The Jakarta Post, February 27, 2007
Concrete balls dropped into mud crater
Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post, Sidoarjo
Workers successfully dropped concrete balls attached to steel cables into the mud
volcano in Sidoarjo, East Java, on Monday, after several days of unsuccessful
attempts.
"We were very happy to finally drop the concrete balls into the hole. Is was a difficult
task and we faced many problems," a geologist from the Bandung Institute of
Technology (ITB) in charge of the operation, Satria Bijaksana, told The Jakarta Post.
Workers successfully released a large concrete ball at 11:45 a.m. after repairing a
pulley that was damaged during an unsuccessful attempt Saturday. More concrete
balls were dropped in the hours following.
"We decided to drop four clusters initially and will evaluate the operation tonight. If no
new problems arise, we will continue," he said.
The team has released five of the 374 concrete ball clusters produced by PT Wijaya
Karya Beton into the mud volcano. On Saturday a cluster of balls accidentally
dropped into the hole when the cable securing them snapped.
The geological team hopes that the exercise will reduce by 50 and 70 percent the
100,000 cubic meters of mud flow produced per day by the mud volcano.
Spokesman of the national mudflow response team in Sidoarjo, Rudi Novrianto, said
the team had also dropped a sonar to detect the temperature, pressure and depth of
the mud flow on Saturday, but it was yet to surface.
"It has likely been trapped by increasingly condensed mud. We will drop another
sonar on Tuesday," he said.
He added that there had been no obvious change since the concrete balls were
dropped into the hole.
"But the technique will not have an immediate impact on the mud flow. We have
stopped work at the moment because workers have been affected by the H2S gas
(hydrogen sulfide) due to strong winds," said Rudi, adding that several workers had
suffered stomach problems after inhaling the gas.
"That's the reason we have limited the time for reporters at the site. But many of them
are determined to get the best image," he said.
Meanwhile, Sidoarjo Regent Win Handrarso said the ministerial decision to resettle
affected residents of the Tanggulangin Sejahtera housing complex still stood.
"But I will ask the President to review the decision because many of the residents are
angry and distressed," he said.
The affected residents said they would continue their protests demanding monetary
compensation for their homes and land. They have threatened to stage a large rally
similar to those in Sidoarjo and Surabaya recently.
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