Local residents run a-muck
Desperate with unstoppable mudflow from Lapindo Brantas Inc's drilling well, residents of Besuki, Sidoarjo, East Java waged protest. These protesters run amok at Gempol-Surabaya turnpike, crushing cars & the toll road facilities..
What's The Point?
A conglomerate engaged in oil & gas business is preparing the publication of newspaper to be named The Point. It's going to be the first English business paper in the country. The new publisher is currently under spotlight for an environmental disaster that forced more than 10,000 people left their home.
It appears that the publisher is having as little success in starting this new enterprise as in stopping the mudflow.
The 40 paranormals who tried to stop the flow were also unsuccessful, although a second round will be held after the fasting month of Ramadhan, which starts in nine days.
Also, the government is establishing a team to deal with the continuing mudflows issuing from Lapindo Brantas Inc.'s well site in Sidoarjo as the impact of the environmental disaster steadily worsens.
The mud has now spread as far as three kilometres and more villages have become inundated. Obviously there is no way of dealing with the mudflow other than by attempting to leach out the toxicity, possibly through the use of toxin-munching bacteria. However, the paramount need now is surely alleviating the human disaster which has the resulted.
Senior NGO figures and department heads from the Ministry of the Environment are urging the police to use human rights, consumer protection and environment laws to prosecute Lapindo Brantas Inc., the company widely blamed for the hot toxic mudflow.
The above is part of the regular roundup of environmental news pertinent to Indonesia published in Green Indonesia.
