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:

http://www.mnvzrt.hu/kozerdeku_adatok/szervezeti_szemelyi_adatok/gazdalkodo_szervezetek/kulonos_kozzetetel

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.

A daily amount of 200 tons of coal is needed to produce the high-pressure steam, but the raw material supply needed for production is continuous and the Company has large stocks of several base materials.

With respect to economic activities, the inspection and approval of commitments will be continuously carried out. The resources (financial, human, other resources, etc.) required for continuous operation are available. There is currently an audit in progress at the Company.

The serving of Hungarian and international clientele has begun – accompanied by positive reactions. As of the week starting on 25 October, the production of fine products also started. As a result, the Company has started generating revenues.

Mal Zrt. has been participating in disaster relief efforts with 25 employees and machines. They have constructed storage facilities for the hazardous waste collected until now. They have also made preparations for the safe storage of red sludge to be collected from arable lands.

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.

This is a fine example of the work performed by the Hungarian researchers and architects. Researchers began an in-depth analysis of the situation without delay, with the Hungarian Academy of Sciences taking on an important coordinating role.

The most prominent researchers and architects of the field are examining

• the necessity of reinforcing cassette no. IX,

• the damaged section of the dam of reservoir X and the possibilities of restoration. Naturally, cassette no. X has been withdrawn from operation.
• the materials and behaviour of the sub-soil and the dam until the approved level of filling up is reached in cassette X/a, verifying its stability with calculations.

In accordance with the unanimous recommendation of professionals and those responsible, the most prepared architect, Dr. István Kertai will be taking charge of the Complex Research and Planning Programme. Barrage and safety dam expert István Kertai has designed and inspected hundreds of dams in Hungary and abroad, performing follow-up activities and, in extreme cases, examining the circumstances of dam rupture. After the detection of dam movements yesterday, on 1 November, Dr. Kertai, Deputy Junior Minister of the Ministry of Interior responsible for construction Péter Szaló, MAL Zrt.’s inspectors concerned, and researchers held an extraordinary meeting to discuss the situation and the storage of demolition waste in a way that reinforces the dams, but does not damage the environment. The displacement of the damaged northern wall of the reservoir is small, but the experts are prepared for movements of larger magnitude as well. Since the dilute liquid previously flowed out of the reservoir, the consistency of the remaining red sludge is very dense, and therefore, a potential outpour would pose no danger to the settlements. The previously constructed system of dams is adequate to securely protect the settlements in the vicinity.

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.

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)

 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.

Measures taken in order to protect the population

György Bakondi reported on the return of the population to their homes on Friday and said that out of 690 people 374 moved back to Kolontár where 94 houses are empty. 191 people indicated beforehand that they did not wish to return to this village. On the basis of data processed so far the number of houses impacted by the red sludge has been 47 in Kolontár, 292 in Devecser and 21 in Somlóvásárhely.

The police continues to keep strict control over the village with the purpose to protect the composure of the population and their property, and also to keep away disaster tourists from the affected areas. After 23:00 there is a limited curfew in the area.  Critical and exposed places – like empty houses – are monitored by heat sensor cameras. Journalists as well need prior authorization to enable them to enter Devecser and Kolontár. Also representatives of scientific and civil organizations, volunteering to conduct various measurements, can only do so with a prior accreditation permit issued by the Scientific Council of the Government Coordination Commission, and they have to report on their findings to the Scientific Council of the GCC. This is necessary so that to eliminate non-authenticated measurement results and to inform the population only on the basis of authenticated, precise pieces of information. The Disaster Relief Commissioner underlined that the authorities continue to measure on a regular basis the status of the drinking water, of stream waters, of groundwater and of the air. Due to the floating dust the air may be the cause of some health related symptoms, but measurement results proved to be under the limit values so far. 

The population receives regular information on the measures taken by the authorities and on any matter important to them either in writing, or if required by loudspeakers installed in the affected area.

Large-scale recovery work is underway to restore the railway system, to remove the still remaining red sludge and to neutralize it with gypsum. At the same time preparatory work is underway for decision-making with respect to the housing problems of the population, to learn more precisely what are the expectations of the population.

There are close to one hundred offers of a scientific, technical, expertise character that have been received from various parts of the world.  These are being reviewed by a inter-ministerial coordination group under the direction of the NDMGD (National Disaster Management General Directorate), who shall decide what shall be applicable and at what time. For example, also currently, experts of the Austrian army are on the site, and they analyze specifically the condition of the wall of the reservoir.

The experts of the EU and of WHO have completed their first inspections, their written report has not yet been completed, once we receive it we shall inform the public on it – said the government commissioner, who only said in advance that according to the experts the Hungarian authorities handled the situation correctly, especially as concerns the protection of the stream waters. The organizations also submitted proposals, for example, as to how one could protect more efficiently boots and the wheels of vehicles from the contamination. 

It is foreseen that next week the government commissioner shall open a webpage in order to inform the public on the activities undertaken on a continuous basis.

On MAL Zrt

After 15h Friday afternoon the decision of the authorities that revoked the suspension of the business activities of the plant was received. This means that production can restart probably on Tuesday. Heating was restarted in the plant following that, under the supervision of the inspectors, the company settled their debts towards the supplier company. As there was no production over the last nine days the pipes cooled down and upon restarting the heating a pump valve had a defect – said György Bakondi and added that this defect has been corrected so that as of all the conditions are set to be able to restart production. The first portion of red sludge is expected to be discharged to the reservoir on October 28.  Although the company intended to open reservoirs nos. VIII and IX., this was not approved of by the inspectors until the conclusion of the investigations, so the sludge can only be discharged to reservoir no. X/A, that has been fully investigated. Reservoir no. X/A can only be filled up to a height of 2,5 meters, after that a new investigation must be undertaken. This height of 2,5 m shall be reached after an intensive production cycle of 10 to 15 days. In the meantime the other reservoirs shall also be reviewed, and the alkaline overflow-water with a PH of 8 shall be treated.

The 18 inspectors and experts working with the government commissioner are working intensively in order to ensure that the activities of the company and of the plant be compliant, especially with regard to the fact that the licence of the national environment authority is valid until October 31, and that the EU environment authority licence, which is similar to the Hungarian one, is valid until February 11, 2011.

The government commissioner refrained from disclosing information on the debts of the company, but he did say that he shall have discussions with the consortium of creditors, made up of four banks, on Monday, particularly on the subject of how they can cooperate and exchange information during the period of State supervision over the plant. The company has no liquidity problems as of now, it is able to pay to its suppliers. In addition to a review of the IT system of the company, György Bakondi also initiated a financial audit by an international company, with the purpose to complete a full-scale financial review, in the first phase of MAL Zrt, and in the second phase of the whole corporate empire.    In addition, the government commissioner introduced new safety rules. The government commissioner held discussions with the board of directors and the management of the company, and he said that the company shall participate in the recovery works and in the building of dikes.

In reply to a question on how much of the assets of the company can be spent on damage compensation the government commissioner said that he could not yet tell it precisely, but it is for sure that the company shall participate in damage compensation. However for the moment, the precise amount of the damages suffered, and even of the expenses incurred by the State bodies is not yet known.

New disaster control concept to be elaborated

At its session on Friday the government discussed a proposal of the concept aimed at improving and further developing the disaster control system, and it has decided that it should be further discussed with all interested parties – including government bodies, municipal self-governments, the affected business companies and the population living in exposed areas – as well as with bodies participating in the decision making – hence with the relevant commissions of the Parliament – before December 15, 2010. The government invites the Interior Minister that after this discussion on the concept, he shall submit the relevant draft modifications of the law to the Government until March 20, 2011. This new regulation shall be justified not only by the red sludge disaster, but also by experiences learned from the floods in May and June this year – as underlined by the government commissioner.

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.

Moving back can begin today

As of Friday afternoon Kolontár residents will be permitted to return to the settlement. The County Civil Protection Committee adopted its decree on Thursday to implement the resettlement of Kolontár, commencing at 12:00 on Friday. In the interest of fully implementing all related tasks, at 18:00 hours on Thursday a residential forum was held at the Ajka sports arena. Resettlement from Ajka through Devecser will take place by using coaches with help from the Police and the local Civil Guard. 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 Working Team of the WHO drafted guidelines for returning residents. 

Regarding the injured

Due to the dam burst on October 4, currently 44 persons are being treated in hospitals, of whom 1 is in critical condition, 6 are in serious condition, 28 are in stable condition and 9 have minor ailments. So far nine individuals have died in connection with the disaster.

Regarding the cleaning of the settlements

The cleaning continues. The removal of sludge contamination from the areas between the access roads to the houses and the entrances and from the courtyards providing access continues, by hand and with machinery. Civil organisations and volunteer forces continued sludge relief and gypsum laying operations at the disaster locations. In Devecser the firefighters continue to focus on cleaning of the streets, sidewalks and water ditches, with machinery and also by hand. Disaster Management, Partner Agencies (Prime Minister’s Office, Police, Water Management, Hungarian Railways, Hungarian National Ambulance Service), volunteers, MAL Zrt, FKF Zrt, charitable organisations, public utilities and residents are still currently engaged in work.

EU experts are also investigating

In connection with the red sludge disaster, on October 7, via the dedicated emergency disaster alert mechanism of the European Commission, the Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC), requested European Union assistance through the National Directorate General for Disaster Management (OKF). The request was for a small team of experts with international and field experience, in close cooperation with the experts of OKF, to contribute to the assessment of the negative environmental impacts of red sludge and to alleviate damage and optimally reduce its impacts via their recommendations. Through field work and analyses the experts are currently conducting inspections at the disaster site; they will compile their recommendations on Friday. Subsequently this will provide additional important reference markers to define the time interval required for disaster relief.

Regarding the coordination of charitable donations

The National Directorate General for Disaster Management of the Interior Ministry is coordinating the operations of the five largest charitable organisations in the interest of effective and proportionate distribution of donations; the organisations are keeping in contact with Disaster Management Staff on location. The Staff acts as a civilian point of contact is thereby capable of ensuring that the donations get to everyone in need.  The organisations have indicated that there is less of a need for clothing as there is a great deal of it already, with a lot of it useless, for example, single shoes; they can’t do anything with those. What is most needed is non-perishable food, cleaning supplies and protective clothing. 107 donations from Hungary and 89 from abroad have been credited to OKF. (These are donations and offers).  The Hungarian Disaster Relief Fund already has received more than HUF 200 million by 11AM, October 14. 

Planned legislative amendments in connection with the event

The contemplated disaster management legislative package has been drafted; it will impact the increase of effectiveness of the supervision of defence efforts, the speedier dispatch of resources prior to the declaration of a state of emergency, the more efficient utilisation of civil defence organisations and the simplification of public procurement proceedings.

Regarding drinking water

After multiple measurements it can be stated that drinking water is completely safe.

Regarding transportation

Around the disaster site at a radius of 6 kms at an altitude of 5000 feet (1500m metres) airspace has been restricted until November 9, 2010. The prescribed speed limit has been mandated to avoid the danger of slipping as a result of contamination getting on the pavement from the wheels of the heavy rescue machinery. The cleaning of the Devecser crossroads of route 8 is ongoing. Máv Zrt. completed the demolition work of the contaminated Kolontár railroad track. At the affected section they have begun the construction of the substructure and the protective layer.

Regarding state supervision of MAL Zrt.

With the permission of György Bakondi, the government appointed Disaster Relief Commissioner to oversee MAL Zrt, production may recommence at the factory.The Disaster Relief Commissioner and the inspectors working alongside him have received all necessary documents. Government permits are also confirming safe operations. Red sludge produced over the course of the recommenced production will be sent to a new, thus far unused reservoir which still possesses the required permits. The equipment required to recommence operations has been activated.

The Disaster Relief Commissioner acting as the state supervisor of MAL Zrt and the inspectors have begun their work at the company facilities and reviewed their individual tasks within their professional competence. Notice was sent to the company concerning work started and of specialty fields. The government commissioner ordered company management to augment necessary missing reports.  Effective immediately, research into the potential restart conditions of manufacturing has begun.

The police has begun to guard the physical property of the company, with experts also inspecting the IT system. Following his appointment, the Disaster Relief Commissioner had met with the members of management who have indicated their cooperation; he is hopeful that this will speed up inspections and the steps to be taken. Simultaneously with all of the above, he has initiated a comprehensive tax audit for MAL Zrt. He believes that by the beginning of next week a comprehensive, credible picture of the company’s realistic financial situation will be obtained.

With the recommencement of production, the currently empty but already inspected red sludge reservoir 10/A will be used, but the inspection of the other reservoirs was also completed.

The “Disaster Relief Commissioner” is authorised to do the following: he/she can review the financial situation of the economic association; he/she approves and countersigns the undertaken obligations of a financial nature of the economic association; he/she shall make decisions in matters that are within the sphere of control of the top decisionmaking body of the economic association that are relevant to the direct alleviation of the situation which created the necessity of taking extraordinary steps or the mitigation of its consequences, and may initiate against the economic association action pursuant to §34(1).

In his jurisdication, the Disaster Relief Commissioner (György Bakondi) may inspect the books of the economic association, may review the assets, obligations, agreements, bank accounts of the economic association, may request information from the management of the economic association, from the top management body, from the members of the supervisory board, from the auditor, in the case of a corporate group from the member who is acknowledged to have control in accordance with the law on economic associations; they have the obligation to provide such information. Within his/her jurisdiction the Disaster Relief Commissioner participates in negotiations by and between the economic association and its creditors which prepare undertakings of obligations that have a financial aspect and shall exercise the rights granted pursuant to the above law. An administrative department assists György Bakondi in the performance of his duties; the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Public Administration and Justice shall enter into an agreement on where this department is to be placed.

Regarding state expenses

Initial reports from local municipalities have been received; municipal government expenses as of October 12, 2010 are in the neighbourhood of HUF 500 million. The expenses of government agencies have not been totaled thus far, but each and every item will be recorded. It is certain that expenses will be in the billions. The government position is that it is evident that in accordance with the Civil Code the expenses must be paid by whoever caused them.

Regarding the investigation

The National Bureau of Investigation questioned Zoltán B, the Chief Executive Officer of MAL Zrt., as a suspect in connection with the sludge disaster, to answer criminal charges of public endangerment causing multiple deaths and harming the environment. Zoltán B. made a statement to the investigating authority, however he also complained over both being taken into custody and being made a suspect. According to the investigating agency the suspect failed develop a plan of action required for disaster management and for the preservation of life, health and property, or to develop defensive systems, defensive works and sensor alert systems to mitigate the impact of the disaster event. The Court did not keep Zoltán B in custody, but the criminal proceeding continues with the investigation intensively pursued. The National Bureau of Investigation is also investigating the documentation of the National Directorate of Environmental Protection and Water Management which performs the inspection of the reservoirs, in connection with MAL Rt, and also questioned the two engineers who performed the on-site inspection. 

Other inspections

The Ministry of Rural Development ordered an internal investigation at the National Directorate and also ordered the inspection of all red sludge reservoirs located in Hungary; the summary will be completed in a couple of days.

Regarding air

The floating dust concentration translates into increased irritation proportionate with the level of drying, but at present it has not reached the medical threshold. Protective mask and gear use are recommended, however. A total of 12 measurement devices at the 8 settlements affected by the air contamination have been installed. Additionally the Országos Környezetegészségügyi Intézet (National Environmental Health Institute) placed two measurement devices at two locations. The measurement station at Ajka, via its meteorological data, assists the work of the monitoring network with Hungarian Meteorological Service contaminant spread modelling results. The measurement data are sent to OTH for forwarding, where their evaluation form a medical perspective is performed.

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, between 14:00 and 17:00 o’clock daily. The inhalation therapy is 5 minutes in duration; it relaxes breathing passages and reduces inflammation.

The regional medical officer ordered daily reports from general practitioners working in the region as of 12.10.2010 in the interest of enabling the continuous monitoring of disease types which are detected by general practitioners. Based on data compiled to date, no unusual spikes in usual volumes have been reported.

Disaster relief efforts on agricultural land have begun

Disaster relief efforts on agricultural land have begun, soil analysis is ongoing. According to the measurements of the Research Institute for Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, the contamination did not permeate the soil at a depth in excess of 10 cms and the quantity of heavy metals in this layer also did not exceed the contamination threshold.

The experts of the Budapest University of Technology and Economics are working on a flooding model where the volume, direction, dimensions and speed of a flood which may begin upon a potential dam rupture/collapse may be simulated. For the proper operation of the model the Ministry of Rural Development and the Institute of Geodesy, Cartography and Remote Sensing provided us with relief models. The data of additional dikes and dams is integrated into this model. Running the simulation with this data enables an estimate of the flood. Currently multiple expert teams are conducting soil analyses.

Regarding rivers

In the operational territory of the Directorate of Environmental Protection and Water Management of the Northern Transdanubian region, as of this morning air injection technology is being employed in the upstream section of the Marcal at one point, Malomsok, instead of the previous 4 intervention locations, to ascertain the complete incorporation of gypsum added on the upstream section of the river.

The situation in the upstream section of the Marcal stabilised completely, the monitoring of water quality changes is only required on the Marcal and the Moson-Danube. The Directorate and the Directorate of Environmental Protection and Water Management of the Northern Transdanubian region are taking measurements jointly.

pH levels are natural, on the Marcal it averages 8.3, on the Moson-Danube 8.2 On the Marcal river we are maintaining class III water quality emergency status.  The monitoring of aquatic ecosystems and drinking water sources is ongoing. In the Danube bend according to the observations of the members of the environmental protection security force on October 12, the downstream flow of dead fish had essentially ceased, the behaviour of the local fish population normalised.

Hungarian initiative at the EU

The Hungarian red sludge disaster may be a topic at next week’s plenary session of the European Parliament. According to Ágnes Hankiss, Hungarian member of the European Parliament, the Hungarian red sludge disaster proved that a strong European regulatory scheme is needed, private companies which work with hazardous materials must be overseen more effectively and stringently than presently. The European Parliament will be discussing in the coming weeks the action plan of the European Commission on the prevention of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) disasters and terrorist attacks. 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.

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

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 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.