mining

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).