Jakarta (Jakarta Post/Asia News Network): Environmentalists have questioned Jakarta's Deputy Governor Ahmad Riza Patria's recent statement that moving the capital to East Kalimantan will help prevent Jakarta from sinking.
The statement was made by Arif Nasruddin, director of the municipal water company PAM Jaya, who said that by 2050, 90 percent of Jakarta's groundwater will be under water due to over-exploitation.
The vice governor expressed hope that relocating the capital would reduce the population of Jakarta, currently home to about 11 million people, and ultimately reduce the over-exploitation of groundwater.
Jakarta Forum for Environment Director (Walhi Jakarta) Susie F. Tanjung said that moving the capital will not significantly reduce the burden on Jakarta residents, especially in view of the plan to transform Jakarta into a major business center. Since it is not the capital of Indonesia, the country.
“Reza's statement contradicts the current government's plan to make Jakarta an international economic and trade hub. That means Jakarta will continue to grow and nothing will change until the authorities understand the root of the problem, Suu Kyi told The Jakarta Post.
Jakarta is the most densely populated region in all of Indonesia. Every year, the population of the city and its surrounding areas will grow by 250,000 people, and by 2030, Jakarta will have more than 38 million people, making it the world's largest city.
After the capital is moved to East Kalimantan, 1.5 million civil servants, or 10% of Jakarta's population, are expected to leave the city.
Heri Andreas, an expert at the Bandung Institute of Technology, also doubts that moving the capital will stop Jakarta's population growth.
“As the Jakarta government further develops the city [as an economic hub], people will continue to migrate. I am sure that Jakarta's population will increase rather than decrease even though it is not the capital of Indonesia,” Heri said.
Jakarta is now sinking at an alarming rate of 1.8cm to 10.7cm per year, and 14% of the city's land area is already below sea level, Heri said.
Contrary to the water company's prediction, Heri said that without serious efforts, 40% of Jakarta's land area will be flooded by 2050, which is slightly worse than the 90% loss.
A recent study by the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) has a more optimistic forecast, predicting that by 2050, 25% of the capital will be under water.
The alarming rate at which Jakarta is sinking is due to over-extraction of groundwater by the city's residents and large buildings such as hotels, apartments and shopping malls for drinking, washing and other daily activities.
This is because tap water is not clean or available in most areas and people have no choice but to pump water from deep groundwater.
Currently, tap water services in Jakarta only cover 64% of Jakarta's residents and serve around 900,000 customers at over 20,000 liters per second.
The constant consumption of water from underground wells created a large underground well which is the main site of the bathhouse.
In response to the landslide problem, Jakarta Governor Anis Basedan issued a law in October 2021 banning groundwater extraction from high-rise buildings in certain parts of the city from August 1, 2023.
In the year In 2009, the city significantly increased the groundwater tax to prevent overuse of groundwater, but enforcement is lax and violations are common.
Jakarta currently plans to reach 100% of the city's piped water supply by 2030.
In January, the central government signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Jakarta government to accelerate the construction of a potable water system (SPAM) that will expand the city's water supply.
Under the agreement, the Ministry of Public Works and Housing will build three SPAM plants outside Jakarta to provide additional water supply to the capital.
These include SPAM Jatiluhur 1 in West Java and SPAM Djuanda and SPAM Karian in Banten.
SPAM Jatiluhur 1 and Karian are currently under construction and are expected to be commissioned in 2024.
The SPAM Djuanda project is currently in the preparation stage.
Heri said that instead of alleviating Jakarta's water problem, moving the capital would exacerbate the city's water shortage problem.
“80% of Jakarta's drinking water supply comes from the neighboring provinces of West Java and Banten. West Java has a water shortage problem; As the industrial and commercial sectors develop, the demand for water increases. he said.
"After Jakarta is no longer the capital of Indonesia, West Java authorities are reluctant to continue sending their water to Jakarta."
Although Jakarta has 13 rivers flowing through the city, the water is too polluted to drink.
Heri said Jakarta officials have been working to increase water supply by revitalizing the city's rivers, harvesting rainwater or desalinated seawater.
However, these processes make water very expensive in Jakarta.
Jakarta is sinking to high levels by extracting too much groundwater. The city is a result of building on loose alluvial soil and rising sea levels due to global warming.
Suu Kyi said that if Jakarta authorities do not stop construction of high-rise buildings in the city, the subsidy will worsen.
"Studies show that people should not build buildings higher than two stories to avoid landslides. Land subsidence is worse in densely built-up areas in Jakarta, and it has been confirmed by research that it reaches 12-25 cm per year.
