The Long Struggle of the National Strategic Project Victims

The construction of Indonesia's new capital city, Nusantara, in East Kalimantan is already impacting indigenous communities, altering their traditional ways of life.

Sibukdin, a 62-year-old traditional chief of the Balik Sepaku tribe, describes how the Sepaku River behind his home has changed significantly over the past three years. The river has widened and deepened, with its banks now reinforced with concrete revetments to combat erosion. These changes are directly linked to the Sepaku Semoi intake dam, a government facility built to channel water to the Central Government Core Area (KIPP) of Nusantara. The dam's construction has disrupted the natural flow of the river, making it increasingly difficult for the Balik Sepaku community to fish.

The geological composition of the KIPP, characterized by clay, makes groundwater extraction challenging, necessitating the Sepaku River as a water source for the new capital. However, this vital water supply for Nusantara comes at a cost to the local indigenous population. The dam has caused the river's water level to rise upstream, where the Balik Sepaku community resides, leading to the observed widening and deepening of the river.

Sibukdin's account highlights the tangible consequences of large-scale national projects on local communities. The altered river not only affects their ability to fish but also signifies a broader disruption of their environment and traditional practices. The report notes that this is the first group to be affected by the IKN construction, suggesting that more such impacts may follow as the project progresses.

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It has become increasingly difficult for us to catch fish there since the river was dammed.