Residents affected by the Lapindo mud volcano disaster in Sidoarjo, East Java, scattering flower petals near the embankment of the mud retaining pool on May 24, 2017, to mark the 11th anniversary of the disaster. - Antara
JAKARTA: A hot mudflow has begun in multiple locations in Roburan Dolok Village, Mandailing Natal Regency, North Sumatra, triggering panic among residents, who fear a repeat of the devastating Lapindo mud volcano disaster.
Mandailing Natal Regent Saipullah Nasution explained that while several small hot mudflows were recorded in the village a few years ago, three new sites have emerged in the past few months, each expanding rapidly.
"Each new site covers about 25sq m, with two or three active eruptions at each location," he said on Sunday, as reported by KompasTV.
"We will send a letter to the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, requesting that they deploy a team to assess whether the mudflow is toxic and poses a danger to human health. This will help us determine the appropriate measures to address the issue," he added.
The Mandailing Natal Environment Agency has already collected samples of the mudflow to analyse its composition. Residents of Roburan Dolok say the mudflow eruption has severely disrupted the livelihoods of villagers -- most of whom rely on farming -- and has drastically affected their quality of life.
Khoiruddin, a local resident, explained that the mudflow has destroyed several rubber and rice crops and left some farmland infertile.
The mud has also contaminated the clean water supply for four nearby villages, while the gas emitted from the mudflow has polluted the air in the region.
"We have had small mudflow eruptions for years, but recently, more eruptions have appeared, covering much larger areas," he said.
Rianda Purba, Executive Director of the North Sumatra office of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), reported that 21 active eruptions have been identified in Roburan Dolok village so far.
"Most of these mudflow eruptions are located just 10 to 15m from a drilling site operated by PT Sorik Marapi Geothermal Power (SMGP)," he said on Monday.
"The company claims they drilled the site in 2017 but halted their activities because of a lack of geothermal resources. It is suspected that the spreading mudflow is linked to the company’s operations," Rianda added.
He also emphasized that PT SMGP has been linked to several disasters in the region since the company began operations in 2017.
In February of last year, residents of Sibanggor Julu and Sibanggor Tonga —located about 9km from Roburan Dolok Village— fell ill, vomited and lost consciousness shortly after SMGP began operating a recently drilled geothermal well about 700m away.
At least 123 people were hospitalised for suspected toxic gas poisoning, while around 300 others were evacuated.
Similar incidents occurred in 2022 and 2021, affecting dozens of people and resulting in five fatalities. Walhi’s Rianda Purba has urged the government to take immediate action, warning that local residents are terrified of a repeat of the devastating Lapindo mud volcano disaster.
"We must learn from the Lapindo disaster. We don’t want the residents of Mandailing Natal to become the next victims of a mud volcano," he said.
In May 2006, a rice paddy in East Java suddenly split open, unleashing a torrent of steaming mud, triggered by drilling operations by the oil and gas company PT Lapindo Brantas.
Within days, the mudflow engulfed an area twice the size of Central Park, swallowing roads, factories and homes under a thick tide of foul-smelling muck.
The disaster claimed 20 lives, displaced nearly 40,000 people and caused damages exceeding US$2.7 billion. The mudflow continues to erupt to this day.
PT SMGP has denied any link between their operations and the mudflow eruptions in Roburan Dolok village, claiming that the incidents are a natural phenomenon that has been occurring in the area for the past four years. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
