Lapindo Mud Surface Exceeds Old Levee, PPLS Accelerates Heightening at Point 71

The Sidoarjo Mud Flow Control Centre (PPLS) is accelerating the project to heighten the Lapindo mud containment levee at Point 71, located on the border of Siring Village, Porong District, and Ketapang Village, Tanggulangin District. This emergency measure was taken after the volume of water and mud was reported to have exceeded the height of the old levee’s rim.

Monitoring at the location on Monday showed that three units of heavy machinery have been deployed in the affected area. One of these is an excavator actively performing soil infilling to raise the boundary levee.

According to local residents, the activity of this heavy machinery has been intensive since Friday (4/6). The drastic rise in the mud surface is strongly suspected to have occurred due to the cessation of mud material disposal into the Porong River.

“Since there has been no disposal into the Porong River, the water and mud levels have continued to rise. The surface is now higher than the rim of the old levee, which is why it must be heightened,” said Misno, 60, one of the affected residents, on Thursday (11/6).

If this heightening project is not handled in time, there are fears that the mud overflow will directly impact East Java’s transport arteries located just outside the levee, specifically the Porong railway lines and the Porong Protocol Road.

While welcoming the rapid steps taken by PPLS, residents expressed concern regarding the method of sourcing infill soil, which is deemed too close to the existing levee structure. This condition is feared could trigger new problems in the form of landslides.

“The soil for the heightening is being taken very close to the old levee. Currently, the only anticipation in place is emergency reinforcement made from gedek (woven bamboo) and bamboo poles,” said Usmin, 54, a resident of Jatirejo Village.

For information, the Lapindo mud eruption has been active for 20 years since it first emerged on 29 May 2006. The ongoing phenomenon of land subsidence around the eruption centre means that levee structures in this area require regular maintenance and heightening to ensure the safety of the surrounding region.