The Nusantara Capital City Authority (OIKN) admits that the first underwater tunnel project in Indonesia’s future capital, valued at Rp10 trillion (about US$ 649 million), has the potential to harm the ecosystem. However, upon thorough assessment, the project is considered to generate the least impact on the marine ecosystem around Balikpapan Bay.
“We have altered [the development plan] from initially constructing a bridge across the bay to building an underwater tunnel in the hope of minimizing its environmental impacts, though we understand it will still cause damages. Indeed, we are aware that human activities will harm nature,” Pungky Widiaryanto, Director of Forestry and Water Resources at the OIKN, told a Webinar on Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023.
Pungky said the construction of several infrastructure projects in the new capital city (IKN) has posed dilemmas. He, however, insisted that the government has conducted studies to minimize the negative impacts of each project. For instance, Pungky said, the government initially planned to build a bridge across the Balikpapan Bay that will connect Balikpapan and IKN, upon consideration that it will be less costly.
Later on, upon considering the need for a balanced ecosystem, the government opts to construct an underwater tunnel (immersed tunnel), with construction costs estimated at Rp 4 trillion per 1 kilometer.
The OIKN official also maintained that the development of the underwater tunnel would adhere to sustainable principles aligned with the vision and mission of developing the new capital city into an environmentally friendly green city. “We try to minimize it [the impact] by changing from a historical perspective of building a bridge and opt to construct a tunnel. Even though we are aware that tunnels also have the risk of impacting the ecosystem,” he said.
An expert staff for technology, industry and environment to the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, Endra S. Atmawidjaja, earlier said that the planned construction of the underwater tunnel project at one of the sections of the IKN Toll Road was still in the detailed engineering design (DED) stage.
Asked about the project financing, Endra said it will temporarily be covered by the State Budget (APBN). “Yes, for now, we use the APBN, but there might be a loan scheme. We don’t know the scheme yet as we haven’t reached that point.Wwe are still designing, discussing the technical aspects. Once decided, then we will figure out where the money will come from,” he said.
