provides an opportunity to shift the developmental focus to other parts of the archipelago, but environmental pitfalls will need to be avoided, said experts and activists interviewed by CNA.
Jakarta is choked with air pollution, suffers from massive traffic congestion and is sinking up to 20cm yearly, one of the fastest rates in the world.Thus, the government decided to move the current capital from megacity Jakarta which has a population of 10 million people to a less crowded area in the dense jungles of Borneo island, home to the critically endangered species orangutan.
Both regencies are not prone to natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, forest fires, volcanic eruptions and landslides, unlike most parts of Indonesia. Mining Advocacy Network JATAM believed the capital’s relocation will only benefit concessionaires and land-owners at the expense of the environment.
KIARA, an NGO focusing on fishermen’s livelihood, noted that the capital’s relocation will affect the livelihoods of coastal communities that are dependent on marine and fishery resources in Balikpapan Bay. "The threat now besides being a traffic lane for coal barges, Balikpapan Bay will be the only logistical route for the needs of the construction of a new capital," said Ms Susan Herawati, Secretary General of KIARA, adding that East Kalimantan does not yet have zoning regulations on coastal areas and small islands.
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