Indonesia: Jokowi names Penajam Paser Utara as new capital city site

Antara 26 Aug 19;

"We have concluded that the most ideal location for the new capital city is partly in Penajam Paser Utara District and partly in Kutai Kertanegara District," Jokowi said.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has named Penajam Paser Utara and Kutai Kertanegara in East Kalimantan Province as the sites of the new capital city.

"We have concluded that the most ideal location for the new capital city is partly in Penajam Paser Utara District and partly in Kutai Kertanegara District," Jokowi revealed at a press conference at the State Palace here on Monday, flanked by Vice President Jusuf Kalla.

Jokowi reiterated that the government had conducted studies on candidates of the new capital city in Kalimantan Island.

He elaborated that East Kalimantan had met the requirements to be the new capital city that entail minimum risk of natural disaster and located at the heart of Indonesia. The site is also close to big cities, such as Balikpapan and Samarinda, and it has 180 thousand hectares of government-owned land.

According to the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas), development of the new capital city will be started in 2021, and the construction of government buildings is targeted for completion in 2024.

Attendees at the press conference comprised National Development Planning Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro, Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning Minister Sofyan Djalil, Minister of State Secretary Pratikno, Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono, Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo, Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya, East Kalimantan Governor Isran Noor, and Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan.

Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning Minister Sofyan Djalil had earlier noted that the government will require three thousand hectares of land to construct government offices in the first stage of development of the new capital city.

The project is expected to cost up to Rp466 trillion (US$32.3 billion) to be covered by the State Budget (Rp74.44 trillion), Public Private Partnership scheme (Rp265.2 trillion), and private investment (Rp127.3 trillion). Related news: Awaiting people's participation in new capital city-related decision

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Kalimantan forest to remain intact despite capital development
Antara 27 Aug 19;

The Joko Widodo (Jokowi) administration has assured that the development of the capital city will not damage the environment and vowed that East Kalimantan forests will remain intact. This comes after the government announced that parts of North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kertanegara Districts in East Kalimantan Province would be the location for the country’s new capital expected to be inaugurated in 2024, the year when Jokowi’s second term will end.

President Jokowi told the media August 26, 2019 that the two districts were selected, as they faced the least risks from natural disasters, including floods, earthquake, tsunamis, forest fires, and landslides.

Moreover, they are strategically located in the heart of Indonesia and near Balikpapan and Samarinda that are developed cities. Hence, basic infrastructure and facilities already exist. Besides, the government owns 180 thousand hectares of land there.

The decision to move from Jakarta was based on a three-year study conducted by the government.

"The results of the studies concluded that the ideal location for a new capital city will be part of North Penajam Paser District and part of Kutai Kartanegara District in East Kalimantan," President Jokowi, who has been re-elected for the 2019-2024 term, noted.

The work is expected to start in 2021 and cost up to Rp466 trillion (US$32.3 billion) to be covered by the State Budget (Rp74.44 trillion), Public-Private Partnership scheme (Rp265.2 trillion), and private investment (Rp127.3 trillion).

Relocating the capital city in Kalimantan has triggered debates on both sides. The island, also known as Borneo, is considered “the lung of the world” as it is home to vast forests that help absorb CO2.

Forests are a stabilizing force for the climate. Approximately 2.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide, one-third of the CO2 released from burning fossil fuels, is absorbed by forests every year. Forests also regulate ecosystems, protect biodiversity, play an integral part in the carbon cycle, and support livelihoods.

Indonesia is home to the world’s third-largest tropical rain forest area after Brazil and Congo.

Located near Balikpapan City, Bukit Soeharto Forest Park in Samboja Sub-district, Kutai Kartanegara District, hosts the Wanariset Samboja Orangutan Rehabilitation and Reintroduction Center, as well as an education forest managed by the University of Mulawarman.

Balikpapan also has the Sungai (River) Wain Protected Forest (HLSW) which has extraordinary biodiversity including endangered fauna such as sambar deer, orangutans (Pongo pygmaues), sun bears (Helarctos malayanus), and nearly 200 species of birds.

Surrounding Balikpapan, are also many primary forests, mangrove forests, seagrass beds, and coral reefs on its coastal area.

The primary forests and coasts are home to some 1,400 rare yellow-hair proboscis monkeys (Nasalis larvatus), leopards, dugong, crocodiles, green turtles, 60 to 140 dolphins, 300 species of birds, 100 species of mammals, and more than 1,000 species of trees, according to a research conducted by Stanislav Lhota.

Being home to such rich biodiversity, Balikpapan and its surrounding areas, including Samboja and its Bukit Soeharto Forest Park, have been called "the last fortress of lowland tropical forests in Kalimantan" by environmentalists.

"It will cover a total area of 180 thousand hectares. Some 40 thousand hectares will become the main area, and in future, it will be expanded to 180 thousand hectares. Half of it would be green spaces, including preserved forest. In parts of North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kertanegara, we have the Bukit Soeharto preserved forest," National Development Planning Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro said.

The government has yet to decide on the specific delineation for the next capital. Environmental Affairs and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya confirmed there were no difficulties in preparing the exact location for the new capital city to be situated between North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kartanegara, as forest area allotment is changeable with government policy.

"As we know, in addition to the Bukit Suharto Forest Park, there are also conservation and production forests in the districts, and several of them have obtained permits," she noted.

The allotment of forest areas can be changed in line with the government’s policy based on Government Regulation No. 104 of 2015 on Procedures for Changing the Purposes and Functions of Forest Areas, she explained.

The relocation is necessary for economic and development equity across the country and to ease the burden on Java Island in general and Jakarta in particular, Jokowi had explained earlier.

"The burden of Java Island is getting heavier with the population reaching 150 million or 54 percent of Indonesia's total population, with 58 percent of Indonesia's economic GDP on Java Island," he said.

He pointed to Jakarta, as an administration and business center, also being overburdened.

Hosting both government and business centers, Jakarta is currently facing major problems of overpopulation, severe congestion, air pollution, and water pollution.

The central government studied numerous locations in Java and concluded that the burden on Java would only increase if the new capital were to remain there. It is Indonesia's fifth-largest island after Papua, Kalimantan, Sumatra, and Sulawesi.
Related news: Time to shift capital city to Kalimantan: Jokowi
Related news: Public Works Ministry ready to build capital city in East Kalimantan

By Fardah
Editor: Suharto

Capital city concept to entail environmental restoration: minister
Antara 28 Aug 19;

Balikpapan, East Kalimantan (ANTARA) - Environmental Affairs Minister Siti Nurbaya affirmed that the concept of the new capital city in East Kalimantan will encompass restoration of the environment at the Bukit Suharto Forest Park and adjoining areas.

The relocation of the capital city should neither be viewed as a matter of concern nor should it elicit skeptical reactions, as it would also prioritize environmental improvement, the minister noted in a statement here on Wednesday.

East Kalimantan Province has been facing environmental issues, including former mine pits.

"Hence, the plan to build the capital city there can also serve as a momentum to solve the problems. Hence, it could be implemented positively," Nurbaya explained.

Nurbaya has made assurance that her ministry will safeguard unique ecosystems existing in East Kalimantan in a sustainable manner.

The new capital city development concept, which is smart and forest city, is a theory that concurrently focuses on environmental improvement, she pointed out.

0n Aug 26, 2019, the central government had declared that parts of the districts of North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kertanegara in East Kalimantan will be the location for the country’s new capital that is expected to be inaugurated in 2024.

The plan has triggered reactions from the public, in general, and environmental organizations, in particular, as Kalimantan is home to extensive forest areas.

Greenpeace Indonesia has voiced its concerns over the plan, as it will necessitate forest and land conversion to develop a capital city and will consequently impact the environment. Developing a new capital city without giving prior consideration to the environment will lead to environmental issues cropping up akin to what Jakarta is bearing witness to, Greenpeace Indonesia Director Leonard Simanjuntak explained in a statement on Tuesday.

"We can see that air pollution in Jakarta is caused by means of transportation and coal-fueled power plants surrounding Jakarta. If the new capital city will rely on coal, as a source of energy, like in Jakarta now, do not ever expect that the new capital city will be free of air pollution," he stated.

Reporter: Virna PS, Fardah
Editor: Azizah Fitriyanti

Environmental study of new capital by November
Antara 28 Aug 19;

Jakarta (ANTARA) - A Strategic Environmental Study (KLHS) of the new capital city in East Kalimantan is expected to be completed in November 2019, Environmental Affairs and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar has said.

"It won't take too long. It will be two months at the latest, most likely in November," the minister said here Wednesday. The KLHS is in line with the Government Regulation No 46/2016 regarding KLHS for major projects.

The relocation will include the simultaneous restoration of the environment in North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kartanegara Districts in East Kalimantan, she said.

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) had issued instructions that the ecosystems of Bukit Soeharto Forest Park, Balikpapan Bay and several others should be restored simultaneously with the development of the new capital city.

Her ministry has been preparing a reference framework and other strategic steps over the last two days, to be conveyed directly to President Jokowi, the Presidential Secretariat Office (KSP) and the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), she said.

0n August 26, 2019, the central government had declared that parts of the districts of North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kertanegara in East Kalimantan will be the location for the country’s new capital that is expected to be inaugurated in 2024.

The new capital city will function on the concept of smart and forest city.

The plan has triggered reactions from the public, in general, and environmental organizations, in particular, as Kalimantan is home to extensive forest areas.

Greenpeace Indonesia has voiced its concerns over the plan, as it will necessitate the conversion of forest and land for development and will consequently impact the environment. Developing a new city without assigning prior consideration to the environment will lead to issues similar to what Jakarta is witnessing, Greenpeace Indonesia Director Leonard Simanjuntak explained in a statement Tuesday.

"We can see that air pollution in Jakarta is caused by means of transportation and coal-fueled power plants surrounding Jakarta. If the new capital city will rely on coal, as a source of energy, like in Jakarta now, do not ever expect the new capital city to be free from air pollution," he stated.

Reporter: Desi Purnamasari, Fardah
Editor: Sri Haryati

Greenpeace raises concerns over capital city relocation to Kalimantan
Antara 28 Aug 19;

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Greenpeace Indonesia raised environmental and governance concerns regarding a plan to develop a new capital city in East Kalimantan, as it will necessitate forest and land conversion for urban development, thereby definitely impacting the environment.

“The plan to relocate our capital to East Kalimantan, if executed without prioritizing environmental protection, can carry risks of creating fresh environmental problems in the new capital, just as Jakarta suffers from environmental crises today. Jakarta’s air is polluted not only by a poorly planned transportation sector but also from the many coal-fired power plants in the area around it. If Indonesia’s new capital city also relies on coal power as Jakarta does, then do not expect the move to a new capital to bring a breath of fresh air," Country Director of Greenpeace Indonesia Leonard Simanjuntak noted in a statement on Wednesday.

The concerns were raised following President Joko Widodo’s Monday announcement on the relocation of the Indonesian capital to an area straddling the districts of North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kartanegara, East Kalimantan.

He was apprehensive of history repeating itself, particularly if the government were to proceed and build “mine-mouth” coal-fired power plants, as currently planned in several locations in East Kalimantan.

Related news: Capital city concept to entail environmental restoration: minister

Construction of these mine-mouth coal-fired power plants will wholly undermine the smart, green city concept promoted for the nation’s new capital. They must be stopped, and clean, renewable energy should be provided as the city’s energy source. These coal mines will not only cause air pollution but also have other environmental impacts. Deforestation for mines can lead to floods and reduce clean water supply leading to shortages, as had taken place in nearby Samarinda, he noted.

“The threat posed by the global climate crisis, combined with environmental mismanagement of Jakarta, should not be a reason to cut and run by moving the capital. However, it must be a wake-up call and become a major consideration in Indonesia’s development strategy going forward," he remarked.

Currently, the rate of land subsidence in Jakarta is between one and 15 centimeters (cm) annually and combined with the rising sea level reaching 8.5 cm, it translates to most of North Jakarta being submerged by 2050.

"The relocation of our capital will only displace environmental problems or even create new ones if we do not take full stock of the unfolding climate crisis. A very strong government commitment is called for to ensure no excessive land conversion and additional deforestation takes place at the new capital city site. The way to achieve this is to apply a ‘compact city’ concept, deploying electricity-based mass public transportation, with the city’s primary energy source being renewables, and with waste management geared towards a zero-waste city. Only by planning with these in mind can a new capital city not exacerbate the current environmental and climate crisis,” he stated.

Greenpeace has raised concerns over the proposed area being susceptible to forest fires. During the 2015 fires crisis, a total of 3,487 fire hotspots were recorded in Kutai Kartanegara District. This year, some 105 fire hotspots had already been found, and the fire season has not yet run its course. Analysis by Greenpeace indicates a "burn scar" area affected by forest fires totaling 35,785 hectares during the 2015-2018 period.

The environmental harm caused by fires and the subsequent air pollution impacts residents living in proximity and far. It is a problem recently brought up by a successful citizen lawsuit – and it is one that Jokowi’s government must address head-on if it is to move the capital city to Kalimantan.

Greenpeace emphasizes that the development of the new capital must not impinge on protected areas or nature reserves, as that would certainly cause additional deforestation and threaten endangered endemic species, such as the Bornean orangutan.

“Environmental concerns must once again be underlined as a fundamental consideration in relocating the capital city. It is unfortunate that this process is being carried out in a hurry and without an adequate public consultation process. In democracies, open discussions to listen to the aspirations of the public, including ensuring the consent of local indigenous people, must be an integral part of important public decision-making. This must be an important note for President Jokowi,” Leonard emphasized.

In the meantime, Environmental Affairs and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya has made assurance of the new capital city development not harming the environment and actually improving the environment in East Kalimantan. Related news: Public Works Ministry ready to build capital city in East Kalimantan

Reporter: Fardah
Editor: Azizah Fitriyanti