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Hungary

Hungary. 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. Land and water preservation. Land is made arable only if it has a source of water that feeds it.

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Hungary

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  1. Hungary

  2. Hungary • Republic of Hungary Since 1989 • Total area 93,030 sq km • Total area with water 960 sq km • Comparative size Indiana

  3. Hungary vs. Indiana

  4. The People • Population 10,032,375

  5. 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. • When you “boil” all life and production down to its elements, water plays a dominant role.

  6. Life blood • Rivers have historically been a life blood to the land. • Important part of culture.

  7. Industry • Every agricultural and industrial economy needs water. • Mining uses large quantities of water.

  8. Troubled Waters • Romania, Hungary, Serbia, and Bulgaria have recently suffered an environmental disaster that has been dubbed the “Aquatic Chernobyl”

  9. Background • City Baia Mare. • Mining facility called Aurul SA • Australian company “Esmeralda Exploration Limited”. • Romanian government has part ownership.

  10. 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.

  11. Factors • Day of January 30, 2000 • Snow thaw and heavy rains. • Human error. • dam breaks.

  12. 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.

  13. 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.

  14. The Path

  15. 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.

  16. Result • Bozanta Mare well water supply for 2000 people tested over 60 times acceptable levels.

  17. Cyanide testing sites

  18. 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.

  19. Effects of Cyanide • Cyanide blocks ingestion of oxygen by cells. • Long term exposure causes convulsions and eventually death.

  20. 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

  21. Aquatic Life • Fish are almost one thousand times more sensitive to cyanide then humans are. • Even from minimal exposure they suffer severely.

  22. Saving Grace? • Cyanide does decompose in sunlight. • There is some cyanide in nature b12 vitamin rich food have some in them.

  23. 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.

  24. More then just the river • Rare and unique fauna and flora in the Horto-bagy 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.

  25. 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.

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