12:16:16 AM
Indonesia is planning to establish a new capital city in the jungle of Borneo Island and move away from Jakarta which is slowly sinking into the Java Sea.
Jakarta City is already congested and it is not sustainable to continue investing on its infrastructure.
Jakarta is currently the political center of Indonesia but the problem is that it will soon be submerged by Java Sea. This bold move was made known by the country’s President Joko Widodo.
Jakarta has been Indonesia’s financial nerve center since 1949. However, the proposed location is just a jungle and it will be a tall order to put up a capital city. The capital city will be located near Samarinda and Balikpapan which are underdeveloped.
Many analysts have revealed that building a capital city from the ground up will be an astronomical task which will require lots of financial resources.
The government was alarmed by the safety, environmental and economic strains of the capital city and hence had to come up with an alternative.
“As a large nation that has been independent for 74 years, Indonesia has never chosen its own capital,” said Joko Widodo during a televised speech.
“The burden Jakarta is holding right now is too heavy as the center of governance, business, finance, trade and services.” Indonesian President added.
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The projected of moving the capital city to the Island is expected to cost a minimum of USD $34 billion. Government officials in Indonesia have also stated that the relocation will take at least a decade to complete.
Jakarta is home to at least 10 million people as estimated by the United Nations. It is reported to be one of the most overpopulated urban areas globally.
World Economic Forum pointed out that Jakarta is one of the fastest-sinking cities in the world.
The sinking of Jakarta is as a result of over-extraction of ground water.
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As a result of its location, Jakarta is prone to flooding from the sea. However, this is not the only challenge, there is also the challenge of pollution and unending traffic congestion.
The government has not named the new site for capital city. Parliament has to approval the relocation exercise. The largest majority of Borneo is owned by Indonesia while other portions to the north are owned by both Brunei and Malaysia.
The Borneo Island is largely a large rain forest and it is only recently that it has started to be deforested.
