President will soon decide on Lapindo mud

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will soon decide if the hot mud from Lapindo Brantas's leaked exploration well in Sidoardjo, East Java can be dumped into the sea in the Madura strait, Investor Daily reported on Wednesday.

"President is expected to make a final decision tomorrow (Wednesday) whether or not the mudflow could be dumped into the sea," Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto told reporter following a meeting with President on Tuesday.

Djoko said that if the government finally decided to dump the mudflow into the sea, then the measure was taken because no other better alternatives in handling the hot mud which continued to flow from the faulty exploration well.

"If the dump is not channeled into the sea, it will not only threaten properties but also the lives of many people. We have only two choices; protecting the human being or fish," he said

He said that residents affected by the hot mud, which have submerged a number of villages, and covered hundreds of hectares of rice fields had in principle agreed to be relocated from the area as long as they received a fair compensation.

The local government decided two weeks ago to channel the mud into the nearby rivers as number of dams built to receive the massive mudflows could no longer function as expected either due to leakages or being too small. The condition is expected to get worse when the rainy season begins within the next few months. (*)