Hungarian gov't representative holds on-site briefing for journalists and diplomats, two months after 'red sludge' disaster
By Yanin Chivakidakarn, from Kolontar, Hungary
On December 1, 2010, approximately two-dozen diplomats and a dozen journalists took part in a day-long 'field trip' to Kolontar, western Hungary, site of a disastrous toxic sludge spill on October 4 when a caustic waste reservoir at the Ajka Alumina Plant (property of Hungarian Aluminium, or MAL), ruptured. The resulting 1.5-metre wave of toxic red sludge overwhelmed Kolontar and a neighbouring village, Devecser (pop. 5,000), killing nine people, injuring more than 150, and causing an area roughly 40 kilometres in size to be evacuated. The incident was soon afterward declared the worst environmental accident in Hungarian history.
Now that most people in the affected area have returned to their homes, the purpose of the field trip/press conference was to provide information about past and ongoing efforts to assess the damage and assure future safety. Hungarian State Secretary at the Ministry of Rural Development Zoltan Illes was on hand to provide information and answer questions to those who travelled to Kolontar, which happened to be lying beneath a fresh blanket of snow.
'Safe and under control'
Two months having passed since the toxic spill, Kolontar, a village of fewer than 900 people, is struggling to recover vitality and confidence. Due to a declared state of emergency, military encampments appear on the scene now and then. Motor vehicles require a special permit to be allowed access to the village, and are checked upon arrival and departure. Just a few moments after passing through the checkpoint, we could see from our tour bus windows the grimly distinctive traces of red sludge appearing above and through the snow.
"This [colour] does not represent a danger, as it is simply caused by iron oxide," Illes explained. The state secretary described the situation and conditions in Kolontar as "safe and under control", adding that it was possible to conduct the press conference at the exact site of the dam rupture, and without needing to wear protective clothing. (It should be added that event organisers did offer protective gear to invitees concerned for their safety during the visit.)
Efforts to prevent further breaches in the reservoir included the rapid construction of a temporary defence dam 620 metres in length, 2.75 metres in height and 6.8 metres in width. The dam, made primarily of stone, was completed just four days after the incident, a time period during which there were fears of a second, even more powerful breach in the original earthworks reservoir. Construction of a permanent defence dam with doubled sludge-containment capacity (from a current total of approximately 45,000 cubic metres) is expected to be completed by Christmas.
"[The permanent structure] will also protect groundwater," Illes noted.
According to the state secretary, water quality is being monitored closely and continuously. Most importantly, the Danube River has suffered no adverse contaminating effects from the incident. Acidifying treatment has been applied in a smaller river affected directly by the spill - the Marcal - in order to reduce alkali contamination, and Illes claimed its fish population is beginning to recover as a result. Experts are trying to maintain water pH between 8 and 8.5 - and strictly not below 7 - to ensure the non-solubility of metal particles in the water. Dredging of the Torna Brook's contaminated banks and bed has yielded some 70,000 cubic metres of sludge and heavy metal particles.
Ongoing concerns
As for soil, plants and buildings that were inundated with toxins, little by way of further treatment remains to be done. The most hazardous deposits are being removed gradually, stored in secure containers, and buried.
Regarding Kolonatar's future economic viability, there is a recently introduced plan to cultivate 'E-grass' on 100 hectares of land. E-grass is a source of renewable energy that is good for heating and, importantly, can grow in poor-quality soil. If the project is successful, Kolontar will gain a yet-to-be-calculated amount of revenue through product sales, while the grass would feed the domestic industrial market.
As for the residents of Kolontar, the press conference yielded little in the way of specific information. Responding to questions from the assembled press, the village mayor said that "people are going about their normal lives. They are here, and they are okay." This contradicts earlier reports of Kolontar residents joining with Devecser victims to demonstrate against the government for increased compensation.
When asked what actually caused the accident, Illes pinned most of the blame on systemic bureaucracy and unregulated privatisation. He also claimed that aluminium waste was monitored closely as a hazardous substance prior to Hungary's EU accession, but that monitoring practices since the country's 2004 accession have slackened. Illes illustrated the alleged failure of compliance and monitoring mechanisms, pointing out that liquid samples taken from MAL's Ajka facility registered 75 percent water/pH 13, compared to the EU's hazardous waste standard of 25 percent water/pH 10.
"Of course, a country can retain stricter regulations than the EU standard after [obtaining membership], but the government at that time chose not to," said Illes. "It is a fact that the operating permit for Magyar Aluminium, which expires in 2011, was issued in 2006 by the previous government [led by the Hungarian Socialist Party, or MSzP], and that regular factory inspections were conducted at a superficial level, just for the sake of protocol."
Moving forward
MAL was nationalised shortly after the spill, and the Ajka plant resumed full operation in mid-October. According to Illes, the government has conducted thorough and ongoing inspections since then on three fronts: production, security and environment.
Meanwhile, much debate lies ahead regarding how much compensation should be awarded to victims, how and from whom compensation will be paid, and who, ultimately, will be held responsible, both for the tragic incident of the recent past and for guaranteeing future safety.
