Indonesia passes law to relocate capital from Jakarta to Borneo

Indonesia’s parliament approved a bill on January 18, 2022, to relocate its capital city from Jakarta to a forested area in East Kalimantan province on the island of Borneo. The new law provides a legal framework for President Joko Widodo's US$32 billion megaproject. More than 2,500 sq km of jungle will be cleared for the new capital city, Nusantara. The present capital Jakarta is prone to congestion, flooding, air pollution and sinking because of groundwater over-extraction.