Jakarta: Indonesia’s parliament on Tuesday passed a law to protect its capital from a gradual sinking Jakarta at a site 2,000 kilometers (1,200 mi) away on the forest-clad Borneo The name of the island will bearchipelago,
The House of Representatives vote provides the legal framework for the move, which was first tipped off by President Joko Widodo in April 2019, citing rising sea levels and severe congestion on the densely populated island of Java.
Home to more than 30 million people in its large metro area, Jakarta has long been plagued by severe infrastructure problems and flooding from climate change, with experts predicting that a third of the city could be under water by 2050.
The new capital will cover about 56,180 hectares (216 sq mi) in East Kalimantan province on the Indonesian side of Borneo, which the country shares with Malaysia and Brunei.
In all, 256,142 hectares have been set aside for the project, with additional land intended for possible expansion in the future.
Preliminary plans for the new capital reflect a utopian design aimed at creating an environmentally friendly “smart” city, but few details have been confirmed.
Plans to start construction in 2020 were hampered by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Environmentalist critics of the capital’s move have warned it could damage ecosystems in the region, where mining and palm oil plantations already threaten the rainforests that are home to Borneo’s endangered species.
On Monday, Widodo said the new capital would be one “where people are closer to any destination, where they can bike and walk everywhere because there is zero emissions”.
“Not only will this (capital) have government offices, we want to create a new smart metropolis that can become a hub of global talent and innovation,” he said in a speech at a local university.
“Nusantara”, which means “archipelago”, was chosen from a list of 80 names because it was widely recognizable and easy to remember by Indonesians, the country’s development minister Suharso Monorfa said on Monday.
According to Tuesday’s law, the new city will be governed by a body called the State Capital Authority, which will be headed directly by the president for a five-year term.
Budget details have not yet been revealed in the presidential decree, although previous reports have estimated the cost of the project at $33 billion.
Indonesia is not the first country in the region to move from a more populous capital.
Malaysia moved its government from Kuala Lumpur to Putrajaya in 2003, while Myanmar moved its capital from Rangoon to Naypyidaw in 2006.
The House of Representatives vote provides the legal framework for the move, which was first tipped off by President Joko Widodo in April 2019, citing rising sea levels and severe congestion on the densely populated island of Java.
Home to more than 30 million people in its large metro area, Jakarta has long been plagued by severe infrastructure problems and flooding from climate change, with experts predicting that a third of the city could be under water by 2050.
The new capital will cover about 56,180 hectares (216 sq mi) in East Kalimantan province on the Indonesian side of Borneo, which the country shares with Malaysia and Brunei.
In all, 256,142 hectares have been set aside for the project, with additional land intended for possible expansion in the future.
Preliminary plans for the new capital reflect a utopian design aimed at creating an environmentally friendly “smart” city, but few details have been confirmed.
Plans to start construction in 2020 were hampered by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Environmentalist critics of the capital’s move have warned it could damage ecosystems in the region, where mining and palm oil plantations already threaten the rainforests that are home to Borneo’s endangered species.
On Monday, Widodo said the new capital would be one “where people are closer to any destination, where they can bike and walk everywhere because there is zero emissions”.
“Not only will this (capital) have government offices, we want to create a new smart metropolis that can become a hub of global talent and innovation,” he said in a speech at a local university.
“Nusantara”, which means “archipelago”, was chosen from a list of 80 names because it was widely recognizable and easy to remember by Indonesians, the country’s development minister Suharso Monorfa said on Monday.
According to Tuesday’s law, the new city will be governed by a body called the State Capital Authority, which will be headed directly by the president for a five-year term.
Budget details have not yet been revealed in the presidential decree, although previous reports have estimated the cost of the project at $33 billion.
Indonesia is not the first country in the region to move from a more populous capital.
Malaysia moved its government from Kuala Lumpur to Putrajaya in 2003, while Myanmar moved its capital from Rangoon to Naypyidaw in 2006.
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