- The Asian island nation of Indonesia is set to have a new capital in the next few years – newly built in the jungle on the island of Borneo.
- On Monday, the Minister of National Development Planning announced the new name for the city: Nusandra.
- One of the reasons why the government is taking this step is that Jakarta is suffering from repeated floods due to its low lying area.
It is known from 2019 that the Indonesian capital will be moved from Jakarta in Java to Borneo in the next few years. The Minister of National Development Planning announced that the name of the new capital would be Nusantara, citing President Joko Widodo.
Nusantara is the old name of the Malay Archipelago, which includes Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.
Myth:
The reason Indonesia wants to create a new capital: coastal areas are repeatedly flooded, with 40 percent of Jakarta already below sea level. The picture was taken in 2020.
Keystone
Parliament is expected to pass legislation on Tuesday for the move, which could begin construction work on the new city. The move is estimated to cost $ 32 billion.
The first officers are expected to visit East Kalimantan in Borneo in 2024, shortly before the end of the second and final term of current President Joko Widodo.
One reason for moving is the risk of flooding
Three years ago the president announced that the new capital would be built in the Borneo jungle, halfway between the cities of Balikpapan and Samaritan.
This is due to the fact that the coastal areas of Jakarta, with a population of eleven million, continue to be inundated. About 40 percent of Jakarta is below sea level. Therefore, experts estimate that by 2050, the entire region of North Jakarta will be flooded.
The main reason for the collapse of the city is the high absorption of groundwater. As a result, the groundwater level is declining and the marshy soil is declining.
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