[Kabar-indonesia] Mud may force Sidoarjo residents out for good

[Joyo at aol.com]

The Jakarta Post
Saturday, August 12, 2006

Mud may force Sidoarjo residents out for good

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Surabaya

Permanent effects from the huge mudflow engulfing Sidoarjo, East Java, may 
keep thousands of displaced residents from ever returning to their homes, 
officials warn.

In a worst-case scenario where the mudflow from the May 29 accident remained 
unstoppable, residents of Porong district would have to relocate, officials 
reportedly said during a closed-door presentation Friday organized by the Energy 
and Mineral Resources Ministry in Surabaya.

The government would allow the inundation of at least seven villages, with a 
combined population of more than 13,000, to create a huge crater that would 
shield other areas from the mud, one of those present said.

The mudflow was caused by a drilling accident at the site of Lapindo Brantas 
Inc. Thousands more people were forced from their homes Thursday after the mud 
breached an embankment.

The situation was discussed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, House of 
Representatives Speaker Agung Laksono, several related ministers, local 
officials and legislators as well as Lapindo executives.

But the President later tersely denied there was a plan to sacrifice the 
villages.

After the meeting, Agung said the experience of other countries with similar 
disasters showed even the most advanced technology often was insufficient.

"There is a worst-case scenario that the mudflow could not be stopped. It may 
stay permanently. The government has several strategies to cope with the 
situation and ensure that there will be no casualties and economic calamity for 
the region," he said.

East Java council member Muhammad Mirdasy said the meeting had included a 
simulation of creating strong barricades encircling the affected area, with a 
water treatment dam for the mud to be channeled to the sea.

"The construction of the barricades and the dams would cause the loss of at 
least seven villages that would be permanently inundated by the toxic mud. The 
total area that would be affected by the plan is estimated to reach more than 
350 hectares."

Three of the villages, Mirdasy added, were currently not affected by the 
mudflow, and were inhabited by middle-income families who owned businesses in the 
area.

Construction of the facilities, all to be financed by Lapindo, was intended 
to purify the mud of toxic materials before it flowed into the Porong river, 
which heads straight into the Madura Strait.

Yudhoyono responded that only uninhabited areas would be used as a mud 
catchment to remove toxic materials.

"There is no plan to inundate seven villages. We will pool the mud in 
uninhabited areas. There is no such term 'inundation'. We wouldn't have the heart to 
do that," a clearly annoyed Yudhoyono told a news conference.

However, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said in Jakarta the relocation of 
residents would be permanent due to the massive scale of the disaster. He said the 
process would be arranged by the local administration but financed by Lapindo.

"Seeing the swift flow of the mud ... it is impossible for the houses and the 
areas to be inhabited again," Kalla said at his office, adding the firm 
should provide compensation for the people's losses. 

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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