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

The Sidoarjo Mud Control Centre (PPLS) is accelerating a project to heighten the Lapindo mud containment levee at Point 71, on the border of Siring Sub-district, 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 lip. Monitoring at the location on Monday showed three units of heavy equipment standing by in the affected area. One of them is an excavator actively backfilling soil to raise the retaining levee. According to local residents, this heavy equipment activity has been ongoing intensively since Friday (4/6). The drastic rise in the mud surface is strongly suspected to be a result of the cessation of mud disposal activities into the Porong River. ‘Since there has been no disposal into the Porong River, the water and mud surface keeps rising. Now the surface is higher than the old levee lip, so it has to be raised,’ said Misno, 60, one of the affected residents, on Thursday (11/6). If this heightening project is handled too late, the mud overflow is feared to directly impact the vital transportation arteries of East Java located just outside the levee, namely the Porong Railway line and the Porong Protocol Highway. While welcoming the PPLS’s swift action, residents regret the method of sourcing the fill material, which they consider too close to the existing levee structure. This condition is feared to potentially trigger new problems in the form of landslides. ‘The soil for the heightening is taken very close to the old levee. Currently, the only anticipation is the installation of emergency retaining walls made from bamboo sheeting and poles,’ said Usmin, 54, a resident of Jatirejo Village. For context, the Lapindo mudflow has been active for 20 years since it first erupted on 29 May 2006. The ongoing land subsidence phenomenon around the eruption centre means the levee structures in this area require periodic maintenance and heightening to maintain the safety of the surrounding area.