As we continue to destroy the Earth, coastal cities across the world are beginning to feel the ugly impacts of climate change. One of the most tangible of these impacts is sinking – yes, cities are literally sinking – much like Indonesia's current capital city Jakarta.
President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo first announced plans to relocate the capital back in 2019 when he had just won his second term. But the idea of moving the Indonesian capital elsewhere has been floated even among his predecessors. It was first proposed by President Soekarno, and then later by President Yudhoyono.
The future capital, Nusantara (which means 'Archipelago'), will be located in an area split between North Penajam Paser Regency and Kutai Kartanegara Regency in East Kalimantan, Borneo. But how hard will it be to pull off such a major project, and more importantly, how much will it cost?
It's complicated, but doable.
IMAGE: AFP / New Straits Times
According to Jokowi, costs for building Nusantara will reach US$32.5 billion (Rp 466 trillion) with up to 20 percent of funds being covered by the National Budget (APBN), while the remainder will come from a variety of sources, including private and public investments, state-owned companies, and more.
Okay, so we've got the money down. But how long will it take before we can actually tell our neighbors we're moving to Nusantara? According to Jokowi, estimates point to a 15-to-20-year completion time.
“This is not an easy job; this is a complicated job. For that reason, [construction of the capital city] requires a long time. Our estimate is between 15 to 20 years for its completion,” Jokowi told reporters at a campsite in Penajam Paser Utara, East Kalimantan.
Nusantara is slated to be a technologically advanced city, taking up 56,180 hectares of land. However, environmentalists have raised concerns about the amount of forest that needs to be cleared in order to make way for the new capital. But of course, Jokowi could argue, as with other parts of Southeast Asia, there's no other alternative.
Jokowi's convoy traveling through the site of the future capital. IMAGE: AFP / Süddeutsche Zeitung
As mentioned previously, Jakarta is already feeling the brunt of climate change and rising sea levels as it faces a sinking problem. But even if that weren't the case, the current capital is already overcrowded and heavily-congested, making physical space a real scarcity.
Choosing to redevelop and reinvigorate an existing major city would only prove to be disruptive to the people that already live there. And with the amount of unused land in the country, Nusantara's location is strategic.
Adding fuel to the flame is the sudden withdrawal of one of the project's investors, SoftBank Group, which gave no explanation for the departure.
As with all megaprojects, however, only time will reveal the true cost (and impact) of Nusantara.
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