Mud volcano could wreak havoc for 30 years say scientists
Updated
Scientists studying Indonesia's now infamous Lusi "mud volcano"says it continues to pose a threat to more than 100-thousand people and could keep flowing for another 30 years. Three years ago an eruption in a densely populated area of East Java spewed scalding hot mud which devoured 11 villages and has caused 14 deaths. Scientists say there's no end in sight to the destruction by the unstoppable mudflow, which is filling the equivalent of 50 olympic sized swimming pools every day.
Presenter: Karon Snowdon
Speaker: Mark Tingay, geologist Curtin University
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SNOWDON: Three years on and Indonesia's Lusi volcano shows no sign of slowing... rather the mudflow is increasing in strength. All efforts at plugging the 100 metre hole have failed. Stinking volcanic mud continues to pour from the ground at temperatures of around 100 degrees and at a rate of more than 100-thousand cubic metres a day. Villages, factories, rice paddies and roads have disappeared under seven square kilometres of mud 20 to 30 metres deep and a related gas explosion and accidents have killed 14 people. 40-thousand have been displaced and according to Australian geologist Mark Tingay says 100-thousand more could be affected by further subsistence.
TINGAY: We're looking at about twice the volume of Sydney harbour.
SNOWDON: Of mud up on the surface?
TINGAY: Yes even if goes at its current rate of 30 years it will also probably exist in some form for many many thousands of years just at a slower rate.
SNOWDON: This is a permanent destruction of the local area and the land of the pople who lived there previously?
TINGAY: Yes the area that's been covered by that mud is gone. There are 11 villages that have been completely buried some by up to 20 metres of mud.
SNOWDON: Dr Mark Tingay from Curtin University has just returned from his latest trip as part of an INdonesian and international team which has studied Lusi since it erupted in 2006. He believes nearby gas drilling by the company Lapindo Brantas caused the eruption and not an earthquake as the company claimed.
Lapindo then was controlled by the powerful Bakrie family and international firms including the Australian oil and gas company Santos which has since sold its 18 per cent share. Indonesia's Supreme Court has cleared the company and the government of negligence although both are paying compensation to affected people. So far the damage bill has been estimated at almost 5-billion US dollars. Mark Tingay says the site will remain controversial whether the flow continues for 3 years or thirty.
TINGAY: For the people who live there it is still quite an issue because many of them have not received any or a substantial chunk of their compensation for the loss of land and property. Their homes are covered by mud, they've lost their land, lost their possessions. So I think for them it is a bit of a worry about where they will get their compensation from if the Indonesian government declares it as a natural event, then they should be compensating or at least be helping these people to re-establish their lives. But because there is this bit of doubt and even the Indonesian government there is still a couple of cases pending, there' still this issue that some of it might need to be paid by the oil company and in fact the oil company involved Lapindo Brantas is still responsible for paying compensation for a large part of the land.
SNOWDON: And during your most recent trip there, do you have dealings with the local people and if so what do they tell you?
TINGAY: In terms of local people who manage the mud flow, they're really worried about how long this will go for and what other effects might happen such as the are sinking and also lots of other gas eruptions, flammable gas eruptions that occur in the surrounding neighbourhoods
