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Lapindo forced to suspend boring in East Java
A bird's eye view of the Lapindo mudflow in Porong Sidoarjo, East Java, taken on May 28, 2013
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A bird's eye view of the Lapindo mudflow in Porong Sidoarjo, East Java, taken on May 28, 2013. The government has been trying to stop the flow of mud for nine years, including bringing in foreign experts, but so far to no avail. (Tempo/Fully Syafi) (Tempo/Fully Syafi)
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span class="inline inline-center">A bird's eye view of the Lapindo mudflow in Porong Sidoarjo, East Java, taken on May 28, 2013. The government has been trying to stop the flow of mud for nine years, including bringing in foreign experts, but so far to no avail. (Tempo/Fully Syafi)
Oil and gas exploration company Lapindo Brantas has suspended operations in East Java's Sidoarjo regency, where people are still traumatized by the mudflow disaster blamed on the company's previous exploration activities.
'All heavy equipment in the drilling location will be taken out today pending a decision from the central government,' Sidoarjo Police chief Anwar Nasir said on Monday, as quoted by news portal kompas.com.
The government earlier decided to stop Lapindo's operations due to safety concerns, saying it would reevaluate the safety, geological and social aspects of the drilling.
Nine years ago, a rice paddy in eastern Java suddenly cleaved open and began spewing steaming mud. Before long, it covered an area twice the size of Central Park; roads, factories and homes disappeared under a tide of reeking muck. Twenty lives were lost and nearly 40,000 people displaced, with damages topping $2.7 billion.
The company, which is linked to Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie, recently announced plans to re-start drilling in March with a target of producing five million standard cubic feet of gas per day (MMSCFD). The new drilling area is located only two kilometers from areas of the mudflow. (cal/dan).(+)
