Philadelphia Inquirer, Sat, Mar. 10, 2007
Going against the flow
A mud volcano has spewed for months. Can "a crazy idea" stop it?
By Robin McDowell
Associated Press
PORONG, Indonesia - For nine months, a gaping hole in the ground has spit out an
unending torrent of hot, black mud, swallowing thousands of homes outside
Indonesia's second-largest city and attracting amazed geologists from around the
world.
Most say the flow is unstoppable, but Indonesian experts refuse to listen, and they
have recently begun carrying out a scheme straight from a Hollywood movie: dropping
nearly 1,500 concrete balls into the mouth of the mud volcano.
"We know lots of people think this is a crazy idea," said professor Satria Bijaksana,
one of three geologists behind the $130 million plan aimed at reducing the spew of the
sludge by as much as 70 percent. "But we think it will work."
Mud volcanoes are fairly common along volatile tectonic belts and in areas rich in oil
and natural gas such as Indonesia.
But the eruption just outside the city of Surabaya is exceptional because of the sheer
volume of mud that has been surging each day from the hole - enough to fill 50
Olympic-sized swimming pools. Twelve villages and 20 factories have been
swallowed, with mud-caked roofs and the tops of lampposts as the only reminders of
what once was there.
Some scientists suggest the rupture was triggered by improper drilling at a nearby
natural-gas site. Other research points to a major earthquake two days before the
mud first appeared in a rice field in May.
The ball-dropping operation, which began last month, follows several failed attempts to
contain or stop the mud.
Engineers tried building earthen dams to hold back the sludge, but they are about to
overflow. The viscosity of the mud hindered efforts to channel it into the sea. A plan to
cap the volcano with concrete was quickly abandoned as ill-conceived.
Now, engineers are using a pulley system to hoist the beachball-sized concrete
spheres over the crater before dropping them from a height of about two stories. The
balls, each weighing about 150 pounds, are chained together in clusters of four.
So far, nearly 150 have been tossed into the abyss, too few to make a real impact.
The government has given them an additional five weeks to make a difference, or walk
away and let the volcano run its course.
Critics say almost everything depends on the shape of the mammoth gullet, believed
by the ball-dropping team to resemble a champagne glass, although recent sonar
readings indicate its base may be larger than initially thought.
"The hope is that the balls will fit snuggly at the bottom, but it is unlikely to be that
simple," said Richard Davies, a geologist at Durham University in Britain who has
studied the mud volcano, noting that there apparently are several separate vents.
"When they drop these balls in, it could be that they just drop straight down. They
could drop hundreds of meters and just fill a large void."
Another concern is that if the hole is effectively blocked, pressure will build up behind
the balls and trigger eruptions elsewhere.
But with scientists predicting the mud could flow for decades or even centuries, those
who have been made homeless say it is worth a shot. Already, two square miles of
land has been submerged, and a rail line and highway are being threatened.
The displaced residents are living in a former market near the site.
"They can't just give up," said Subagio, 49, a father of four. "They have to fight this
mud. We have no home, no job, nothing. And who knows how long we will be able to
stay here."
Much of his anger is directed at PT Lapindo Brantas, the Indonesian gas company
accused of triggering the eruption by creating fissures in a bed of porous limestone
during faulty drilling. The company denies it is to blame, but it is under investigation.
The government estimates the eruption will cause $844 million in damage and has
ordered Lapindo, which is funding the concrete-ball experiment, to pay half that. Some
of the money will go to compensate victims.
© 2007 Philadelphia Inquirer and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.philly.com
|
