Transcript Document 7312686

Hungary and the Tizsa River
By Nathan Hamm
Hungary
• Republic of Hungary
Since 1989
• Total area 93,030 sq km
• Total area with water 960
sq km
• Comparative size Indiana
Hungary vs. Indiana
The People
• Population
10,032,375
• Came from a lineage
called Magyar
Hungary was a major part
the Austro-Hungarian Empire
• Even though it was
the Magyars who
came to Hungary they
have grown to be part
of the land.
• They have fought and
died here since 896
A.D.
Limited Resources
• Hungary has 50%
arable land, it is
mostly plains and
rivers.
• The U.S. has 19.3%
• Hungary only 93,030
sq. km
• The U.S. has
9,631,418 sq. km
Land and water preservation
• Land is made arable only if it has a source of
water that feeds it.
• Water is the most important part of human life.
• A human can survive for over a month without
food but not much over three days without
water.
• When you “boil” all life and production down to
its elements, water plays a dominant role.
Life blood
• Rivers have historically been a life blood to the
land.
• Important part of culture.
Industry
• Every agricultural and industrial economy
needs water.
• Mining uses large quantities of water. But
usually the chemicals used in the process
are kept in pond-like holding areas
enclosed by earthen dams until they can
be purified.
Troubled Waters
• Romania, Hungary,
Serbia, and Bulgaria
have recently suffered
an environmental
disaster that has been
dubbed the “Aquatic
Chernobyl”
Background
• City Baia Mare.
• Mining facility called Aurul
SA
• Australian company
“Esmeralda Exploration
Limited”.
• Romanian government
has part ownership.
Mining Area of Baia Mare
• Chronic health problems.
• Some live 50 meters from waste ponds.
• World Health Organization labeled the area a
hotspot even before the disaster.
• In the area lead levels in adults are 2.5 times
higher then the recommended safety levels.
Factors
• Day of January 30,
2000
• Snow thaw and heavy
rains.
• Human error.
• Earthen dam breaks.
Possible Human Factors
• Romanian government had a “stake” in the
company.
• Nearly no inspections.
• Relatively short expected period of operation.
• Australian Company was not under Australian
laws.
The Disaster
• 100,000 cubic meters (some say up to
180,00) of liquid spills into Sasar river.
• 50 to 100 tons of cyanide is released
along with large amount of copper and
other heavy metals.
The Path
• Rivers Sasar, to Lapus, to
Somes, to the Hungarian
part of the Tisza and
Danube until it emptied
into the Black Sea.
• 2000 km of the Danube
effected.
• Affecting the water supply
of 24 municipalities.
• Bozanta Mare well water supply for 2000
people tested over 60 times acceptable
levels.
Cyanide testing sites
Results 1-4
Results 5-7
What is Cyanide?
• Toxic class of
compounds.
• Used in gold mining to
cause the precious
metals gold and silver to
“leach” out the ore.
• Human beings and other
life can stand only tiny
amounts of it.
Effects of Cyanide
• Cyanide blocks
ingestion of oxygen
by cells.
• Long term exposure
causes convulsions
and eventually death.
Levels
• Romanian waterways peaked at 19.16
milligrams/liter
• Feb 1 Hungary reports at Szamos 32.6
mg/liter more than 300 times the accepted
0.1 mg/liter
Aquatic Life
• Fish are almost one
thousand times more
sensitive to cyanide
then humans are.
• Even from minimal
exposure they suffer
severely.
Saving Grace?
• Cyanide does
decompose in
sunlight.
• There is some
cyanide in nature b12
vitamin rich food have
some in them.
Heavy Metals
• Do not break down
and are “bioaccumulative”
• Creates long-term
effects.
Specific Heavy Metals
• Lead delays normal
growth and increases
blood pressure.
• Copper causes
intestinal distress,
and liver damage.
River Wasteland
• The polluted water flowed
through Hungary for 12 days.
• Experts speculate a near total
loss of all animal and plant live
in the river.
• Hundreds of tons of fish had to
be disposed of from the river
and its shores.
• The Tisza River was a
legendary fishing river; it was
in literature and poems through
out Hungary.
More then just the river
• Rare and unique fauna
and flora in the Hortobagy Marsh were
endangered including five
ospreys living in the
Hortobagy National park.
• Cyanide was the known
cause of the demise of
two bald eagles, one was
paralyzed and one was
found dead.
Government Response
• Romanian Principal
International Alert Center
(PIAC) notified the Hungarian
PIAC on Jan 31 at 8:54 P.M.
• Hungary was able to save
some lakes and side streams.
• Tension between Hungary and
Romania increase (already
high due to Hungarian minority
in Transylvania.
• Million are spent cleaning up
the result.
Esmeralda Exploration Limited
• The spill cost it
350,000 dollars per
week in lost revenue.
• In June,
the government of
Hungary filed a $110
million lawsuit against
Australian-based
Esmeralda
Explorations, Ltd.
No End in Sights
• The Tragedy of this spill has raised question about the
use of Cyanide and possible safe alternatives.
• Czech Republic banned use of cyanide “leaching” in all
mining.
• There has been several groups in the U.S.A. that have
raised in debate over the continued use of Cyanide in
Wisconsin, Montana, and Colorado.
• If you would like to get in contact with one go to
www.treatyland.com or www.nodirtygold.org or
www.moles.org
Bibliography of Information
Textual information gathered from these sources
• The Cyanide Spill at Baia Mare, Romania and other flyers and
informational packages from http://www.rec.org/
• Information on the Hortobagy Marsh found in
http://s.o.w.tripod.com/tiszariver.htm and
http://www.calguard.ca.gov/ia/Transcarpathia/Floods%20%20Cyanide%20in%20Tisza.htm
• Facts on Cyanide can be found on
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts8.html
• Technical information on the geography of Hungary located at
www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook
• Law suite information found on web sight
http://s.o.w.tripod.com/tiszariver.htm
Pictorial Bibliography
• Pictures of Hungary on pages
1-6
http://www.uwec.edu/grossmzc
/
• Picture of Indiana page 3 from
http://www.inspire.net/indfacts.
html
• Picture on Page 8 from
http://almashriq.hiof.no/lebano
n/700/770/779/fahs/village/fah
s.html
• Picture of Danube river from
page 10 located at
www.world-ventures.com/
LC_River_Cruise_Danube
• Page 11,17,23,25,26,29,and
30 pictures come from
http://journalism.uts.edu.au/mi
ningoz_2004/DirtyGold/index.h
tm
• Page 13 picture is from
http://www.donskiff.com/image
s/rain.jpg
• Picture on page 16
http://www.rec.org/
• Picture on page 17 came from
http://greenhorizon.rec.org/new
s.html
Pictorial Bibliography Continued
• Page 19-21 pictures from
http://www.tisaforum.org.yu/arhiva/HUMoE/prel-eval.htm
• Picture from Page 22 http://www.bigscrub.org.au/bsimages/cyanide.jpg
• Page 27-28 pictures come from
http://drake.marin.k12.ca.us/stuwork/rockwater/hev%20
met/hevmet.html
• Pictures on page 30 found on
http://www.nps.gov/badl/exp/hortobagy.htm
• Picture on page 31
http://www.deh.gov.au/industry/industryperformance/minerals/booklets/cyanide/baia-marecs.html
Power Point Created by
Nathan Hamm
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UW Eau Claire student
E-mail: [email protected]
Presented in Geography 308
Professor Zoltan Grossmann
Class: Geography of Russia and Eastern
Europe
• Semester Spring 2005