nod to the traditional architecture used by indigenous groups in the archipelago
In its current state, the new city is far from the neat finish shown by its planners, but progress is already being made. Basuki Hadimuljono, Indonesia’s Minister of Public Works and Housing, said in February that the city’s infrastructure is already 14% complete.
Some 7,000 construction workers are busy clearing the land and carrying out the first phases of the urbanization. Temporary dormitories for workers and a heliport are already in use. The construction of key buildings such as the presidential palace is expected to be completed in August 2024.
The places visited by the Associated Press agency at the beginning of this month of March showed mounds of earth recently removed with excavators and cranes around them. At least one site has a sign with a QR code that visitors can scan to see in 3D images what the area will look like when completed; others have printed signs showing what’s to come.
The government has assured that it is working to preserve the environment. The signs of a certain ecological respect in the construction are visible: areas of trees remain fenced off to protect them from machinery, and a plant nursery has already started for the replanting process that the government promises.
Environmental and indigenous criticism
But conservation organizations warn that Building this metropolis will accelerate deforestation in one of the world’s oldest and largest rainforest enclaves.. Forests, called the lungs of the world, absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere that warms the planet and are home to numerous species of wildlife. The island has already been badly affected by palm oil plantations and coal mines, that are destroying vast areas of jungle.
Dwi Sawung, an infrastructure specialist with the Indonesian Forum for the Living Environment, an environmental non-governmental organization that has been monitoring the new capital project, said that government plans do not take into account the region’s unique wildlife, such as orangutans and sun bears. The new city, in fact, crosses an important animal corridor.
“The animals must be relocated first and then construction begins,” he says. “But since they need to hurry, they just built up the area without relocating the animals first.”
Experts have also raised concerns about the power that will run the new capital. While the government promises that the city will be based on a “smart energy” system, conservationists worry that some of the region’s coal-fired power plants will actually be used.
Indonesia has significant energy potential from solar, hydroelectric, geothermal, wind and other sources, but only about 12% of it is harnessed, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency. And while public transportation could reduce the number of private cars on city streets, A large number of flights are likely to take place between the new capital and Jakarta, some 1,300 kilometers away, with rising emissions that this air traffic will entail.
“We do not want to be relocated & rdquor;
For their part, the indigenous groups residing in the region and who have already lost part of their lands fear that the urban expansion of the new capital could make things worse.
The Administration is committed to respecting indigenous rights and compensating those who lose their homes. Local officials said they would verify all land claims based on title certificates, but much land is passed from father to son without paperwork of any kind and not all tribal areas are formally recognized.
“We don’t want to be relocated. We don’t want the graves of our ancestors to be moved, changes to be made, or our home to be removed& rdquor;said Sibukdin, an indigenous community leader who, like many in the country, uses only one name and lives in Sepaku, a neighborhood very close to the construction area.
Nusantara Capital Authority Chairman Bambang Susantono added that indigenous residents have “several options for consideration” including compensation, relocation or co-ownership of the shops to be opened. “We hope they understand that this is for the good of all & rdquor ;, it states.
But as Indonesia continues to court investors, construction progresses, and the government plans to formally open the city on August 17 next year to coincide with Indonesian Independence Day.
“Nusantara is the city of tomorrow& rdquor;said Susantono. “It will become a vibrant city, not just a government city.”
……..
Contact of the Environment section: [email protected]