Inside Indonesia's last-ditch $30billion bid to move 2MILLION people from ... trends now

Seen from above, the prospective new capital of Indonesia is little more than a network of track roads and concrete exoskeletons today.

But the southeast Asian country, home to more than 275 million people, hopes desperately for Nusantara to be ready to house its first 6,000 residents by October, with Jakarta slowly dissolving into the sea 1,200 miles away.

With 40 per cent of the capital already below sea level, some 10.6 million people in the inner city (and 30 million in the wider area) could face displacement - and urgently need a longer-term solution.

But conservationists and local tribes, settled in the region for generations, warn the project is already starting to disrupt the natural order, cutting off access to water and endangering life. 

Construction on the $35bn project of Nusantara began only in 2022, but the Indonesian government hopes it will be ready to open its doors within a matter of months - with completion to coincide with the centenary of independence in 2045.

Photos from this year, coupled with stunning CGI projections, show how the plan is taking hold as some 200,000 workers rally to usher in a new era for the archipelago.

Situated on the east coast of Borneo, developers have had just two years to clear land and begin work on connecting roads.

From a blank slate, they hope to create a forward-looking, innovative and environmentally-friendly city of the future.

With a GDP of 1.32 trillion USD in 2022, the country certainly has the resources to pile into its ambitious project.

This will not be without its challenges, as the government hopes to move 1.9 million people from Jakarta on the island of Java to the island of Borneo, some 1,250 miles north.

The site of Nusantara - which means 'archipelago' or the 'outer islands' - was chosen intentionally, however, in line with the country's geopolitical vision. 

As one of the world's fastest growing economies, and home to the fourth-largest global population, Indonesia is rapidly emerging as a key player in the region.

The hope is that the new city's location will help the nation position itself as a dynamic power in the Indo-Pacific, harnessing nearby shipping lanes for trade.

Nusantara will also, notably, avoid many of the earthquakes, flooding and volcanic eruptions that blight the nation on a fairly regular basis.

Only today it was reported more than 12,000 people were forced to evacuate when Indonesia's Ruang volcano erupted, spewing lava and provoking a tsunami warning.

The new project will cost $35billion in total and house about 1.9million residents once it has been fully completed.

The ambition is to settle the first 6,000 civil servants by October 2024, creating a 'strong foundation for private investments to come in', per the Nusantara National Capital Authority.

The government has pledged just 20 per cent of the staggering $35bn estimate, hoping the rest will come from foreign investors equally excited by the prospect of a convenient new capital.

While Indonesia has the urgent incentive to build, the country's infrastructure budget has been steadily falling since 2017, dipping to just 1.9 per cent of GDP last year down from 2.8 per cent pre-pandemic, according to a Maybank report.

If pressed, the government could increase its own investment, according to officials at the NNCA, as reported by CNBC.

Policymakers hope the city will be powered exclusively by green energy by 2024, with views to build a 50-megawatt solar plant in the city.

They say Nusantara will adopt a 'forest city' concept, with 75 per cent of the metropolis built in green space. 

And the project has backing from some big names, with the Tony Blair Institute signing a Memorandum of Understanding to build a research centre last year, according to The Jakarta Post.

'Under the extraordinary endeavor of the IKN Authority, Nusantara is a reality. It's taking shape,' the

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