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Why Indonesia wants to move its capital out of Jakarta [citylab.com]

 

Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo may finally push forward a long-standing proposal to move the nation’s capital out of the polluted, sinking city of Jakarta, and off the crowded main island of Java. Though details remain scant, the plan he approved last weekduring a special cabinet meeting is expected to take five to 10 years, at least, and cost $33 billion to complete—if it comes to fruition.

The government has not said where the new capital will be, but an official told reporters it is eyeing somewhere in eastern Indonesia, according to the AP.

Relocation has been broached by presidents since Indonesia’s independence in 1945, but there’s a growing sense of urgency. Jakarta, a city of 10 million, is sinking faster than any other city in the world—a few inches each year. This is largely caused by excessive groundwater pumping as the government fails to pipe in enough clean drinking water; only 4 percent of the city’s wastewater is treated.

Poor neighborhoods along the northern coast are frequently flooded as they sink even faster—as much as 25 centimeters annually. Already, 40 percent of the city sits below sea level, and some studies estimate that half of Jakarta could be under water by 2030.

By that time, the already overcrowded city is projected to be the biggest in the world, with the population of the metropolitan area expected to grow from nearly 30 million to 35.6 million. That’s worrying, because although Jakarta accounts for one-fifth of the country’s GDP, its infrastructure already can’t keep up. With 3.5 million daily commuters, Jakarta is by one measure the third-worst city in the world for traffic congestion, and it has the most polluted air in Southeast Asia, according to a Greenpeace study. The gridlock alone accounts for $7 billion in economic losses.

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