Hungary orders company to shut down after toxic sludge, ecological disaster feared

[News_Editor]

Hungary orders company to shut down after toxic sludge, ecological disaster feared

2010-10-06 20:45:04 GMT+7 (ICT)

BUDAPEST (BNO NEWS) -- The government of Hungary has ordered the aluminum company responsible for the toxic red sludge that killed four people to shut down as an ecological disaster is feared, local media reported on Wednesday.

Zoltan Illes, State Secretary of Environmental Protection, ordered the MAL Hungarian Aluminium Producing and Trading Company to cease production at its alumina plant and repair a reservoir that ruptured on Monday.

The reservoir is suspected to have ruptured due to the way its cells were connected, which according Illes, were not according to regulations. And even though the reservoir was reportedly full and over its maximum capacity, MAL continued its operations.

However, MAL went on to state that "it would not be able to detect the signs of the natural catastrophe or could be able to do anything to avert it. The last physical daily inspection and laboratory analyses of last the water sample from monitoring system did not show any sign of the disaster."

The company has started to repair the damaged dam to prevent further leakage, saying the partial cleaning of the road lead to the reservoir was finished.

Even though MAL comments that the red mud is not a dangerous waste according to the European Waste Catalogue and Hazardous Waste List, the outflow of the substance has raised fears of ecological disaster.

After the container barrier burst, around 600,000 cubic meters of the red chemical sludge swept villages and towns between Ajka and Devecser, flooding homes, taking cars off the road, killing 4 people, including 2 children, and causing 120 others to be hospitalized due to burns from the liquid. Several people are still reported missing. Hundreds of families were forced to evacuate the area.

As the sludge swept the region, the liquid could reach the Danube River later in the week, threatening to pollute major waterways. The Danube River is Europe's second longest and has an extensive reserve of wildlife.

Emergency workers are pouring several metric tons of gypsum into the Marcal River to bind the fluid chemical residue into solid form and to neutralize alkalinity of the mud. They are also clearing the roads flooded with the murky fluid, which has reportedly killed large masses of fish stock of the upper river.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) expressed concern over the spill, fearing its long-term effects and environmental impact. "The possibly slightly radioactive and highly corrosive material contains toxic heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, arsenic and chromium and has so far covered around 40 square kilometers," the WWF said.

“This is an unprecedented incident that effects deeply the ecosystem, wetlands and surface water bodies of the region as well as pointing out the fragility of our drinking water reserves,†said Gabor Figeczky, the Deputy CO of WWF-Hungary.

Meanwhile, also on Wednesday, European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek expressed his 'sincere sympathy' to the Hungarian people on behalf of the European Parliament. "I would like to send my condolences to the families and friends of those who lost their lives in this tragic event and I hope that those who are injured will recover soon," Buzek said. "The European Parliament offers its full support and solidarity to Hungary in this difficult time."

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