Java sinks deeper into toxic crisis

Started a new thread, having missed this one. Looks like nothing has worked so far to stop this.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Source

So now they think they can plug it up with concrete?

After two unsuccessful attempts to stop the flow, Lapindo is digging three shafts alongside the hole, hoping to kill the eruption by pumping in concrete.

Experts are skeptical that will work.

"If they manage to stop it, it will be the first time in the world that it has been done," said geologist Arif Munsyawar.

With such uncertainty it makes me wonder if the attempts to stop it might make it worse. Seems no one has a clue what they are really dealing with. God help these poor people being affected.

[edit on 9/29/2006 by Relentless]

From what I've been able to gather, the area effected will be uninhabitable for at least 2 years.

The mud is extremely toxic for 2 reasons, 1 being because its faultline sludge and 2 because of what they were drilling for in the first place Oil and other hydrocarbons.

Imho its utterly disgusting that this only reached the US news now. Java is such a beautifull place and now its being turned into a toxic wasteland by the oil company's.

Imho they should return their entire profit from the past year to help clean up and rebuild the damage they have done.

Originally posted by thematrix
The mud is extremely toxic for 2 reasons, 1 being because its faultline sludge and 2 because of what they were drilling for in the first place Oil and other hydrocarbons.

cough cough......

From the article yesterday...

The mud, which is not toxic, first appeared several days after a blowout deep in Lapindo's well shaft May 29.

Link

Can anyone believe that?

Yeah I don't believe it, from same article:

The mud is believed to come from a reservoir 3 1/2 miles below the surface that has been pressurized by shifts in the crust or by the accumulation of hydrocarbon gases.

Oh, hydrocarbons are harmless ...

Belgium and Holland have a rather close relationship with Java, Holland especialy since its been a dutch colony, dutch is commonly spoken there and a its a prime holiday spot.

Saying the mud isn't toxic is technicaly correct and a wonderfull twist they put on it, its all the crap thats mixed in the mix thats toxic!

I guess those people with chemical burns and breathing problems spilled industrial cleaner over themselves and breathed it in when they were trying to clean up the mess ...

[edit on 29/9/06 by thematrix]

Originally posted by Skadi_the_Evil_Elf

Originally posted by R3KR
To add fuel to the fire.
I think these people need to have the sludge sent to thier backyards,
basements, houses ect....
I can not take much more of this crap.

My thoughts exactly. Like, since they made the mess, why dont we divert the flow into their swiming pools and private lakes instead?

no not lakes , they could contain life

hit where it hurts them , their god , money
confiscate all their belongings , relocate them to the zone they have destroyed and leave them there

Well, considering Loam's original story said this:

Link

Debate continues over how to deal with the growing ocean of mud. Government tests have found the mud contains dangerous levels of toxins such as benzene, toluene and xylene.

Not to mention the reports in it of the people who were hospitalized, how is it that a month and a half later, the AP article from yesterday could even suggest it's not toxic? This is an outrage! Four months after it starts it's finally reported in the AP and as horrendous as they make it sound, they have now turned it into just a nightmare of an uncontrolled blob. Why?

[edit on 9/29/2006 by Relentless]

Guess we better track back ownership of AP and that oil company and see to what person or persons it leads us ... Either that or "money defines the facts"

[edit on 29/9/06 by thematrix]

Drilling blamed for Java mud leak

A mud leak that has displaced thousands of Indonesians was most probably caused by drilling for gas, a scientific study into the disaster concludes.
The British-based scientists believe the drilling in East Java ruptured pressurised limestone rock, allowing water and mud to rise to the surface.

They warn thousands of cubic metres of mud a day could continue to spew out for months, if not years, to come.

An Indonesian minister has insisted the eruption is a natural disaster.

More...

No, really?

Originally posted by loam

Drilling blamed for Java mud leak

An Indonesian minister has insisted the eruption is a natural disaster.

No, really?

Uh huh. Yep.

And so are climate change and wild weather, drug-resistant diseases, desertification, drilling-triggered earthquakes, and everything.

Ain't language wonnerful ?

Originally posted by loam

The British-based scientists believe the drilling in East Java ruptured pressurised limestone rock, allowing water and mud to rise to the surface.

They warn thousands of cubic metres of mud a day could continue to spew out for months, if not years, to come.

An Indonesian minister has insisted the eruption is a natural disaster.

No, really?

Strange, I'd never think that drilling into pressurised mud would make it erupt out. [/sarcasm]

It took that long to work out where it came from thats amazing.

It's a natural disaster, but with a considerable amount of manmade help.

Lets hope the long lasting effects aren't too bad.

I just don't understand how big this thing can potentially be? It is growing in size, and nobody says anything on what will happen? The main road is closed (forever) and the mud is still spreading...It is by far the most unusual disaster and still no reports in media really cover it well. It is even hard to find any photos of what is happening...here are some.

MudVolcanoPic1 -
MudVolcanoPic2 -

MudVolcano Statistics



[edit on 24-1-2007 by swimmer]

Originally posted by apex

Originally posted by loam

An Indonesian minister has insisted the eruption is a natural disaster.

It's a natural disaster, but with a considerable amount of manmade help.

Let's be really clear here: the term "natural disaster" is a legal term, used for legal purposes - like deflecting charges of culpability and accountability, and avoiding litigation.

The reason we are not told the truth about how human activities create or trigger "natural disaters" is precisely because it just might result in liability lawsuits.

It's the law of the jungle: NEVER admit you're guilty. Not ever.

The episode is set to become an economic and public relations disaster for Santos and one of Indonesia's most powerful men, Welfare Minister Aburizal Bakrie, whose companies co-own the gas well. A firm controlled by Mr Bakrie's family firm also owns the company doing the drilling, Lapindo, which is likely to be held liable for the damage.

Pretty convenient that one of these guys part owns the oil company, and isn't it convenient that he is also the welfare minister!
They will crony up to him, determine it to be a natural disaster and have the taxpayers throw money at the problem, while Mr. Bakrie sips martinis floating in his swimming pool.
Welfare minister-oil baron, can you smell conflict of interest? Couldn't they just be like other countries keep out of the oil industry and take kickbacks instead?

I just see big oil and government under the same roof, that's not right. Keep the capitalists out of influencial positions.

Heres an update on this, they are going to drop concrete balls into the mud volcano.

Engineers will drop 1,000 1.5m-long metal chains into the mouth of the mud leak. Each chain has four concrete balls suspended from it; two with a 20cm diameter and two with a 40cm diameter.

They will begin slowly, Dr Fauzi explained; perhaps dropping five to 10 chains on the first day, then slowly increasing the number until they insert up to 50 chains per day.

By using these they hope, if not to stop the flow of mud, it should at least slow it. I'd have thought it will just build up pressure and then be an even worse problem, but it may work.

Apparently the idea of dropping concrete balls into it has worked, at least in part.

A massive mud flow that has displaced some 15,000 people in Indonesia's Java island halted briefly for the first time in 10 months, officials say.

The mud stopped flowing for around 30 minutes on Monday morning, members of the team trying to plug the flow said.

They have been dropping hundreds of concrete balls into the mouth of the hole to stem the eruption.

BBC

reply to post by Valhall


UPDATE:

Indonesian mud volcano flow 'to last 26 years'

The world's largest mud volcano, which left 13,000 families homeless, is likely to continue erupting for another 26 years, researchers have estimated.

It first erupted back in May 2006, and - at its peak - was spewing 180,000 cubic metres of mud a day, equivalent to 50 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

...

The cause of the eruption was a subject of a prolonged scientific debate, with opinions divided on whether it was the result of a drilling well in the area, or a magnitude 6.3 earthquake that shook the area a few days earlier.

...

Professor Davies supported the drilling hypothesis: "There is a lot of evidence now that shows it was caused by drilling - there was a blowout that was not controlled."

In 2008, the company that was drilling in the area and blamed for triggering the volcano agreed to pay compensation to the 50,000 displaced people. However, it did not say the drilling activities were the sole cause of the volcano.