Jakarta Flooding: A City Battling Rising Waters

In ‌theory, regulations exist ​to limit the use of wells, but these cannot‌ be enforced ⁤until the mains network is built.

New capital

In 2019, faced with the ⁢seemingly intractable problems plaguing Jakarta – flooding, ⁣drinking water, pollution, traffic -‌ the ​former Indonesian president Joko‍ Widodo proposed a ‌radical solution: moving the capital more than 1,000 ⁤kilometres⁤ to the northeast, to ⁣the‌ island of Borneo,‌ and building a ​futuristic new city named Nusantara in ⁤the middle of the forest.

As‍ the first civil‍ servants begin ​to move in despite numerous construction delays, the new ⁢president, Prabowo Subianto, ‌in office as October​ 2024, no longer appears to treat his predecessor’s flagship project as‌ a⁣ priority.The⁢ term “political capital” is now favoured.

For Dede, Chandra and Saphira, as for many ​Jakarta residents, Nusantara is little more than an abstract​ concept. It is far removed from their everyday priorities: living⁤ in safe housing,earning a decent income,gaining access ⁢to clean water,and moving around the city ⁣without losing hours on the road.

>>Read​ this reportage from⁤ Pulau Pari, Indonesia. Four island residents have ‌filed ⁢a ⁣climate complaint against ​the cement ⁣giant Holcim:

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