The capital of Indonesia will be relocated
On 17th of January , the Indonesian authorities announced that by 2024 they would move the country's capital from Jakarta to the southeast of Kalimantan Island. The new capital was named Nusantara, which means "archipelago" in Indonesian. The Indonesian authorities decided to move the capital because of traffic jams and because the city goes underground too quickly.
According to the Minister of Planning, traffic jams in the capital cost the country 100 trillion rupees ($6.8 billion) annually.
In addition, Indonesia has been running a government decentralization program for 20 years. Its goal is to give more autonomy and power to the regions.
It is also worth noting that scientists believe that Jakarta may completely go underground by 2050. The city stands on marshy ground, at the intersection of 13 rivers. Over the past ten years, it has dropped by 2.5 meters and continues to sink at a rate of one to 15 centimeters per year.
An interesting fact is that for the formation of the new capital of the country, the government has prepared an area of 256 thousand hectares.
However, environmentalists say that the influx of residents to the new region could lead to increased pollution and the destruction of tropical forests, where orangutans, Malay bears and long-nosed monkeys live, among others. In response to criticism, the Indonesian government says that the construction of a new city will not affect the ecosystem in any way.
According to the Minister of Planning, traffic jams in the capital cost the country 100 trillion rupees ($6.8 billion) annually.
In addition, Indonesia has been running a government decentralization program for 20 years. Its goal is to give more autonomy and power to the regions.
It is also worth noting that scientists believe that Jakarta may completely go underground by 2050. The city stands on marshy ground, at the intersection of 13 rivers. Over the past ten years, it has dropped by 2.5 meters and continues to sink at a rate of one to 15 centimeters per year.
An interesting fact is that for the formation of the new capital of the country, the government has prepared an area of 256 thousand hectares.
However, environmentalists say that the influx of residents to the new region could lead to increased pollution and the destruction of tropical forests, where orangutans, Malay bears and long-nosed monkeys live, among others. In response to criticism, the Indonesian government says that the construction of a new city will not affect the ecosystem in any way.