BRATISLAVA, October 13, (WEBNOVINY) — The environmental organization Greenpeace is demanding the suspension of operation of the Hungarian red sludge reservoir, which they claim is a direct environmental threat to the Danube River. On Thursday in Budapest, Greenpeace representatives warned of the critical situation at the reservoir, located near the village of Almasfuzito, right next to the Danube River a few kilometers from the Slovak town of Komarno. “Environmentalists warn of the unsatisfactory technical condition of the sludge bed containing red sludge and demand that Hungarian authorities put it out of service as soon as possible,” informed Greenpeace Slovakia spokeswoman Lucia Szabova. According to her, Karl E. Lorber, an Austrian professor at Loeben University, confirmed this information. “We therefore classify the potential danger of the Almasfuzito reservoir as high. There is a probability of dangerous materials leaking into the environment, particularly in the event of flooding, extreme rainfall or an earthquake. From my point of view, it is necessary to adopt further measures and to start taking action,” underscored Lorber.
The Almasfuzito red sludge reservoir is similar to that in the town of Ajka, which burst open in 2010, causing an ecological catastrophe. “The company was given a permit in spite of the fact that the reservoir does not have a basic system for insulation and retention of dangerous materials, contaminant materials leak into the groundwater and probably also into the Danube River. However, there is no monitoring system installed between the reservoir and the Danube. There is one on the other side of the reservoir, and the data from monitoring wells show the values of hazardous substances at over the limits,” informed Balazs Tomori of Greenpeace Hungary. Hungarian authorities prolonged the permit to operate the reservoir last year.
Greenpeace already pointed out the potential dangers of the Almasfuzito reservoir in late September by writing a large STOP banner on its surface. “The organization demands that the competent Hungarian authorities immediately suspend permission for operation of the sludge bed and delivery of further waste,” informed Szabova. They also request that the Hungarian government adopt the EU legislative frameworks so that dangerous waste is treated responsibly and according to the principles of sustainability in Hungary.
SITA
