The Indonesian parliament today passed a bill to move the capital from Jakarta to a forested area on the island of Borneo, DPA reported. The decision of the deputies paves the way for the construction of the new city.

The law was approved by most political forces, with only the small Justice and Prosperity Party disagreeing.

National Development Planning Minister Suharso Monoarfa announced yesterday that the new capital will be built in the province of East Kalimantan and will be called Nusantara. It is an old name of the Malay Archipelago, which includes Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and the southern Philippines.

In 2019, Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced plans to build an entirely new capital in the jungles of Borneo, equidistant from the cities of Balikpapan and Samarinda. He said Jakarta was no longer a reliable administrative center due to floods, constant traffic jams and poor air quality.

The value of the relocation is estimated at more than billion. If all goes according to plan, the first officials will be able to move to their new offices at the earliest in 2024, when Joko's second and last term expires.

Twenty percent of Jakarta's area is below sea level, and the Bandung Institute of Technology estimates that it will double by 2050. The city's gradual sinking is due in part to the uncontrolled drying of groundwater and the associated decline in groundwater levels.

/BTA

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