Remote Location and Damaged Roads Keep Malang Swamp City Forest in North Jakarta's Cilincing Empty of Visitors

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Malang Swamp City Forest in Cilincing sub-district, North Jakarta, is still minimally visited by residents despite functioning as a green open space. This situation is influenced by inadequate access roads to the location and its position in a relatively remote area. Coordinator of Internal Security for City Forests across Cilincing, Heriyana, stated that visitors tend to be limited and only come from nearby residents. “Yes, coincidentally, the Malang Swamp City Forest has access that is indeed not good, not proper, so compared to other city forests in Cilincing sub-district, namely Cilincing City Forest, Rorotan City Forest, especially Sukapura City Forest, visits to Malang Swamp City Forest are the lowest. Perhaps because of the poor access. Most visitors are from around Malang Swamp Village only,” Heriyana told Kompas.com on Wednesday (22/4/2026). “In 2012, we gradually built and planted, coincidentally when Mr Jokowi was Governor of DKI, he once planted in this city forest,” he said. Heriyana assessed that the Malang Swamp City Forest has greater potential considering its land area and the dense trees that make the conditions more verdant. “If we visit the Malang Swamp City Forest, we will feel like we are not in Jakarta. The cool air is felt, it doesn’t feel hot under the shade of the trees. So that should be very beneficial for the people of North Jakarta, especially perhaps Cilincing,” he explained. Meanwhile, the security officer at Malang Swamp City Forest, Saddam, also said that the location has not yet become the main destination for the public to recreate. “Mostly just the local residents here, and on Saturdays and Sundays, some residents from outside occasionally come, and also perhaps cyclists who often visit here,” he said. He stated that the city forest is actually open to residents who wish to carry out activities in the open space. “Yes, here it’s open to the public, as long as they get permission first or notify us who are here,” he added. “So residents can be more comfortable visiting here for tourism. Because it’s a shame, the potential is there, the conditions are actually very large, there is great potential for tourism,” he further said. Based on Kompas.com’s observation at the location on Wednesday, the access road to the site is full of potholes and uneven.