PENAJAM PASER UTARA, Indonesia: The orange-red earth was broken in the jungle of East Borneowhere the Indonesian government has begun construction of its new capital.
Officials promise a “sustainable forest city” that puts the environment at the heart of development and aims to be carbon neutral by 2045. But the project has been dogged by criticism from environmentalists and indigenous communities , which they say degrades the environment, shrinks even more. the habitat of endangered animals such as orangutans and indigenous displaced that rely on the land for their livelihood.
Indonesia started the construction of the new capital in the middle of 2022, after the president Joko Widodo announced that Jakarta – the current congested and polluted capital that is prone to earthquakes and rapidly sinking into the Java Sea – would be stripped of capital status.
The plans for the new capital – about twice the size of New York City – are grandeur. Officials tout the creation of a futuristic green city centered on forests, parks and food production that uses renewable energy resources, “smart” waste management and green buildings.
“We have to think beyond what is happening today and try to address (things) that are futuristic,” said Bambang Susantono, president of the Nusantara National Capital Authority, talking about the city’s design and the ability to respond to future challenges.
Digital renderings shared by the government show a city surrounded by forest, with people walking on tree-lined sidewalks and buildings with plant-covered roofs surrounded by paths, ponds, clean creeks and lush forest.
The architecture of the building is inspired by modern urban towers combined with traditional Indonesian architecture: the presidential palace in the form of a garuda – a mythical bird and the national symbol of Indonesia – and other buildings that give a stylistic nod to the traditional architecture used by the indigenous groups around. the archipelago.
In its current state, the new city is far from the orderly finish presented by its planners, but there is progress. Basuki Hadimuljono, Indonesia’s minister for public works and housing, said in February that the city’s infrastructure is 14% complete.
About 7,000 construction workers cleared, plowed and built the first phases of the site. The work dormitories, basic roads and a heliport are already in use. The construction of key buildings – such as the presidential palace – is expected to be completed by August 2024.
Sites visited by The Associated Press in early March showed mounds of freshly turned earth with excavators and cranes around them. At least one site has a sign with a QR code that visitors can scan to see a 3D visual of what the area will look like when finished; others have printed signs showing what’s to come.
The government said it is working to be careful about the environment. The signs of a more conscious approach to construction are visible: the pieces of trees remain fenced off to protect them from machinery, a plant nursery has already started for the replanting process that officials promise and the industrial forest surrounds the site .
But with construction ramping up this year, environmentalists warn that the construction of a metropolis will accelerate deforestation in one of the world’s largest and oldest tracts of tropical forest. Forests, called the lungs of the world, absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere that warms the planet and are home to numerous species of wildlife. The island has already been compromised by palm oil plantations and coal mines.
Dwi Sawung, an infrastructure specialist at the Indonesian Forum for the Living Environment, a non-governmental environmental organization that has monitored the new capital project, said the government’s plans lack consideration of the region’s unique wildlife as and orangutans and sun bears. The new city cuts off an important animal corridor.
“The animal must be moved first and then the construction is built,” he said. “But since they need to rush, they just built the area without relocating the animals first.”
Experts have also expressed concerns about how the new capital will be fueled. While the government promises the city will rely on a “smart energy” system, groups worry that some of the region’s coal-fired power plants could be used up in the short term.
Indonesia has significant energy potential from solar, hydroelectric, geothermal, wind and other sources, but only about 12% of them are tapped, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency. And while friendly public transport could keep cars off the city’s roads, there will likely be extensive air travel between the new capital and Jakarta, some 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) away.
Indigenous groups residing in the region who have already lost parts of their land fear that urban expansion from the new capital could make things even worse.
Officials promised to respect indigenous rights and compensate those who lost their homes. Local officials said they verify all land claims and accept documents proving ownership, but most of the area is handed down by undocumented families and not all tribal areas are formally recognized.
“We don’t want to be relocated. We don’t want them to move our graves of our ancestors, or make changes or destroy our historical site,” said Sibukdin, a leader of the indigenous community, who like many in the country uses just a name and lives in Sepaku, a neighborhood very close to the construction area.
Susantono said that indigenous residents have “a couple of options for them to be included in the process”, including compensation, transfer or ownership of the stores that will open.
“We will always persuade and tell them about the future of the city,” he said. “I hope they understand that this is for the good of everyone.”
But as Indonesia continues to lure investors, construction is moving forward, with the government planning to open the city on August 17 next year to coincide with Indonesia’s Independence Day .
“Nusantara is the city for tomorrow,” said Susantonu. “It will become a vibrant city, not just a government city.”
Officials promise a “sustainable forest city” that puts the environment at the heart of development and aims to be carbon neutral by 2045. But the project has been dogged by criticism from environmentalists and indigenous communities , which they say degrades the environment, shrinks even more. the habitat of endangered animals such as orangutans and indigenous displaced that rely on the land for their livelihood.
Indonesia started the construction of the new capital in the middle of 2022, after the president Joko Widodo announced that Jakarta – the current congested and polluted capital that is prone to earthquakes and rapidly sinking into the Java Sea – would be stripped of capital status.
The plans for the new capital – about twice the size of New York City – are grandeur. Officials tout the creation of a futuristic green city centered on forests, parks and food production that uses renewable energy resources, “smart” waste management and green buildings.
“We have to think beyond what is happening today and try to address (things) that are futuristic,” said Bambang Susantono, president of the Nusantara National Capital Authority, talking about the city’s design and the ability to respond to future challenges.
Digital renderings shared by the government show a city surrounded by forest, with people walking on tree-lined sidewalks and buildings with plant-covered roofs surrounded by paths, ponds, clean creeks and lush forest.
The architecture of the building is inspired by modern urban towers combined with traditional Indonesian architecture: the presidential palace in the form of a garuda – a mythical bird and the national symbol of Indonesia – and other buildings that give a stylistic nod to the traditional architecture used by the indigenous groups around. the archipelago.
In its current state, the new city is far from the orderly finish presented by its planners, but there is progress. Basuki Hadimuljono, Indonesia’s minister for public works and housing, said in February that the city’s infrastructure is 14% complete.
About 7,000 construction workers cleared, plowed and built the first phases of the site. The work dormitories, basic roads and a heliport are already in use. The construction of key buildings – such as the presidential palace – is expected to be completed by August 2024.
Sites visited by The Associated Press in early March showed mounds of freshly turned earth with excavators and cranes around them. At least one site has a sign with a QR code that visitors can scan to see a 3D visual of what the area will look like when finished; others have printed signs showing what’s to come.
The government said it is working to be careful about the environment. The signs of a more conscious approach to construction are visible: the pieces of trees remain fenced off to protect them from machinery, a plant nursery has already started for the replanting process that officials promise and the industrial forest surrounds the site .
But with construction ramping up this year, environmentalists warn that the construction of a metropolis will accelerate deforestation in one of the world’s largest and oldest tracts of tropical forest. Forests, called the lungs of the world, absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere that warms the planet and are home to numerous species of wildlife. The island has already been compromised by palm oil plantations and coal mines.
Dwi Sawung, an infrastructure specialist at the Indonesian Forum for the Living Environment, a non-governmental environmental organization that has monitored the new capital project, said the government’s plans lack consideration of the region’s unique wildlife as and orangutans and sun bears. The new city cuts off an important animal corridor.
“The animal must be moved first and then the construction is built,” he said. “But since they need to rush, they just built the area without relocating the animals first.”
Experts have also expressed concerns about how the new capital will be fueled. While the government promises the city will rely on a “smart energy” system, groups worry that some of the region’s coal-fired power plants could be used up in the short term.
Indonesia has significant energy potential from solar, hydroelectric, geothermal, wind and other sources, but only about 12% of them are tapped, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency. And while friendly public transport could keep cars off the city’s roads, there will likely be extensive air travel between the new capital and Jakarta, some 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) away.
Indigenous groups residing in the region who have already lost parts of their land fear that urban expansion from the new capital could make things even worse.
Officials promised to respect indigenous rights and compensate those who lost their homes. Local officials said they verify all land claims and accept documents proving ownership, but most of the area is handed down by undocumented families and not all tribal areas are formally recognized.
“We don’t want to be relocated. We don’t want them to move our graves of our ancestors, or make changes or destroy our historical site,” said Sibukdin, a leader of the indigenous community, who like many in the country uses just a name and lives in Sepaku, a neighborhood very close to the construction area.
Susantono said that indigenous residents have “a couple of options for them to be included in the process”, including compensation, transfer or ownership of the stores that will open.
“We will always persuade and tell them about the future of the city,” he said. “I hope they understand that this is for the good of everyone.”
But as Indonesia continues to lure investors, construction is moving forward, with the government planning to open the city on August 17 next year to coincide with Indonesia’s Independence Day .
“Nusantara is the city for tomorrow,” said Susantonu. “It will become a vibrant city, not just a government city.”