American space agency NASA has shared satellite photos of a city emerging in a jungle. The jungle is situated in Borneo and the city being developed is Indonesia's new capital, Nusantra. The satellite photos show how the forest area has changed since 2022 with progress in the development of city. NASA said the forest area has undergone rapid change in nearly two years, adding that roads have been carved into the landscape and buildings erected near Balikpapan Bay in Eastern Kalimantan for the new capital city.
The new city is being developed on the island of Borneo because of the problems faced by Indonesia's current capital, Jakarta.
More than 30 million people live in Jakarta that suffers from frequent flooding, air pollution, a shortage of drinking water, and traffic, as per NASA Earth Observatory.
At the time of Indonesia's independence, Jakarta had a population of one million.
Excessive groundwater withdrawals have contributed to subsidence rates of up to 15 centimetres per year, and 40 percent of the city is now below sea level, it further said.
According to New York Times, the master plan for Indonesia's new city was created in 2019. The blueprint that was approved included stilted buildings and elevated walkways linking to transportation hubs so residents can bypass Nusantara's hilly terrain.
Construction began in 2022 in an area of forests and oil palm plantations 30 kilometres inland from the Makassar Strait. The term Nusantra is from old Javanese and means "outer islands" or "archipelago".
Initially, the city is expected to cater to 500,000 people and the infrastructure is being developed according to that. Project plans stipulate that it will be a "green, walkable" metropolis, powered with renewable energy, with 75 per cent of the city remaining forested.
The construction is expected to be completed by 2045.
In a big shift for Delhi's air quality this monsoon, five of Delhi's 13 pollution hotspots recorded 'Good' Air Quality Index (AQI) readings on Thursday - a first for the month of July.
Air pollution may not only affect your heart and lungs but can also raise the possibility of developing meningioma -- a typically noncancerous brain tumour -- according to a study.
TEMPO, a collaborative space mission by NASA, NOAA, and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, is transforming air quality tracking across North America. Since 2023, it has delivered hourly, high-resolution pollution data from space, aiding researchers, health officials, and the public.
The Delhi government has rolled back a contentious order denying fuel to 'end of life' cars - the term for petrol vehicles registered over 15 years ago and diesel vehicles more than 10 years.
India's demographic health survey 2019-21 reveals that 13 per cent of children were born prematurely, and 17 per cent with a low weight at birth, with air pollution contributing to the adverse birth outcomes.
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