Context: Recently, Indonesia's parliament has passed a law approving the relocation of its capital from slowly sinking Jakarta to a site 2,000 kilometres away on jungle-clad Borneo island that will be named "Nusantara".

Key Reason

• The city of Jakarta was slowly sinking due to rising sea levels. Also, the city had witnessed severe congestion due to the dense population. 
• Jakarta has long been plagued by serious infrastructure problems and flooding exacerbated by climate change.
• Moreover, Jakarta is the centre for administration, governance, finance and trade, it has inevitably led to relentless construction in the city, due to which the water is not able to seep into the ground in many areas, leading to increased run-off.

About Nusantara

• The new capital is named Nusantara, an old Javanese term which means "archipelago".
• It is located in the North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kartanegara regions of the East Kalimantan province, on the lesser populated island of Borneo.
• East Kalimantan is located over 1,400 km from Jakarta and it does not have a history of natural disasters.
• East Kalimantan is an area with immense water resources and habitable terrain.
• The plans for new capital depict a utopian design aimed at creating an environmentally friendly "smart" city.
• The new capital will act as the centre of the government, whereas Jakarta will continue to be Indonesia’s business and financial centre.

Criticism of New location

• It could damage ecosystems in the region, and threaten rainforests that are home to Borneo's endangered species.
• The forests of the East Kalimantan region are home to orangutans, sun-bears and long-nosed monkeys.

Key Fact

• Malaysia moved its government to Putrajaya from Kuala Lumpur in 2003.
• Myanmar moved its capital to Naypyidaw from Rangoon in 2006.

About Sea Level Rise (SLR)

• SLR is an increase in the level of the world’s oceans due to the effects of climate change, especially global warming,
• It is induced by three primary factors: Thermal Expansion, Melting Glaciers and Loss of Greenland and Antarctica’s ice sheets.
• Sea level is primarily measured using tide stations and satellite laser altimeters.
• Global sea level has been rising over the past century, and the rate has accelerated in recent decades.

By: Shubham Tiwari