Dam `may not be enough' to deal with flash mudflow

Indra Harsaputra ,  THE JAKARTA POST ,  Sidoarjo, East Java   |  Wed, 07/08/2009 11:08 AM  |  The Archipelago

The Sidoarjo Mudflow Handling Agency (BPLS) will build a small dam to deal with a flash mudflow that erupted on June 26 in Porong district in Sidoarjo regency, an official with the agency said.

"We used the same method previously to deal with mud inside a steel factory," deputy head of BPLS operational affairs, Soffian Hadi, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

The recently flash mudflows, which emerged in the home of a Siring resident, are reportedly the 119th leak to have occurred outside the mud reservoir built in the affected region. More than 50 of the leaks, located in the three subdistricts of Siring, Mindi and Jatirejo, are still actively spewing gas, mud and water.

Soffian said that although the new geyser was linked to a larger flow, the fact it produced cool mud suggested it was not linked to the major flow plaguing the larger region.

"There is nothing to worry about. We cannot confirm when it will stop, but it eventually will on its own," he said.

BPLS public relation officer, Akhmad Kusairi, said once the dam was built, the water from the flash flow would be directed to a ditch and onto a river, while the mud would be allowed to pool in one area.

"It is half a meter high so it should trap all the mud," he said.

He said a social-aid scheme for the nearly 2,175 people living in Siring, Mindi and Jatirejo had also been prepared. The three subdistricts are no longer considered suitable for habitation due to the potential for further eruptions. Each family will receive Rp 500,000 for an evacuation fee, Rp 2.5 million for renting a house and Rp 300,000 per month for six months to cover general costs.

Geologist Amien Widodo, from the Surabaya-based 10 November Institute of Technology (ITS), said BPLS should not underestimate this recent mud eruption because more larger situations could develop in the future.

He said the amount of mud pouring from the geyser was dropping, suggesting pressure was building beneath the surface as the gases tried to find a way out.

"The extreme conditions could be leading toward a new eruption on the same scale as the original disaster," he said.

The government and BPLS should evacuate the civilians from the newly affected area, he said, as soon as possible, and an area 3-kilometers in diameter should be cleared to make way for a mudflow reservoir.

"The government has to anticipate the worst case scenario as we are dealing with nature. Anything could happen," he said.

Scientist Djaja Laksana, from ITS' team of experts, said the government had to ask Lapindo's Brantas Inc. for their drilling data to learn about the inside layer of the hot mudflow area. That way, he said, better steps could be taken to prevent further disaster.

"We are sure we can stop the mudflow using dam technology," he said.

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