Pressreleases / Text :
18.02.00 : Tisza cyanide spill must not recur
HUNGARY: February 18, 2000 SZOLNOK - EU Environment Commissioner Margot
Wallstrom toured the cyanide-devastated Tisza River yesterday and promised
to start work immediately on a plan to prevent such catastrophes ever
happening again.
fore more Information see
Reuters ENS Newspage
17.02.00
: Danube/Tisza: A special Website
"Toxic Spill" setup by WWF
11.02.00 : Cyanide from Romania spill reaches
Serbia downriver
YUGOSLAVIA: February 11, 2000 BELGRADE, REUTERS
NEWS SERVICE
Serbia said a cyanide spill from a Romanian gold
smelter reached its territory yesterday after flowing downriver through
Hungary for ten days. "The tip of the pollution spill has been monitored
entering our territory," said a statement of the Serbian Agriculture,
Forestry and Watermanagement ministry carried by state media. "The
ministry warns all users of the waters, the population living along
the banks of the river Tisa that water cannot be used for any purposes,
nor can the fish," the statement said. Romania acknowleded a cyanide
spill occured on January 31 when massive snowfalls damaged a dam at
the Aurul gold smelter in Baia Mare but said the situation was under
control. An official of the Romanian environment ministry said cyanide
levels of 700 times the normal had been recorded. The Tisza river
flows from Romania into Hungary and then into Serbia, where it is
called the Tisa. In Serbia it joins the Danube through a system of
canals. In Hungary the spill had forced towns along the Tisza to close
their water intake systems and has killed fish, birds and other wildlife.
Belgrade officials said they did not expect the cyanide levels to
be dangerous by the time the spill reaches Yugoslavia.
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
11.02.00 : Latest Toxic Spill: WWF Call
Went Unheeded
The environmental disaster unfolding in Romania and
Hungary is just the latest of a series of accidents involving toxic
mining waste, warned WWF. Recommendations for action made by WWF a
year ago have not been acted on by the European Commission. On January
30, the dam of a mining lagoon in north western Romania broke. Cyanide
waste and other toxic effluent have affected over 300 km of the rivers
Lapus, Somesul (Hungarian: Szamos) and parts of Tisa (Tisza) in Romania
and Hungary, leaving them effectively ‘ecologically dead’. Drinking
water wells are also contaminated. WWF considers metal mining activities
to be a major threat to freshwater ecosystems in Europe. Almost two
years ago, an ecological disaster affecting the Guadiamar river and
the Doñana wetland in southern Spain lead to costs of over 100 million
Euros, when more than 5,000,000 m³ of toxic sludge and acid waters
spilled from the broken tailings lagoon at Los Frailes Mine near Aznalcóllar.
In April 1999, WWF published a report, "Toxic waste storage sites
in EU countries", with important information on toxic waste lagoons
associated with metal mining, including: * Evidence of significant
pollution problems caused by leaks and spillages from toxic waste
lagoons associated with metal mining in Sweden, Spain, Italy and Portugal
and the UK. * The location of toxic waste lagoons associated with
major metal mines in Italy, Spain, Sweden, Ireland and Portugal, and
major sites of metal mining in Finland, Greece, Austria and France
where the method of waste disposal is unknown. * The almost complete
absence of public information on the location of toxic waste lagoons
and their human and environmental risks. * Incomplete regulation of
mining activities and inadequate legal protection of wetlands from
pollution effects. WWF made a series of recommendations at that time:
1. For the European Commission to compile a full list of lagoons of
toxic waste from metal mining, known spills and badly polluted sites,
including in EU accession countries, where regulations are weaker;
2. For a European action programme to assess the risks and improve
the construction of these lagoons and develop safer methods of mine
waste disposal; 3. For EU environmental law to be revised, clarified
and strengthened to prevent spills and leaks of toxic waste from metal
mines; 4. For European Environmental Liability law to cover all damages
– including to biodiversity - caused by pollution from these lagoons;
5. To involve accession countries in any EU action on toxic waste
lagoons. Jane Madgwick, Head of WWF’s European Freshwater Programme,
said "Two years after the Doñana disaster, the European Commission
has still not compiled an inventory of toxic waste lagoons. Instead
it is talking about voluntary agreements with the mining industry
when what is needed is regulation to prevent unacceptable environmental
damage. The tragic cynanide spill into the Tisza river was a disaster
waiting to happen. The only question is where will the next one strike?"
Spokespeople contact details: Mark Vanderbeeken, Communications Coordinator,
WWF European Freshwater Programme, +45 2124 8747 For details of the
Romania/Hungary disaster: Gyorgy Gado, WWF-Hungary, +36 1 214 5554
or +36 1 212 3041 Website: For the full reports ‘Toxic Waste Storage
Sites in EU countries’ and ‘Suggested action at the European Union
level to prevent unregulated, accidental pollution from metal mining
activities’ and more information on the Doñana disaster, see the website:
www.panda.org/europe/freshwate r
Mark Vanderbeeken Communications and Partnerships
Coordinator European Freshwater Programme
WWF International Ryesgade 3F - DK-2200 Copenhagen
Main +45 3524 7841 - Direct +45 2124 8747 m.vanderbeeken@wwf.dk
www.panda.org/europe/freshwater
10.02.00 : Gabcikovo/Slovakia : Will ABB also
profit from the economic problems of Slovakia?
BY FRIENDS OF THE EARTH - SLOVAKIA
Will ABB also profit from the economic problems of
Slovakia? According to the Slovak press, ABB, the transnational dam
building corporation, offered the Slovak Government its assistance
in the operation of the Gabcikovo Water Works (GWW) as well as in
the restructuring of debts of the Vodohospodarska Vystavba, the state-owned
GWW project funder. This could potentially lead to the Slovak government
subsidizing the profits of ABB while opening the doors for further
destructive dam construction in the Slovak Republic. ABB is recognized
as one of the leaders of the international dam industry. The company
provides support for the world's most controversial dam projects,
especially in the South where it takes advantage of innefective laws,
a lack of democracy and its enormous political influence to get government
guarantees on loans for dam projects. This results in the decapitalization
of poor countries while at the same time brings huge profits for the
company. Along with a number of large dams in Latin America, Asia,
and Africa, the company is also actively involved in the Chinese mega-project
the Three Gorges dam, which is to submerge 13 cities and more than
1,700 villages, leaving a minimum of 1.3 million people involuntarily
relocated. The GWW is surely one of the most controversial investments
in Slovakia's history. The project was designed and constructed by
the Communist regime and completed and put into operation after the
fall of the regime in contradiction to Slovak laws. It is believed
that the GWW project has already cost US$1.5 billion, excluding the
externalities, past accidents and expected expenses which will most
likely soon be needed to fix its technical discrepancies. Vodohospodarska
Vystavba is one of the most indebted companies in Slovakia. Unable
to pay back even the interests of its foreign loans, Vodohospodarska
Vystavba has repeatedly been in need of the implementation of the
state gaurantees during the past few years. The GWW as a whole is
not a profitable project, but its energy production, if it were to
be legally separated from the rest of the project, would represent
its only lucrative segment. Thus, Friends of the Earth-Slovakia, an
association of civic organizations dealing with the development and
human rights issues, fear that the Slovak Government may sell, or
provide a long-term lease for the energy production of the GWW project
to ABB in an attempt to rid itself of the troubled short-term loans.
Friends of the Earth are frightened by the fact that, according to
such a contract, Slovakia would be responsible for over-seeing the
unhindered flow of water to the energy section of the GWW, controlled
by ABB, which may then result in the further squandering of large
public funds, e.g. for reconstruction and maintenance of the rest
of the GWW. If such concerns are fulfilled, ABB would accept the contract
with clear knowledge of the future financial profits while leaving
Slovakia subsidizing such profits from public funds. At the same time
ABB would successfully open the door for other dam projects in Slovakia.
Friends of the Earth call on the Slovak Government to prevent further
funneling of resources from the country's economy. They, however,
also call on the government to stop any preparation and construction
of new dams until independent comprehensive assessments of the economic,
social and environmental effects of the current dam projects are complete.
Based on such assessments, the government must hold accountable those
responsible for ruining the state by ineffective dam projects and
immediately undertake a process of substantial ammendment of the state
water management policy, as well as reform of the whole ineffective
and bureaucratic system of water management administration.
For more information, please contact: Juraj Zamkovsky,
tel/fax: +421-088-4193324, E-mail: zamkovsky@changenet.sk
FRIENDS OF THE EARTH - SLOVAKIA Ponicka Huta 65,
976 33 Poniky, Slovakia tel/fax: +421-88-4193324 email: foe@changenet.sk
web: http://www.changenet.sk/foe/ February 10, 2000
10.02.00: Toxic Mine Waste Fouls Eastern
European Rivers
by Andrew Darby PERTH, Australia, February 10, 2000 (ENS) - A spill
from an Australian-Romanian gold processor's facility is being blamed
for widening environmental devastation in Romania and neighboring
Hungary. The spill from the Aural Gold smelter's Baia Mare tailings
dam in northeastern Romania is said to have occurred on January 30,
but reports of its effects have only now begun to reach the West.
A company statement said heavy snows caused an overflow of a dam wall.
Waste water containing cyanide flowed into the adjacent Lapus River,
then entered the Somes River, and crossed the border into Hungary,
before reaching the Tisza River, one of eastern Europe's largest.
for more Information see ENS Environment News Service http://ens.lycos.com/ens/feb2000/2000L-02-10-01.html
09.02.00 Gift-Unfall verseucht Fluesse in
Rumaenien und Ungarn
WWF: Ausmasse wie Katastrophe im spanischen Donana
/ Bevoelkerung durch giftiges Trinkwasser bedroht Rastatt, Budapest,
9. Februar 2000. Bei einer Giftkatastrophe im Nordwesten Rumaeniens
sind etwa 100.000 m3 schwermetallhaltige Schadstoffe in Zufluesse
der Donau geflossen. „Die Verseuchung hat aehnlich dramatische Ausmasse
wie der Unfall im spanischen Nationalpark Donana vor zwei Jahren“,
betonte Dr. Erika Schneider, Projektleiterin Donau im WWF-Auen-Institut.
Am 30. Januar war der Damm des Auffangbeckens einer Goldmine nahe
dem rumaenischen Ort Baia Mare gebrochen. Die Giftflut, kontaminiert
mit hochgiftigen Cyaniden und Schwermetallen, ergoss sich in einen
Zufluss des Someºs (ungarisch: Szamos). Von dort gelangte sie in die
Theiss, den zweitgroessten Fluss Ungarns. Am 2. Februar erreichte
sie Ungarn, wo inzwischen ueber 300 km Flussstrecke betroffen sind.
„Im unteren Someºs und der oberen Theiss ist praktisch alles Leben
erloschen“, beschreibt die WWF-Mitarbeiterin Schneider. Viele Anwohner,
die ihr Trinkwasser aus diesen Fluessen beziehen, wurden gewarnt,
in Kontakt mit dem Wasser zu kommen. Bei einem zweiten, aehnlichen
Unfall am 7. Februar sollen ebenfalls cyanidhaltige Abwaesser, allerdings
in geringerer Menge, ausgetreten sein. „Da die Fluesse zum Teil mit
Eis bedeckt sind, ist eine weitere Verseuchung zu befuerchten, wenn
das Eis im Fruehjahr taut und die verwesenden Fische das Wasser vergiften“,
fuegte Schneider hinzu. „Es wird Jahre dauern, bis sich die Gewaesser
wieder erholen werden“, urteilte die Biologin. „Moeglicherweise sind
einige der Auswirkungen sogar irreversibel.“ Nach der Umweltkatastrophe
im spanischen Donana im April 1998 hatte der WWF eine Studie ueber
die Gefaehrdung von Fluessen durch Abwasserunfaelle im Bergbau erarbeitet.
Darin forderte der WWF die EU auf, andere bedrohte Standorte zu ermitteln
und Methoden fuer eine groessere Sicherheit zu entwickeln. Weitere
Informationen erhalten Sie bei: Dr. Erika Schneider, WWF-Projektleiterin
Donau-Delta, Tel.: 0 72 22/38 07-21 Anja Rech, Pressereferentin im
WWF-Auen-Institut, Tel.: 0 72 22/38 07-14, Fax -99 E-Mail: rech@wwf.de,
09.02.00 Daugava River Basin to be managed
within the Water Framwork Directive
The draft EU Water Framework Directive will be applied
to the Daugava River Basin in Latvia. A temporary authority has been
set up for the project, which is the hitherto largest bilateral co-operation
project between Latvia and Sweden.
ERN (from Sweden Environment Newsletter)
04.02.00 : Call for the Second World Water
Forum & Ministerial Conference
17-22 March 2000 The Hague, The Netherlands
more infos: http://www.worldwatercouncil.org
From 17-22 March 2000, hundreds of water
specialists, politicians, leading
experts and top officials from all across the globe will
convene in The
Hague. The event will mark the conclusion to a long series
of sessions
during which thousands of concerned citizens addressed
the water crisis
that threatens us all. In The Hague a Vision will be
unveiled projecting a
scenario of how the world could look twenty-five years
from now - if we
take action today. A world with enough clean water for
everyone. To
implement this vision a plan of action will be announced,
the Framework for
Action. The key elements of the Vision address basic
issues such as the
right to water and sanitation; the challenging concept
of more crops and
jobs per drop; the essential water services provided
by natural ecosystems;
the risk of floods and droughts; the need for international
cooperation and
governance to better address water issues. The website
http://www.worldwatercouncil.org/ provides detailed information
on what you
can expect in The Hague, an overview of how the Vision
process has
developed and useful information on how to register for
the Forum yourself.
The Second World Water Forum & Ministerial Conference
promises to be a
inspiring event and a launching pad for an entirely new
approach to the
earth's most precious resource: water.
01.02.00 : Tschechien/Elbe: 2 neue Staustufen
projektiert
Presse- Mitteilung des BUND
Zwei Staustufen in der tschechischen Elbe vorgesehen
Umweltverbände kündigen scharfen Protest an
Die tschechische Regierung plant den Bau von zwei weiteren
Staustufen in der Elbe bis unmittelbar an die deutsch-tschechische
Grenze. Das Raumordnungsverfahren wurde bereits eingeleitet. Wie von tschechischen
Umweltverbänden zu erfahren war, ersucht die tschechische Regierung
sowohl die Bundesrepublik Deutschland als auch die EU um Unterstützung.
Von der EU erwartet die Tschechische Republik eine Förderung
in Höhe eines mehrstelligen Millionenbetrages in DM im Rahmen des
ISPA-Fonds.
Die Umweltverbände BUND und NABU, der WWF und die
Deutsche Umwelthilfe protestieren in aller Schärfe gegen eine Unterstützung
des Elbausbaus durch die Bundesregierung und durch die EU. Eine Verwirklichung
dieser Pläne wäre eine tragische Wiederholung all jener Fehler,
die in der Vergangenheit an Rhein, Mosel und Saar gemacht wurden.
In den neunziger Jahren hat die Bundesrepublik Deutschland
den Bau von Staustufen in der Elbe verworfen, weil dieser sowohl ökonomisch
als auch ökologisch nicht zu vertreten ist. Die Kosten für eine
Stauregulierung der Elbe, so errechnete das Bundesverkehrsministerium,
würden den Nutzen um das Zehnfache übersteigen. Hinzu kämen
die verheerenden ökologischen Schäden, die ein Staustufenbau
in der Elbe auslösen würde. 1996 wurde deshalb in der vom Bundesverkehrsministerium
und den Umweltverbänden verabschiedeten Elbe-Erklärung vom Staustufenbau
definitiv Abstand genommen. Mit dieser Erklärung wurde ein Prozess
eingeleitet, der die Erhaltung und Verbesserung des ökologischen Potentials
der Elbe vorsieht.
Käme es dennoch zu einem Staustufenbau in Tschechien,
würde sich der Ausbaudruck auf die deutsche Elbe massiv erhöhen.
Außerdem stünde der gerade erst am 1.1.2000 ins Leben gerufene
Nationalpark Böhmisch Schweiz schon wieder infrage.
Unsinnig ist ein weiterer Elbe-Ausbau nicht zuletzt auch
deshalb, weil das vorhandene Schienennetz nicht im Entferntesten ausgelastet
ist.
Die deutschen Umweltverbände fordern das Land Sachsen,
die Bundesregierung und die EU auf, sich von einer Kanalisierung der Elbe
eindeutig zu distanzieren und keine Mark dafür auszugeben. Ein Missbrauch
von EU-Strukturmitteln muss ausgeschlossen werden.
Rückfragen unter: 039244 290 bzw. 0340 6510143
Dr. Ernst Paul Dörfler, Leiter des BUND-Elbe-Projektes
Dessau, den 28.01.2000
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