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View all search resultsTwo decades later, impacts from East Java mud volcano linger
On May 29, 2006, the earth in the Sidoarjo opened up, ejecting pungent, steaming hot mud that swallowed villages and factories.
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This picture taken on May 26, 2010 shows an aerial view of the Lapindo mud volcano and the mud it has spewed in proximity to surrounding villages in Porong, Sidoarjo district, on East Java. (AFP/Adek Berry)
H
arwati clasped her hands and offered a prayer on the edge of a sludge lake in East Java, as dozen of residents gathered to mark two decades since mud volcano eruptions began displacing thousands.
On May 29, 2006, the earth in the Sidoarjo opened up, ejecting pungent, steaming hot mud that swallowed villages and factories.
Thirteen people died when an underground gas pipeline in the disaster zone exploded.
The eruptions, which continue to occur, destroyed at least a dozen villages and have displaced tens of thousands of people.
Harwati said the gathering, held on Friday to mark two decades since the disaster, was organised to remind the government that residents are still feeling the impact of the mudflow.
"Even though presidents change, we still hope (the government will) provide justice for us," the 50-year-old told AFP on Saturday, insisting that the disaster was "far" from over.
She demanded the government conduct a thorough examination of the mudflow's impacts on the health of nearby residents, saying many locals have suffered from cancers after the incident.
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