Lapindo Needs Rp5 Trillion Funds
Tuesday, 09 January, 2007 | 14:43 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Lapindo mudflow handling will require funds of US$550 million or Rp5 trillion. It does not include operational costs per week at US$5-10 million. The costs consist of relief well costs at US$50 million; handling of local inhabitants with US$200 million; business compensation cost with US$100 million; environmental cost at US$100 million and other costs at US$100 million.

Lecturer of Bandung Institute of Technology Rudi Rubiandini proposed that there should be a special allocation of funds for implementing the relief well. The reason is that so far the handling of mudflow is hampered by non-technical problems: funds, for instance. “We are asking that there is a special allocation of funds that cannot be disturbed,” he said yesterday (01/08).
According to him, the funds can be acquired either from Lapindo or the government.

In order to halt the mudflow, according to Rudi, some experts suggested that the third relief well get set up, located on relief well one, should be at a depth of 6,000 feet. This will avoid the problematic depth of between 2,000 and 6,000 feet. In addition to relief well one and two, it was suggested that the drilling be stopped because the equipment were flooded by mud.

Nieke