A $42 billion gamble. Sink or Swim?
School of Public Policy Chiang Mai University
Chiang Mai University
As the name suggests, the Ring of Fire recently lived up to its name, when an enormous eruption of the underwater volcano in Tonga, Hunga Tong-Hunga Haapai, triggered a tsunami that reached all countries across the Pacific rim. This 40,000km horse-shaped belt encompasses over 25 countries including the Southeast Asian country of Indonesia with its 17,000 islands.
President Joko Wildodo initially announced his government’s intention to relocate the country’s capital back in 2019 to relieve the massive environmental burden facing Jakarta. Although loosely coined, Jakarta is considered a mega-city with a population of over 10 million packed into a densely populated area. This city has been prone to persistent flooding throughout the years and is now one of the fastest sinking cities in the world; experts say that by 2050, more than one-third of the city will be submerged, this is an unprecedented urban crisis the likes of which the modern world has never witnessed.
Before the government made the decision to relocate the capital, policies were put forward for the construction of giant sea walls in the Jakarta Bay, many critics argued that this $42 billion was not going to help alleviate the problems.
So, does the Indonesian government eventually have to force people to leave the city if this wall doesn’t work. What about the inequality gap and the problems of uprooting families and communities who have been embedded so long.