Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Mud Flood in Indonesia



I was in Surabaya, Indonesia on 28 November. This was my first visit to this city.

I visited the site of the mud flood which was about 1 hour drive outside the city. The mud flood was caused a mining company (Lapindo) which hit into a bad spot while drilling for oil. It caused hot mud (similar to lava) to flow out into a large area of land near the site.

About 6,000 people lost their homes. They received some compensation from the Government and the mining company. I was told that it may take 5 to 10 years for the land to be useable again.

Some of the enterprising residents who lost their homes now make a living by showing tourists (like me) to see the mud flood.

2 comments:

hongjun said...

We have to be contended to be lucky to stay in Singapore.

Anonymous said...

Dear Mr Tan,

I feel sorry for Indonesia after all the natural disasters they have gone through. Its great that even after retiring you still find the time to help out others and kee in touch with the world community. More Singaporean head honchos should apply your hands-on approach.

I was just wondering, this hot mudflow can actually be used to generate geo-thermal heat. Do you think this is a good idea?

Mathilda D.

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