Hungary’s largest ecological disaster took place on October 4, 2010 at 1:30 p.m. when the western dam of cassette X of the sludge reservoir, belonging to a privately owned company, Magyar Alumínium ZRt (Hungarian Aluminum Co), had ruptured. Due to the ruptured dam, a mixture of 600-700 thousand m3 of red sludge and water inundated the lower sections of the settlements of Kolontar, Devecser and Somlovasarhely via the Torna creek.
The spilling red sludge flooded 800 hectares of surrounding areas. The most extreme devastation was caused in the villages of Devecser and Kolontar, which are located near the reservoir.
Hungarian aluminium industry privatisation contracts are publicly available
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Based on the provisions of point 4 § 2 and § 19, Statute LXIII (Avtv.) of 1992 (concerning personal information privacy and the publication of information in the public interest respectively), and Statute CVI (Vtv.) § 5, paragraph (1) (concerning state assets), MNV Zrt. – in response to requests recently received – is making publicly available copies of contracts related to the sale of company shares in state-owned concerns in the bauxite mining, aluminium oxide production and aluminium industries drawn up in the course of their privatisation.
MNV Zrt. is making available the entire text of these contracts and their appendices on its official website, thus guaranteeing transparency and fulfilling its obligations under law.
The contracts may be viewed at the following address:
MAL Zrt. already generating revenues since recommencement of production – Communiqué
Filed under Press releases
By taking MAL Zrt. under state supervision, the company’s current operation, the keeping of jobs and the provision of further resources can be ensured to support damage relief and prevention efforts. Preparations for the switch to dry technology have begun.
The verification of the conditions of the safety of operations, the observation of production processes, and adherence to the provisions of government permits have already been started as of 12 October 2010, when MAL Zrt. was taken under state supervision. At 5.00 pm on 15 October 2010, production at the factory recommenced with a gradual capacity increase. Production lines have not suffered permanent damage – as a potential consequence of the 9-day suspension of service.
Since the restart, 22,300 tons of bauxite have been processed, and from this quantity 12,000 tons of alumina was produced. The approximately 50,000 m3 of sludge generated during production has been stored in reservoir X/a, and 40,000 m3 from this amount is liquid. Due to the technology applied, a large part of this has been recirculated and, as a result, 10,000 tons of red sludge remains in the reservoir.
Details of the new safety dam in Kolontár
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Following the disaster of the red sludge reservoir on 4 October 2010, water management authorities immediately erected an emergency dam in the settlement of Kolontár in order to protect the lower areas of the village against another potential tidalwave of red sludge. Using a high-accuracy geoinformatics-based flow model, experts reconstructed the process of the disaster. In the model, the size and span of the inundated area was nearly identical to that seen in aerial shots. Using this model, they tested the Kolontár safety dam based on worst-case scenarios, and the protective dam passed the test with flying colours: in the unlikely event that such a disaster should occur, the dam would still protect Kolontár.
In the interest of preserving the safety of the area, researchers and architects set up a Complex Research and Planning Programme, and inspectors obliged MAL Zrt. to immediately launch the program.
Using the results of the modelling, a
- safety area was established along the so-called 2nd line of defence by building a road to transport rubble and erecting a dam between Darázsi Hill and cassette no. XI,
- following the switch to dry technology and appropriate insulation, this safety area will be able to receive the by-products of production,
- at the same time, the dam of cassette no. XI will be reinforced from the direction of the railway tracks.
Current status report
Filed under Reports
Demolition of 23 houses designated for destruction has begun in Kolontár. Assessment of people’s plans in Devecser is still underway; “census points” have been set up. A Hazard Investigation Team takes turns in monitoring the sludge reservoir wall; as yet, no visible change in the condition of the dam has been discovered.
Housing questionnaire survey in progress
In order to enable repair and rebuilding work the Mayor of Devecser and the Veszprém County Civil Protection Committee (VCCPC) in cooperation with the Police have ordered to contact the owners of 96 damaged houses that went unassessed on the previous day and obtain their statements of intent. Today the obtainment of statements of intent from local house owners continues.
Census points have been set up in Devecser to register those living away from their houses, assess their possible claims for housing benefits, clarify entitlement to compensation, and ascertain whether the houses in question are covered by insurance; the census continues from 10 am today.
Cleaning up
In Kolontár, the knocking down of 3 houses out of 23 designated for demolition has begun; the clean-up of debris in the area between the railway station and the newly built emergency dyke continues, and the removal of demolition waste has also started.
Clean-up work in public areas including roads and pavements and in house yards is ongoing.
The Local Operative Staff continues to treat restricted entry into Devecser and Kolontár as high priority; only accredited press people are allowed to enter. In accordance with the decision of the VCCPC, at entry checkpoints army and fire service units are in charge of decontaminating vehicles leaving the area.
In Devecser manual and mechanised disaster relief work is ongoing. Today 665 volunteers came forward in response to the Mayor’s appeal. Relief work in house yards on the Torna stream in Kolontár is taking place with great effort. The road section between the settlements is kept clean by 2 watering trucks and 1 earthwork machine.
Army units of the Hungarian Defence Forces deployed into the area continue to participate in removing debris from and clean up roads in Devecser and Kolontár, and operate a disaster relief post in Devecser.
News from Kolontár
The road and bridge construction unit continues to maintain the provisional military pontoon bridge built in place of the devastated bridge in Kolontár and have one all-terrain vehicle on standby for the possible rescue of personnel working on repairing the rail embankment. At the same time the footing of a wooden bridge to be built at a later stage to replace the provisional military bridge and restore traffic to normal is under construction. The wooden bridge can be designed and officially permitted following the construction of the bridge footing.
Traffic conditions
Under an agreement between intercity bus company Somló Volán, the Police, the Public Road Management Company and Kolontár’s mayor, bus traffic was partially restored in the morning hours.
Flight restrictions remain in place; as yet, the standby helicopter has not been deployed. The access road from Padragkút to the Ajka-Devecser road and the roads between Devecser and Tapolca and between Devecser and Somlóvásárhely have been closed off to all traffic except local residents, rescue workers and earthwork machines.
Speed restrictions imposed on the road sections between Ajka and Devecser and between Devecser and Sümeg remain in force due to dirt falling from the wheels of heavy machinery engaged in relief operations. The cleaning of the Devecser intersection on Road 8 is ongoing. Road blocks, traffic and speed restrictions imposed on lower roads in Veszprém and Győr-Moson-Sopron Counties also remain in effect. Restrictions have been lifted in Vas County.
Railway repair work continues undisturbed despite the rainy weather. Welds have been completed on a 200-meter rail section. The work is expected to finish by about 15:00 hours tomorrow. Construction of a new signalling system is in progress; the crossing gate is being installed and cables are being buried along the line.
Casualties
Altogether 250 persons have treated by the National Ambulance Service (NAS) since 4 October 2010, of them 109 persons were hospitalised and 141 received medical treatment on the scene. The condition of those injured has remained unchanged. Nurses at the emergency care unit of the Veszprém County Cholnoky Ferenc Hospital administer eye-rinsing to those who need it and inhalation therapy continues. An NAS disaster relief coordinator and a team of volunteers from the State Medical Centre are at the on-site medical centre.
Drinking water and air
The Hungarian National Public Health Centre (NPHC) regularly monitors the quality of drinking water and carries out the detailed tests on samples. Drinking is safe to consume.
The joint measurement system of the NPHC and the Directorate Environmental Protection and Water Management monitors changes in the concentration of airborne dust particles. The concentration of ambient airborne dust particles (PM10) is measured by standard methods. The currently installed measurement instruments perform tests at 13 locations. Background measurements will be carried out by the Air Purity Protection Reference Centre’s testing van.
Rivers
Regular monitoring indicates that pollutants (alkali and heavy metals) continue getting into the Torna Stream. The rainy weather caused a washout into the Torna Stream from the surrounding area; as a consequence, the pH level was fluctuating between 8.62 and 9.45 at the measurement point near a MOL Service Station in the early morning hours on 19 October. Therefore, depending on measured pH levels, the pouring of 20 to 40 tons of gypsum continues in order to neutralise the impact of continued pollution at Somlóvásárhely on the Torna Stream and in the area of Nemeskocs on the Marcal River. Covered-up gypsum deposits continue to be available at the earlier pouring sites. Ventilation equipment installed in the area of the villages of Koroncó, Mórichida, Malomsok and Szergény remains in operation.
Water quality sampling is ongoing. Yesterday (18 October) the pH level varied between 8.06-8.27 on the Marcal River, between 8.19-8.34 on the Mosoni Danube, and between 7.43-9.77 on the Torna Stream. No deviations other than normal were measured on the Danube.
Wildlife
8 officials from the Directorate of the Balaton Uplands National Park made an on-site visit along the Marcal River to size up the impact of the red sludge pollution on the wildlife of the Natura 2000 area. During the visits they assessed non-polluted inland waters, mildly polluted areas where red sludge water had flown through, and heavily polluted areas where pollution stagnated or still stagnates. In their experience, in addition to the earlier indicated Karakó-Kamond-Nagypirit area, the pollution and the damage were the heaviest in the area of Szergény-Kemenesmagasi-Marcalgergelyi. That mostly affected grasslands in the form of polluted red water and, to a lesser extent, thick red sludge which then formed a thin dry layer of condensated red sludge over an area of tens of hectares. As a result of all that they observed the continued killing of several fish species in the area.
Soil
In view of the recommendations made by the Scientific Council of the Government Coordination Committee on 18 October, the Central Agricultural Office will today conduct local assessments to determine how red sludge will be removed. 10 soil protection specialists will view the disaster-stricken arable land area and perform sampling for laboratory tests. Based on initial assessments approximately 800 ha of land is affected by the pollution. The thickness of the red sludge cover is estimated to be 5 to 10 cm. The cultures affected are: 300 ha of grassland, about 310 ha of tilled area, 30 ha of alfalfa, 150 ha of corn and 15 ha of sorghum.
Another suspect questioned by the National Bureau of Investigation
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The National Bureau of Investigation interrogated another suspect in the red sludge disaster case, who is entitled for defence while being at liberty. There are now three suspects in the case.
Mrs. József F., in charge of MAL Zrt.’s environmental protection activities and laboratories, is subject to suspicion beyond reasonable doubt for the crime of negligence, leading to public endangerment and environmental damages. Mrs. F. refused to testify and protested against the accusation. According to the National Bureau of Investigation, during the review and amendment of the company’s damage control plan the suspect, as MAL ZRT’s laboratory and environmental protection manager, failed to prepare measures that were necessary for disaster relief efforts, as well as the protection of life, physical safety of people and assets during similar disasters and failed to establish defence structures, signalling and alarm systems that would mitigate the impact of such disasters. In consideration of the submitted civil law claims, the National Bureau of Investigation has taken immediate measures after questioning the suspect to guard the assets of the suspects and proposed the seizure of these assets. (ORFK)
Measures taken by György Bakondi Disaster Relief Commissioner and by the Government
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At the press conference of the Government Spokesperson held on October 16 György Bakondi Disaster Relief Commissioner reported that the Government, at its session the day before, received again information on the current situation concerning the red sludge disaster.
Extension of the state of emergency until December 31.
The Government discussed and adopted the draft government proposal as to the extension of the state of emergency declared on October 6, and shall submit it to the Parliament. In case Parliament shall adopt the resolution the Government shall be authorized to extend the state of emergency up until December 31. As to the measures taken and still required in order to recover from the emergency situation the Government shall inform Parliament on a regular basis. Read More »
Current status report
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The current condition of the reservoir
The Water Management Directorate provided staff management with the measurement minutes taken of the movement inspection of the red sludge reservoir’s north wall. Accordingly, in four measurement locations over the course of 4 days and 02 hours, they determined a deviation of 1-1.6 cms. Geodesic and soil composition experts are conducting continuous inspections. If the reservoir wall continued the process of cracking, thanks to the completed protective dam both Kolontár and Devecser are already safe.
The current situation in Kolontár and Devecser
In Kolontár the emergency dam has been completed. The base dam (dam to direct flooding) has been completed with a length of 670 metres at an elevation of 2.5 metres. If the reservoir were to burst, the dam would protect the settlement. In Kolontár a total of 31 houses have to be demolished because of the red sludge disaster. Settlements were successfully reached with the owners of the condemned houses, the residents who were forced out will receive a new house of similar category at another point of the village. In the village over a 1000 hectare area soil will have to be replaced to a depth of 30 centimetres, stated Tibor Dobson, Disaster Management Spokesperson. The demolition of the damaged bridge has begun, the cleaning of the riverbed will most likely be completed by Friday morning. The relevant construction authorities have approved the decrees of demolition for impossible-to-restore real property. The decision of the representative assembly on the status of the Elementary School in Kolontár is expected on Monday. On-call Medical Service is operating in both Kolontár and Devecser, at both locations physicians with occupational safety-medical and general practitioner certifications are working daily between 8:00 and 16:00 o’clock. Priests working in Devecser are also leading a spiritual counseling service; many are utilising this service.
E.ON Hungária Zrt. is continuing reconnections this week. The gas and electricity provider, E.ON, agreed that those locals who have suffered injury and burdened with any type of payment difficulty will not be subject to any sanctions until March of 2011; there will be an opportunity to make interest free installment payments, and with houses that were damaged the work to reconnect gas and electric power will be performed free of charge. Read More »
Thus far 300 have returned to Kolontár
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Pursuant to the decree of the County Civil Protection Committee the resettlement of Kolontár has taken place continuously since 12:00 and it is uninterrupted with the assistance of Disaster Management, the police and the local Civil Guard via Ajka and Devecser. Based on data as of 15:00 hours, approximately 300 people have resettled.
Those resettling will be supplied with air filter face masks and instructions for their use in the coaches. People returning on their own (by car) will also have access to Kolontár from the direction of Devecser; Civil Guard personnel will assist at checkpoints in avoiding congestions and handing out protective gear. The Farkasgyepűi Tüdőgondozó Intézet (Pulmonary Care Institute of Farkasgyepű) is offering inhalation therapy at no cost for those participating in the disaster relief and rescue effort, and for the residents. The inhalation therapy is 5 minutes in duration; it relaxes breathing passages and reduces inflammation.
Treatment location: Gárdonyi Géza Közös Fenntartású Általános Iskola és Óvoda, Devecser, Várkert u. 1. Daily from 14:00 to 17:00
Press Release (Hungarian Police)
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Yesterday the National Bureau of Investigation interrogated another suspect in the red sludge disaster case, who is entitled for defence while being at liberty.
One of the executives of MAL Zrt, József D. is subject to suspicion beyond reasonable doubt for the crime negligence, leading to public endangerment and environmental damages. József D. refused to testify and protested against the accusation. According the the National Bureau of Investigation the suspect failed to prepare measures that were necessary for disaster relief efforts, as well as the protection of life, physical safety of people and assets during similar disasters and failed to establish defence structures, signalling and alarm systems that would mitigate the impact of such disasters.
In consideration of the submitted civil law claims, the National Bureau of Investigation has taken immediate measures to safeguard the assets of the suspects and proposed the seizure of these assets.
(Office of the Spokesperson for ORFK)
The Hungarian EPP (European People’s Party) Group of the European Parliament is pressing for European regulations
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Hungary’s red sludge disaster may be on the agenda of the European Parliament’s plenary session next week. Hungary’s red sludge disaster has demonstrated the need for strong European regulations and a most effective and stricter control of private companies working with hazardous materials – Hungarian MEP Ágnes Hankiss says in her statement.
The European Commission has prepared an action plan on the prevention of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) disasters and terrorist attacks, to be discussed by the EU Parliament in the coming weeks. According to MEP Ágnes Hankiss, Hungary’s red sludge disaster has proven that a stricter control of private companies, working with hazardous materials, was necessary.
In most EU member states, private sector companies play an increasing role in the manufacturing, storage, protection and transport of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear materials. The current efficiency of their data provision and reporting obligations, however, is unsatisfactory, since security regulations and rules are often overwritten by the need to maximise profits.
During the parliamentary debate of the document, the Hungarian EPP Group shall propose stricter regulations on the storage and handling of hazardous materials, to be prepared more urgently.
