Jakarta – President Joko Widodo, also known as Jokowi, has concluded a two-day journey to different cities in Kalimantan on Borneo island in search of options to set up a new capital, after his administration decided to move ahead with a plan to create a new administrative hub away from overcrowded Jakarta.

He said he was assessing the "feel" of each city touted as an option. Upon completing the two-day trip across the island, the President seemed impressed with at least two locations: Bukit Soeharto in East Kalimantan and the Triangle Area near Palangkaraya in Central Kalimantan.

The mention of the two options, however, raised concerns among environmentalists that moving the centre of government to Kalimantan might lead to environmental disasters in or around the new capital.

Dwi Sawung of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) said most land in Kalimantan is peatland. Such changes to the peatland could threaten existing carbon reserves and worsen global warming, despite the government's attempts to mitigate climate change.

Massive land clearing around the site of the new capital could exacerbate the situation.

– The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network

Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/regional/2019/05/11/jokowis-search-for-new-capital-raises-concerns/