VZCZCXRO5213
RR RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJS #0028/01 0790911
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 200911Z MAR 09
FM AMCONSUL SURABAYA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0385
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA 0370
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 0160
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0184
RUEHJS/AMCONSUL SURABAYA 0391

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SURABAYA 000028 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, INR/EAP, AND EB/ESC/IEC 
DOE FOR CUTLER/PI-32 AND NAKANO/P-42 
COMMERCE FOR USDOC 4430 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON EPET EINV SENV ELAB ENRG PGOV ASEC ID
SUBJECT: EAST JAVA MUDFLOW UPDATE: SUBSIDENCE CONTINUES TO HAMPER 
MITIGATION EFFORTS 
 
REF: A. 08 SURABAYA 132: USGS VISIT 
     ¶B. SURABAYA 16: SUBSIDENCE AND FUNDING ISSUES STILL LIMIT OPTIONS 
 
SURABAYA 00000028  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
This Message is Sensitive but Unclassified.  Please Protect 
Accordingly. 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Subsidence north and west of the mudflow 
epicenter continues to hamper efforts by the Sidoarjo Muflow 
Mitigation Agency (BPLS) to pump mud into the Porong River. 
BPLS officials met with scientists from the National Geological 
Agency for a technical discussion but produced no new insights. 
BPLS is looking for help with subsurface imaging. Natural gas 
flares and large methane vents have reappeared in populated 
areas west of the containment area raising concerns about 
subsurface shifts.  The concrete factory which had managed to 
maintain operations while surrounded by mud has finally 
succumbed to the inevitable.  The new infrastructure corridor 
will not include the railroad line.  End Summary. 
 
Experts Meet 
 
¶2. (SBU) On March 18, officials from BPLS and the National 
Geological Agency met in Sidoarjo to review the results of new 
gravity studies, geothermal investigations, ground penetrating 
radar subsurface images and interpretation, subsidence 
measurements from differential GPS, water and gas chemistry from 
the surrounding mud ponds, and preliminary hazard mapping. 
According to the USAID-funded mud mitigation advisor who 
attended the three hour meeting, the largely technical gathering 
of approximately 20 BPLS officials and 10 officials from the 
Geological Agency summarized work carried out since the mud 
erupted almost three years ago until February 2009.  He 
concluded that much of the information was not much different 
from what was presented during the visit of USGS officials last 
November (Ref A), although the water and chemistry data was more 
up to date. 
 
¶3. (SBU)  BPLS representatives spoke briefly about their ideas 
for future research needed from the Geological Agency, including 
micro-seismic studies and related seismic tomography (subsurface 
imaging).   In a follow-on conversation, Dr. Surono, Indonesia's 
Chief Volcanologist, told the USG mud advisor that all of the 
agency's seismographs were needed to monitor volcano activity 
throughout the archipelago.  Surono suggested that perhaps USGS 
might be interested in providing addition seismographs to 
address BPLS's needs. 
 
Subsidence Creates New Problems 
 
¶4. (SBU) PT Pasific Prestress Indonesia (PT PPI), a concrete 
factory which operated for almost three years surrounded by mud, 
succumbed after BPLS was unable to repair collapsed dikes near 
the mudflow's epicenter.  The collapse also temporarily ruptured 
the main access road linking the primary Porong road to the 
epicenter.  Although the walls have been repaired, BPLS cannot 
pump the hardened mud out of the factory.  Mud continues to flow 
west and north, away from the pumps channeling mud into the 
Porong River.  As a result, BPLS has not been able to take 
advantage of the rainy season to shift mud out to sea (Ref B). 
 
¶5. (SBU) Subsurface shifts in recent days resulted in larger 
natural gas flares from wells just west of Porong and a 
rejuvenation of large methane gas vents that had lessened or 
quit in recent weeks.  For the second time, crude oil has begun 
spraying at the mudflow's epicenter, although BPLS officials 
tell the media they are unable to calculate the exact flow rate. 
 Large volumes of oil could raise the environmental impact of 
disposing of the mud via the Porong river.  A local 
parliamentarian suggested that Lapindo, the company drilling the 
well that caused the mudflow, must share any revenues generated 
from oil generated by the mudflow with the government. 
 
Infrastructure On Track 
 
¶6. (SBU) The government has reportedly made progress on plans to 
develop a new infrastructure corridor to the west.  According to 
media reports, the East Java government has decided to speed up 
land acquisition for the toll road's relocation by giving the 
compensation money to the court.  Local officials complain that 
land owners are demanding compensation equal to that received by 
mudflow victims although the provincial government is only able 
to pay Rp 600,000 (USD 50) per square meter.  The USG mud 
 
SURABAYA 00000028  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
advisor notes that the new corridor will include the toll road 
and an arterial road, which can be opened relatively quickly, 
but not the railroad line.  The railroad is renovating old track 
sections that connect to the west of Porong, rather than 
building new track along the new infrastructure corridor.  The 
Chinese and Japanese Consuls General in Surabaya are pressuring 
the provincial government to act more swiftly to shift critical 
infrastructure linking Chinese and Japanese manufacturing 
companies to Surabaya's port. 
MCCLELLAND