Solution to Jakarta’s Sinking ≠ Building a New Capital City
I think it’s pretty clear that moving Indonesia’s capital isn’t going to change much, especially when it comes to reducing the threat of Jakarta sinking. The scientific explanations for why Jakarta is sinking — excessive groundwater extraction linked to dense populations and heavy business activity — are already clear, but how did the solution end up being “move the capital city”? There’s no logic in that at all.
If we want to prevent the sinking from accelerating, the real question is: who is extracting groundwater excessively? Fine them and shut their operations down if they don’t comply (there are still no regulations that allow authorities to actually enforce this), and make it easier for them to switch to water sources other than groundwater. That’s what needs to be done now.
Jakarta’s piped water still relies on only one source, the Jatiluhur Dam, and doesn’t fully cover all areas (both businesses and households end up competing for the same groundwater).
Isn’t it actually more financially feasible to build new reservoirs in Jakarta or Greater Jakarta to increase piped-water supply, rather than pouring hundreds of trillions of rupiah to build a new city out of forest land? This makes it even clearer that moving to IKN is more of a political project than an actual solution.
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It’s terrifying that such a big city doesn’t have its own reservoirs for a piped water supply. Yes, it’s bad planning, but it’s not the end of the story.
For now, the people most affected by this threat are poor communities in slum areas like Kamal Muara, Muara Angke, Muara Baru, and other settlements in North Jakarta. If the government genuinely cares, they should relocate and protect these communities, and build green barriers or any other appropriate protections, funded by the fines collected from groundwater violators.
But instead, what the government is doing is moving civil servants and government institutions to IKN. Wait… my brain just cracked.
Anyway, here’s a good investigation into who might be illegally conducting massive groundwater extraction:
