Rohman Taufiq, Sidoarjo – The uncontrolled emissions (spurt) of water mixed with flammable gas occurred again near the Lapindo mudflow in Porong, Sidoarjo, East Java.

This time, the new discharge was beside the kampong road, RT 8/RW 1 area, Pejarakan Village, or around 1.5 kilometers South of the Lapindo mudflow center. The Fergaco Indonesia hazardous gas analyst team said this spurt is the 72th that occurred since the Lapindo mudflow disaster. In Pejarakan Village, the spurt was the third one after previous similar spurts in the area.

Yet, the two spurts were only water and gas of limited power. So despite that the gas was flammable, the fire would not be large. "But this one releases a large high fire," said Anas Muslimin, a local, Friday (9/11).

Due to the spurt, Pejarakan villagers panicked and intended to evacuate. However, Fergaco's research confirmed that the spurt is not too dangerous. Officers covered it with perforated drums and put up a police line so the locals do not approach it. A sign forbidding the lighting of a fire was posted around the drums.

"The content of dangerous gas H2S was low but the LEL (low explosive limit) was quite high, up to 25 percent," said the Sidoarjo Mud Handling Agency Public Relations Head, Ahmad Zulkarnain.