mining

More documents

Recommendations

Info

BACKGROUND MINING CASE STUDY WATER NATURE 39
40 BALKAN VITAL GRAPHICS What ever happened to … Baia Mare? At the time, the Baia Mare spill received worldwide attention and many sources referred to it as the “worst environmental catastrophe in east Europe ever since Chernobyl.” Today, the environmental effects of the accident have largely been overcome. Wildlife in the region recovered after about a year with species migrating into the affected area from upstream. According to the World Wide Fund For Nature, the situation in Baia Mare is better now than it was 10 years ago. There were no fatalities and in most localities the water supply was protected. The consequences of the accident could have been much worse under different circumstances, particularly without the emergency procedures, such as the early warning system that warned downstream communities of imminent contamination. However, the long term effects of the accident are still apparent at a different level. To minimize the risk of future accidents, various security measures were introduced at Baia Mare, the last of which brought mining operations to an end in 2005. A Hungarian court forced the mining company to reduce production by 85 per cent. Investors consequently lost interest in the site, and spending on environmental protection declined too. When environmental inspectors discovered the company had failed to spend €750 000 on a water purification plant and a system for automatically dosing cyanide, the operation had to shut down. The debate stirred up by the Baia Mare spill also triggered European legislation on industrial accidents and mining activities. In this respect, several legal measures were taken to improve the safety of mining facilities. The mining industry responded by developing better technology and attaching greater importance to safety performance. For the people in Baia Mare and their downstream neighbours, what matters after all is whether the “lessons learned” will be remembered should the operations start again. Amendment of the Seveso II Directive (2003). Best available techniques reference document on management of tailings and waste-rock in mining activities within the IPPC Directive (2004). Mining waste directive (2006).
Page 1 and 2: 24 BALKAN VITAL GRAPHICS
Page 3 and 4: 26 BALKAN VITAL GRAPHICS 1 Krsko (S
Page 5 and 6: 28 BALKAN VITAL GRAPHICS Mining leg
Page 7 and 8: 30 BALKAN VITAL GRAPHICS The dark a
Page 9 and 10: 32 BALKAN VITAL GRAPHICS Bor miners
Page 11 and 12: 34 BALKAN VITAL GRAPHICS Vlado Alon
Page 13 and 14: 36 BALKAN VITAL GRAPHICS Mining the
Page 15: 38 BALKAN VITAL GRAPHICS Kosovo’s
Page 19 and 20: 42 BALKAN VITAL GRAPHICS Pros and c
Page 21: 44 BALKAN VITAL GRAPHICS

mining

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?