Indonesian President Joko Widodo has announced a plan to move the nation’s capital. While there have been various reasons that nations have relocated their capitals, there’s a serious reason for this move: The city is sinking. In fact, according to the World Economic Forum, Jakarta is one of the fastest-sinking cities in the entire world.
A new capital will be established on the island of Borneo. As of now, it’s estimated that the move will cost around $34 billion and could take 10 years.
There are two main reasons for this decision. First of all, sections of the city are sinking between three and 10 centimeters every year. This can be extremely hard on infrastructure and building foundations. Jakarta is also on the coast, meaning that the risk of flooding is very real. Specifically, high-tide seawater flooding is a risk, but stormwater flooding (brought on by rain) is also an issue.
Of course, thanks to climate change, the sea level is rising and will likely keep rising. That doesn’t cut down flood concerns at all.
Overexcavation of groundwater is the other major issue. In layman’s terms, groundwater lives in spaces between grains of sediment. It’s a little hard to visualize, but in this sense, the groundwater helps support the sediment and keep the spaces open. When the water level drops, however, the spaces lose support. Why does this matter? Without support, the entire structure can collapse.
This isn’t the first time that the idea of moving Indonesia’s capital has been suggested. It’s actually been floated as an idea since 1945, when the nation first declared independence from the Netherlands. But this is the first time the president is actually pushing for legislation to make the change. And again, climate change is moving things along.
According to the United Nations, more than 10 million people call Jakarta home. If you add in people living in the greater metropolitan area, that number jumps to 30 million. It’s one of the most overpopulated urban areas in the world.
"As a large nation that has been independent for 74 years, Indonesia has never chosen its own capital," President Joko Widodo announced in a televised speech on Monday, CNN reported. "The burden Jakarta is holding right now is too heavy as the center of governance, business, finance, trade and services.”
Many are concerned about the environmental impact this move could have on Borneo. Hundreds of miles northeast of Jakarta, Borneo is known for its rainforests, beaches, and national parks that are habitats for orangutans. It’s not exactly the business and finance hub that the current capital is. What will so many new people and buildings bring to the region? Only time will tell—and as climate change continues unchecked, it feels like time is running out.