Govt allows Lapindo to dump mud into the sea

State Minister of Environmental Affairs Rachmat Witoelar has officially allowed the national team for the handling of mudflow from Lapindo Brantas' leaked exploration well in Sidoarjo, East Java to dump the mud into the sea in the Madura Strait and nearby Kali Porong river, Koran Tempo reported Wednesday.

"The mud can be dumped into the sea or river if its existence has threatened the lives of the people," Minister Witoelar said when asked to comment on the local administration's decision to channel the water into the Kali Porong river.

The local government decided early this week to channel the water from the mud into the sea as a number of dams built to receive the massive mudflows could no longer function as expected either due to leakages or being too small.

Witoelar earlier said that the mud could be dumped into the sea or river only after passing water treatment facilities so that they would not cause pollution. Lapindo has built a 14-km pipeline to channel the mud affected area into the Madura Strait. (*)