Sawt Falasteen - Two decades later, impacts from Indonesia mud volcano linger

On May 29, 2006, the earth in the Sidoarjo district of East Java province 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.

An area of over 600 hectares was swallowed by the mud, according to the government, as efforts to plug it, including with huge concrete balls, have proved ineffective.

The disaster forced Muhammad Irsyad to leave his village in 2012, as he could no longer tolerate pollution that seeped into the well his family relied on for cooking and bathing.

"I was angry when I wanted to take a bath because when we shower, my eyes got stung as soon as the water hits it," Irsyad, 62, told AFP.

Two decades since the disaster, Irsyad said he was still "rearranging" his life, with his family surviving on income earned from their food stall and drinking water sales.

Irsyad's wife Siti Chusniawati said she was "sad" to relocate to a new place, but added that the family had little choice.

"It was tough, but whether we want it or not, we just go on day by day, trying to be able to adapt with this new circumstance," the 48-year-old said.

- 'Not finished' -

Independent studies alternate blame between oil and gas company PT Lapindo Brantas, which was drilling in the area at the time, and an earthquake that struck two days earlier about 260 kilometres (162 miles) away.

Lapindo -- part of a business empire controlled by Indonesia's powerful Bakrie family -- was eventually ordered to compensate victims, but payments took years, triggering angry protests.

The government eventually intervened and loaned the company the funds to expedite the remaining payments.

Irsyad called the use of public money to pay for damages following the disaster an "injustice". He said the company should take responsibility.

Lapindo, which has since changed its name to Minarak Brantas Gas, did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment, but the firm previously said investigations "determined that no correlation could be proven between the drilling activities and the mud eruption".

Environmental groups have found that groundwater near in area has been polluted following the disaster, causing illnesses for locals, said Melky Nahar, a coordinator of NGO Mining Advocacy Network (JATAM).

"After two decades, the destruction over the health, environment and base of production of people... are not finished," he said.

Irsyad, who moved to his current home some four kilometres away from his old one, said he told his friend that he wished to be buried in his old village.

"So my child and grandchild will look for me there. And from there they possibly will have a question: 'why grandfather was buried here?'"

Z.AlNajjar--SF-PST