TOP NEWS
Hungary races to build dam amid new sludge threat
By Gergely SzakacsPosted 2010/10/10 at 8:50 am EDT
BUDAPEST, Oct. 10, 2010 (Reuters) — Workers raced to build an emergency dam in western Hungary on Sunday as cracks in a reservoir widened, threatening to unleash a second torrent of toxic sludge on the village of Kolontar and nearby rivers.
The damaged reservoir near an alumina plant is seen from the air in Kolontar, 150 km (93.2 miles) west of Budapest, October 9, 2010. REUTERS/Laszlo Balogh
About one million cubic meters of the waste material leaked out of the alumina plant reservoir into villages and waterways earlier this week, killing seven people, injuring 123 and fouling rivers including a local branch of the Danube.
Kolontar was evacuated on Saturday after cracks appeared in the northern wall of the reservoir, threatening a second spill of the toxic red sludge, which swept through neighboring areas on Monday, toppling cars and wreaking havoc in houses.
A by-product of alumina production, the thick, highly alkaline substance has a caustic effect on the skin. It contains heavy metals, such as lead, and is slightly radioactive. Inhaling its dust can cause lung cancer.
News agency MTI cited environment state secretary Zoltan Illes as saying a 25-meter-long crack in the weakened wall had widened slightly by Sunday morning and the wall of the damaged reservoir now looked beyond repair.
Illes said the northern wall of the reservoir could collapse "within one day or a week" and crews at the scene were scrambling to complete a new dam to protect Kolontar and the nearby town of Devecser, home to 5,400 people.
Gyorgyi Tottos, a spokeswoman for disaster crews on the scene told Reuters authorities hoped to complete the 600-meter long and 5-7-meter tall dam within days to stop 500,000 cubic meters of sludge still in the reservoir from escaping.
RACE AGAINST TIME
"This wall will be able to stop the flow, experts hope to get it done within three days," Tottos said.
"This is a race against time as good weather is forecast for the coming few days but then the rain will come. If we can have the dam finished by the time the rain comes, then it will be all right," she said.
Tottos added that the sludge still in the reservoir was thicker than the water-like substance which caused Monday's disaster and authorities expected its spread to be slower and more contained, should a new spill occur.
While Monday's spill affected 1,017 hectares, she said the remaining sludge could spread out over an area of 500 to 1,000 meters from its origin.
Tibor Dobson, spokesman of disaster crews at the scene, said earlier that workers had laid the foundation of the new dam in Kolontar by Sunday morning.
Dobson said the number of people evacuated from Kolontar, which lies closest to the reservoir, had increased to about 1,000 overnight.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban has described the torrent of sludge as the worst ecological catastrophe Hungary has suffered.
The nearby town of Devecser remained on alert. The military has sent 319 soldiers and 127 transport vehicles into the town and five trains are ready in case it has to be evacuated.
Dobson said 400-500 people had decided to leave the town voluntarily and at this stage an evacuation was unlikely. Orban will inform parliament about the findings of an investigation on Monday and promised the "the toughest possible consequences" to ensure such a disaster does not recur.
The interior ministry said on its website that samples taken early on Sunday showed that alkalinity levels in smaller rivers affected by Monday's spill, and in the Danube, had returned to normal.
(Reporting by Gergely Szakacs, editing by Noah Barkin)
