Lapindo’s Mud Dike Breached
Wednesday, 21 June, 2006 | 17:27 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Sidoarjo: A two-meter high dike made by PT Lapindo Brantas located around Kedungbendo village, Tanggulangin district, Sidoarjo, East Java, was breached on Wednesday (21/6) morning.

This caused residents near the location to panic and scatter, carrying their belongings to the nearest village meeting hall.

To anticipate the mudflows, Lapindo has already built three dikes, one of which was made exactly above village roads.

However, the mudflows that have been encroaching on Kedungbendo village since Friday (16/6) cannot be held back by all of the dikes because the amount keeps increasing everyday.

”Before the dike broke down, last night mud over flew from above the dike. But suddenly the dike broke down this morning,” said Sukarman, a resident of neighborhood association (RT) 5/citizens association (RW) 2 whose house is right beside the dike wall.

The dike’s breach forced Sukarman to carry all his household goods, and take his wife and evacuate two children to Porong new market.

Based on data from the village meeting hall, this incident has flooded 101 houses in Kedungbendo village to a depth of 20 cm.

In addition, six hectares of farming land already planted with rice have now been turned into mud.

“The total of evacuating residents is 500. All come from five RTs,” said Muhammad Hasan, a local sub-district leader.

Rohman Taufiq