JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Jakarta is densely populated, polluted, prone to earthquakes and rapidly sinking into the Java Sea. Now the government is in the process of withdrawing, moving the Indonesian capital to the island of Kalimantan.
Indonesian officials say the new metropolis will be a "sustainable forest city" that will put the environment at the center of development and aim to be carbon neutral by 2045.
But environmentalists warn that the capital will lead to massive deforestation, endangering the habitat of endangered species such as orangutans and endangering the homes of indigenous people.
Although access to areas of the new capital is restricted, The Associated Press was allowed to tour parts of the facility in early March to see construction progress.
Here's why the capital is moving, the government's plans and how activists worry about how it will affect the environment, endangered species and indigenous peoples near the project site.
Why is Indonesia moving its capital?
About 10 million people live in Jakarta, three times more than the greater metropolitan area. The city is said to be the fastest sinking city in the world and at current rates, it is estimated that a third of the city could be flooded by 2050. The main cause is the uncontrolled extraction of groundwater, but this situation has worsened. Growth of the Java Sea due to climate change.
Its air and groundwater are so polluted, it floods regularly, and its roads are so congested that traffic congestion is estimated to cost the economy $4.5 billion a year.
President Joko Widodo sees the construction of a new capital as a solution to the problems facing Jakarta, reducing the population and starting the country with a "sustainable city".
What will be the new capital?
Widodo's plan to create an island city - an old Javanese word meaning "islands" - involved building government and residential buildings from scratch. Initial estimates suggest more than 1.5 million civil servants will relocate to the city, about 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) northeast of Jakarta, although ministries and government agencies are still working out the final numbers.
Bambang Susantono, head of the Archipelago Capital Authority, said the new capital will implement the concept of a "forest city" by reclaiming 65% of the area.
The city's inauguration is expected to take place on August 17 next year, coinciding with Indonesia's Independence Day. However, authorities in the new capital have said the final phase of the city's construction will likely not be completed until 2045, the country's centenary.
Why does the environment matter?
However, skeptics fear the environmental impact of building the 256,000-hectare (990-square-mile) megacity in Borneo's East Kalimantan province.
Forest Watch Indonesia, an Indonesian non-governmental organization that monitors forestry issues, warned in a November 2022 report that most of the forested areas in the new capital would be "production forests", meaning forestry and mining permits could be issued, which could go further. . . Deforestation... According to the report, there is still uncertainty about the conservation status of the remaining natural forests in the area of the new capital.
The AP's analysis of the data also suggests that more extreme heat days may occur in the region in the coming years.
How are Aboriginal communities affected?
At least five villages of over 100 indigenous communities are being displaced by the construction, and more villages are expected to be displaced as the construction works expand.
The government says the new capital has the support of local community leaders and is paying compensation to those who used the land to build the city.
But Sibukdin, an indigenous leader who, like many in the country, goes by only one name and lives in Sepaku, an area very close to the construction site, said community members were forced to take money paid by the government. to know to them as compensation... Count or if it is fair, he said.
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AP photographer Ahmed Ibrahim and videographer Fadlan Siam contributed to this report from East Kalimantan, Indonesia.
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