A never-ending disaster

Constant anxiety

Against the backdrop of the ongoing mud eruption, daily life for Munir, 46, a resident of Gempolsari village on the northern edge of the embankment, has become defined by constant anxiety.

Continuous land subsidence caused by the mudflow has gradually turned his neighborhood into a low-lying basin, where rainwater easily accumulates and drains slowly, heightening the risk of flooding.

Whenever heavy rain falls, floodwater quickly inundates the road in front of his house, which is located just 100 meters from the embankment. Munir said his neighborhood is often among the last areas to dry out after major floods.

According to research by experts from the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology, land subsidence extends up to 5 kilometers north and northeast of the mudflow center, with the ground sinking by as much as 40 centimeters per year.

"The inside of my house has already been raised by about 60 centimeters," Munir said. "I recently bought a truckload of soil for Rp 150,000 to elevate the yard. If I don't, it keeps flooding because the area has turned into a basin, and the water takes a long time to recede."