Volcano and Conflicts of Interest Leave Residents Neck Deep in Mud

The Java mud volcano that was triggered by drilling last May shows no signs of stopping more than six months since the first eruption. BBC News reports that the mud volcano is erupting at a rate of 130,000 cubic meters per day compared to 5,000 cubic meters per day last spring. The land around the volcano has subsided five meters since the eruption and is expected to subside even more as the outpouring of mud leaves a deep crater behind. Indonesian government officials are currently pursuing a plan to divert the mud into the sea through large plastic pipes and dredges, a plan which has alarmed environmentalists. More than 12,000 people have been forced from their homes by the disaster, and at least 11 people were killed last week in a gas pipeline explosion triggered by the mudflow. Residents have complained that neither PT Lapindo Brantas nor the Java government have done much to stop the mudflow or help displaced residents. According to Al Jazeera, PT Lapindo is a subsidiary of Indonesia's second largest publicly traded energy company, which is controlled by the family of Aburizal Bakrie, the senior cabinet minister of the "people's welfare."