8DTiszaquestion5

The Tisza Cyanide Pollution - Q5: What did they do to fix the problem?

The Cyanide Pollution spread and flowed from Romania to Serbia and in the Tisza river to Hungary, killing 80% of the fish. This affected the everyday lives of the local fishermen and residents who relied on the river for washing clothes, etc.

The spill started from a Romanian dam called the Baia Mare gold mine. It overflowed causing a chemical called cyanide to spill and was carried to other rivers. After fixing the reservoir, the dam broke apart again 9 days later causing more leaks.

This is a photograph of the Tisza River before the terrible accident. The pollution affected the drinking water, high health risks were taken. It also affected the nature reserve parks. Such as the protected area of Lake Tisza named a World heritage sight. The Minister of Environment at the time received many angry complaints about his actions and steps towards the situation. He failed to inform the public, he failed to take response or immediate action to the problem, he failed to seek cooperation with the scientists, it took him more than a week before he inquired about the damages caused, he did not address the Hungary Parliament about the matter in the Tisza River, etc. The two countries Serbia and Hungary demanded Romania pay charges for the damages caused by the Cyanide Pollution, Romania forwarded the issue to the United States to assess further. Tonnes of fish died due to the poisonous chemical leak. Shops went out of business, since there was nothing alive in the river anymore.

A cyanide solution was used to separate the gold ores from the rocks that are surrounding the gold mine. The state of the river would take years to return to it’s original form.  By Gina Le 8D

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