Indra Harsaputra, Sidoarjo – Another mud retaining pond in Sidoarjo, East Java, collapsed Sunday, prompting a government team to recommend the immediate dumping of water from the mudflow into the sea.
The pond, located only 150 meters from Lapindo Brantas Inc.'s Banjar Panji-1 gas exploration well that has been gushing mud since May 29, collapsed around 11:30 a.m.
No casualties were reported in the incident, which followed the collapse Friday of two other retaining ponds. However, several pieces of equipment were lost in the mud.
"The mud was gushing fast and spewing smoke. There was also a sound like thunder coming from the mudflow source, prompting workers to flee in fear of an explosion of poisonous gas," a worker who was at the scene told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
The executive chairman of a newly established central government team in charge of dealing with the disaster, Basuki Hadimulyono, said the pond was unable to contain the growing volume of mud.
He was reluctant to speculate about whether the mud spilling from the collapsed pond was poisonous, but said the area within a two-kilometer radius of the pond would be closed off. However, he said the incident would not stop work to construct a relief well meant to stop the mudflow.
"Looking at this emergency situation, we recommend the water from the mudflow should be immediately piped to the sea. If we don't do it quickly, the situation could get worse. We have no intention to damage the marine ecosystem, but this is our only option," said Basuki, who also heads the Research and Development Agency at the Public Works Ministry.
The government response team, which was set up last Tuesday with Energy and Mining Resources Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro at its head, also recommended the indefinite closure of the nearby Surabaya-Gempol turnpike.
State Minister for State Enterprises Sugiharto recently said the government might hold Lapindo financially responsible for losses incurred by state turnpike operator PT Jasa Marga as a result of the mudflow disaster. He added that the losses to Jasa Marga were not thought to exceed Rp 100 billion (US$11 million).
A final decision on dumping the mudflow water into the sea will be made during a meeting to be attended by relevant ministers and East Java Governor Imam Utomo in Surabaya. The meeting is scheduled for late Monday.
The coordinator of a team from the Bandung Institute of Technology helping officials in the disaster, Kukuh Hadianto, said the government needed a quick solution because the volume of mud continued rising, putting all of the retaining ponds at risk of collapse.
More than five million cubic meters of mud have spewed from the ground around Sidoarjo, covering at least 278 hectares of rice fields as well as 1,800 houses in five villages.
Meanwhile, work continues to pump untreated mudflow water into Porong River. This work was approved by the Sidoarjo administration and legislative council, despite earlier statements by State Minister for the Environment Rachmat Witoelar that the water would have to be treated before being dumped into the river.