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New city, old problems: People struggle as Nusantara rises
While some residents have welcomed the Nusantara Capital City (IKN) project in North Penajam Paser regency, East Kalimantan, others have been complaining that their villages are now plagued by problems commonly found in big cities, ranging from rising crime rates to a lack of clean water.
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A partially constructed segment of toll road in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, intended to serve the planned future capital of Nusantara in the nearby North Penajam Paser regency, is pictured on July 12, 2024. (AFP/-)
J
ust two months ago, former West Java governor and architect Ridwan Kamil made a bold prediction that the country’s future capital of Nusantara in East Kalimantan would be like Jakarta by the time the country marked its 79th Independence Day.
As construction workers toil day and night to meet the government’s Aug. 17 deadline for unveiling Nusantara, Ridwan’s prophetic statement might have already come true, for all the wrong reasons.
Since President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo first announced the Nusantara relocation and development project in 2019, work has been underway on a site four times the area of Jakarta to build the new capital, designed as a smart city with a forest city concept, complete with state-of-the-art buildings and cutting-edge technology.
Why move the capital? According to Jokowi, the 500-year-old metropolis of Jakarta is plagued by perennial problems ranging from pollution and overpopulation to traffic congestion, and then some.
But it seems that Jakarta’s problems are part and parcel of the relocation project, with residents in areas surrounding the future capital complaining about various issues, from rising crime rates to untreated waste and a shortage of clean water.
While an influx of workers and other new arrivals has boosted the restaurant business of Sulis Sugiarti, who lives on the doorstep of Nusantara in Sepaku district, North Penajam Paser regency, she is now concerned about safety.
