Indra Harsaputra, Sidoarjo – Lapindo Brantas Inc. is dumping contaminated water from the Sidoarjo mudflow disaster directly into the Porong River without treating it first as promised, witnesses claim. The company has denied it has dumped untreated water into the river.
Witnesses claimed they had seen water from retaining ponds being channeled directly into the river. The two pipes were connected to the river from one of the ponds near Pejarakan Jabon village. Three pumps have also been installed to distribute water from the pond to the river.
A TV journalist, Medi, said the pipes were set up in Thursday by soldiers from the Kepanjen battalion in Malang. Of the two pipes, only one was operating Friday, he said.
State Minister of Environment Rachmat Witoelar earlier said the water must not be dumped into seas or rivers without being treated. The ministry earlier said the mud was non-toxic and safe, despite a study published in a government magazine that said the mud contained a number of dangerous chemicals.
Meanwhile, Lapindo management said the new mudflow source spotted Thursday in Jatirejo village was likely caused by downward pressure of the mud caused by the retaining ponds the company had built.
The company's East Java general manager Rawindra said the new materials used to strengthen the ponds likely stopped the mud from flowing up its normal route. Instead the mud pushed through cracks in the ground and found its way to the surface in a new place, he said.
Earlier, former chairman of the Indonesian Geologists Association, Andang Bachtiar, blamed the emergence of the new mudflow on what he called a natural "mud volcano" phenomenon.
However, BP Migas deputy head Trijana Kartoatmojo played down the "mud-volcano" theory. The government was not saying this was the cause of the disaster, he said. "It's hard to clearly define the cause of mudflow since experts have different opinions about it but currently, we're only trying to stop it," he said.
Separately, director of the Indonesia Cares NGO, Syafruddin Ngulma Simeulue, accused Lapindo of intentionally spreading the "mud volcano" concept as a public relations strategy so it could escape blame for the disaster.
Syafruddin said Coordinating Minister for the People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie, whose family owns a controlling share the company, should resign from Cabinet.
"I hope President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his ministers are not reluctant to make a decision regarding this mudflow problem," he said.