Sidoarjo DPRD Urges Immediate Action on Critical Lapindo Embankment Points

Sidoarjo, East Java (ANTARA) - Chairman of the Sidoarjo Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) Abdillah Nasih has urged the government and the Sidoarjo Mudflow Control Centre (PPLS) to immediately address critical embankment points in the Lapindo mud area to prevent risks that could endanger the public. “If there are several critical embankment points, whether in the Siring Village area adjacent to the railway line and Porong Highway, or at other locations, they must be anticipated immediately because the conditions around the mud area are also experiencing land subsidence, which can increase potential risks for the surrounding community,” Nasih said in Sidoarjo on Friday. According to him, if at critical embankment points such as in the Siring Village area the mud surface height increases and seepage points appear in the embankment area, the potential for embankment failure rises. This could disrupt train journeys and the mobility of people using the Porong Highway. He expressed concern that if the embankment were to collapse one day, the impact of transport paralysis to and from Sidoarjo via Porong would be even greater. He explained that the Sidoarjo DPRD plans to encourage coordination between the local government, relevant agencies, and the Sidoarjo Mudflow Control Centre (PPLS) to accelerate handling measures at these vulnerable points. “These handling measures include patching, raising the embankment, and optimising the flow of mud to the Porong River to reduce mud pressure in certain areas,” he stated. In addition to physical handling, he also urged the implementation of a digital-based early warning system at several vulnerable embankment points to speed up emergency detection. Furthermore, Nasih encouraged PPLS to be more open to the public and media regarding field conditions and data to maintain transparency on the progress of handling the disaster, which has been ongoing since 2006. Meanwhile, ANTARA’s field observations noted that the mud surface in the embankment area of Siring Village appeared high and nearly matched the embankment height, while water seepage suspected to originate from the embankment was emerging at several other points in the mud area.