NEWS ARCHIVE

VISIT OF THE HUNGARIAN STATE SECRETARY

UNIDOScope June 2000 - 30 May 2000 - H.E. Mr. Janos Herman, Administrative State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary paid an official visit to Director-General Carlos Magariños to discuss a project on environmental management and pollution control for the Tisza river basin. The project, which is financed by the Hungarian Government, will develop a strategic framework for an integrated environment management approach incorporating a risk management plan for the Tisza river basin. Earlier this year, several spills of hazardous waste from mines in northwest Romania contaminated the Tisza river, which runs for the most part through Hungary. The waste contained cyanide and heavy metals, which was stored in mining reservoirs. Heavy rainfall and melting snow caused the dams to break and, as a result, some 200 tons of fish were killed and water supplies for many towns were rendered problematic. It is expected that the project will provide the basis for large-scale investment in environment projects in the area. 

Also both officials discussed a Regional Forum for Central and Eastern Europe and NIS to be held in Budapest, 12-13 October 2000. Organized by UNIDO, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Foundation of Small Enterprise and Economic Development, the forum aims at producing practical recommendations on how to tackle the problems faced by the industrial sector, with UNIDO as the key partner. The event will help to increase the awareness of UNIDO's potential as a partner and to highlight the Organization's role as a global forum.  Mr. D. Piskounov, Director, DA/EU, Tel: +43 1 26026/5578, E-mail : dpiskounov@unido.org 

The UNEP/OCHA Final Report on the Cyanide Spill at Baia Mare, Romania is available at:

Romania - Tailings Spills

BROKEN HILL PTY CO LTD SEES EARLY CLOSURE PLAN AT OK TEDI PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Planet Ark - 18 May 2000 - The Broken Hill Pty Co Ltd said on Wednesday it expected the early closure of the environmentally troubled Ok Tedi copper mine in Papua New Guinea well before its expected 10-year life.  "The existing life of the deposit is 10 years. I would see an early closure plan being considerably less than that," BHP executive director minerals business Ron McNeilly told a media briefing. He said that production from Ok Tedi was factored into the company's forecasts for a 50 percent increase in copper production over the next five years. He said BHP was still assessing the cost of an early closure and talking to partners in the project, and would like to have the matter bedded down this year. 

ANALYSIS - INDONESIA'S MINING FIRMS NO LONGER ON SOLID GROUND INDONESIA

Planet Ark - 17 May 2000 - Foreign mining firms have found themselves on increasingly shaky ground as Indonesia's changing political landscape presents new obstacles, and analysts warn some firms may decide the country is not worth the risk.  

Protests, legal conflicts and environmental battles have hit several foreign mining firms in Indonesia, and one issue stands at the heart of the disparate challenges they face - Indonesia's drive towards greater democracy and regional autonomy. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

CANADIAN MINERS WORST POLLUTERS IN U.S.: REPORT INDUSTRY REJECTS STUDY: 'It's a bit like comparing apples and oranges'

National Post - 12 May 2000 - An environmental report singled out Canada's Barrick Gold Corp. and Placer Dome Inc. as two of the worst polluters in the United States yesterday, in a controversial study the mining sector calls "misleading".  According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's annual Toxics Release Inventory, Barrick's Goldstrike mine in Nevada generated 398 million pounds of toxic material in 1998.  Further information can be obtained from the news article.

MINING, ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES LEAD U.S. IN TOXIC RELEASES

Lycos ENS - 12 May 2000 - Toxic emissions in the U.S. are three times worse than previously estimated, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday. The report represents the first time that the hard rock mining, electric utilities and five other sectors have been included in the agency's annual Toxic Release Inventory. 

The EPA report shows that mining and electric power are the biggest culprits in toxic chemical releases, representing almost two thirds of the 7.3 billion pounds of toxins released in 1998. Manufacturing industries, which have been required to report their releases for 11 years, released almost 2.4 billion pounds of toxic materials in 1998.  Further information can be obtained from the news article.

ARRESTS, PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS OVER AUSTRALIAN URANIUM MINES

Lycos ENS - 9 May 2000 - Police arrested 31 people during a protest at the Beverley uranium mine in South Australia today. Twenty-nine people were arrested for breaching the peace while one was arrested for breach of bail and another for unlawful threats. 

About 50 people entered the Heathgate Resources mining lease without permission and refused to leave. Some threw rocks at police damaging some police cars.  Further information can be obtained from the news article.

AUSTRALIA DENIES MINE LEAK DELAY LINKED TO REPORT

Planet Ark - 8 May 2000 - Australia's environment minister on Friday dismissed claims by an environmental group that a delay in reporting a leak of contaminated water at a uranium mine was linked to a government report to the World Heritage Bureau. 

Australia is investigating why miner Energy Resources of Australia Ltd waited nearly a month before disclosing a leak of manganese-contaminated water from its Ranger uranium mine, which is surrounded by World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park.  Further information can be obtained from the news article.

AUSTRALIA PROBES HAZARDOUS LEAK AT URANIUM MINE

Planet Ark - 4 May 2000 - Australia said on Wednesday it would investigate the leak of contaminated water from a uranium mine near World Heritage-listed parkland, the third environmental incident involving an Australian mining company this year.  

No damage had so far been detected from the leak of manganese-contaminated water from the Ranger uranium mine on the fringe of the Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory, local and federal officials said.  Further information can be obtained from the news article.

ERA SAYS LEAK OF MANGANESE-AFFECTED WATER

Planet Ark - 3 May 2000 - Uranium miner Energy Resources of Australia Ltd said on Tuesday there had been a leak of manganese-contaminated water at the Ranger uranium mine site in the Northern Territory.  There was no evidence of damage to the local environment, ERA said. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

AUSTRALIA BROWN-COAL GENERATORS WARN ON GREENHOUSE

Planet Ark - 3 May 2000  - Australia risked "shooting itself in the foot" by raising the cost of its electricity through greenhouse gas reduction measures, brown-coal fired generators warned on Tuesday.  Further information can be obtained from the news article.

SENATE FAILS TO OVERRIDE VETO OF NUCLEAR WASTE BILL

Lycos ENS - 2 May 2000 - The U.S. Senate failed to overturn a presidential veto today of a controversial nuclear waste bill (S.1287). As expected, the 64-35 vote fell short of the two thirds majority needed to overturn the April 25 veto by President Bill Clinton. The bill would have authorized shipments of the nation's most hazardous nuclear wastes to a site in the Nevada desert.  Further information can be obtained from the news article.

EPA RULES COAL COMBUSTION WASTE NON-HAZARDOUS

Lycos ENS - 27 April 2000 - The Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday that it plans to develop national standards to address wastes from coal burning plants that are presently either land disposed or used as fill in mining. But these wastes are not being classified as hazardous.  Further information can be obtained from the news article.

UN REPORT: POLLUTION REMAINS AFTER ROMANIAN CYANIDE SPILL

Lycos ENS - 26 April 2000 - Blame "design deficiencies in the process used, inadequate operating conditions and bad weather," for the spill from a Baia Mare mine tailings pond which released up to 100 tonnes of cyanide into Romanian, Hungarian and Yugoslavian rivers January 30, a United Nations investigation into the disaster has concluded.

The facility had been wrongly classified by Romanian authorities as one that needed no special monitoring or contingency plans said the report issued jointly by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The plant was assessed as being of "regular risk" on the basis of a description of the plant as a "closed-loop" that would not leak any cyanides during the treatment of the tailings to recover precious metals.

But the facility was in fact open at two points, and allowed "unspecified and unmonitored amounts of cyanide" to be "routinely" leaked to air and groundwater even before the dam was breached, the report says.

Further details are available from the news article and the UN Report (Adobe PDF 1.73MB).

PRESS RELEASE

Jointly issued by UNEP and OCHA

UNEP/OCHA report on cyanide spill released today recommends reassessment of environmental risks of mining scheme

Geneva/Nairobi - April 19, 2000: According to the UNEP/OCHA Report being released today, the breach occurring on 30 January 2000 in a retention dam at the Aurul S.A. gold and silver producing plant, an Australian and Romanian owned company, was probably caused by a combination of inherent design deficiencies in the process, inadequate operating conditions and bad weather. Approximately 50-100 tonnes of cyanide including heavy metals went into the Lapus, Somes, Tisza and Danube river catchment area in Romania, Hungary and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

One of the Report’s major recommendations calls for re-assessment of the relationship between environmental "benefits and risks" of the Aurul S.A. company and, in particular a full risk assessment study of the entire system of remining old tailings.

Says, UNEP’s Executive Director, Mr. Klaus Töpfer, " UNEP is now assuming a leadership role to help review design and operational codes relating to the mining industry in order to ensure that this industry contributes in a positive way to sustainable national development while minimizing risks to local populations and the environment".

The immediate risk to human health is estimated minimal by the Report because adequate actions to safeguard drinking water were taken in the three countries.

The Report, however, considers chronic health impacts possible from long-term pollution by heavy metals especially as the spill occurred in an area already contaminated with heavy metals from a long history of mining and metal processing. The chronic pollution risk in the region therefore remains, the Report states, due to its number of poorly maintained and operated plants and flotation ponds containing cyanide and/or heavy metals, many of which continue to leak. Moreover the Report suggests pollution of surface and ground water, as well as soils, from leakage or acute accidents, is likely to repeat itself.

The Report makes important recommendations with regard to avoiding or minimizing the risk of future accidents.

- It suggests a revision of existing contingency plans to ensure an immediate warning and response as the existing ones proved insufficient and lacking in promptness. As the plant had been classified, according to Romanian government permits, as being of "regular" risk, no special monitoring or contingency planning had been required. Furthermore, the Report suggests that such a revision be carried out with relevant partners under what is foreseen in line with Article 8 annex VII to the Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents. In this context, the Report also recommends Romania’s accession to that Convention.

- The Report notes the inadequacy of information on risks involved in mining and other industrial activities upstream. The need to improve awareness-raising and information to the local population in the settlements along the affected rivers is emphasized in the Report. The early warning system established under the Danube River protection Convention, the Report found however, responded adequately in alerting neighbouring countries with the relevant authorities allowing timely actions and measures to monitor the pollution movement, to share information with the other countries concerned and to mitigate and reduce the risks and impact of the spill. The Report also refers to unnecessary concerns and potential economic losses that could be avoided through the optimization of information flows to local communities, NGOs and interest groups, as well as between central, district and local authorities.

With regard to the acute effects typical to cyanide, the Report confirms that these occurred for long stretches of the Tisza river before it flows into the Danube.

- Effects included killing of fish and of phyto- and zooplankton on the passing of the pollution plume. There was no possibility for the UNEP/OCHA expert mission to verify the total estimated amount of fish killed in the Tisza, reported upon differently in each affected country. Aquatic micro-organisms however were found to have recovered rapidly after the pollution wave had passed. No major fish kills were reported however from the Danube.

The expert mission held many meetings with country laboratories and national EPA authorities and found these to be of high reliability and quality. Discrepancies in results of measurements of concentrations amongst the countries, the Report explains, can be due to variations in sampling intervals used between Romania, Hungary and Yugoslavia and the lack of commonly agreed sets of baseline indicators for water and sediment quality monitoring which could improve and harmonize their monitoring systems.

Another recommendation by the expert mission is a further investigation into the chemistry and toxic effects of cyanide and on the formation and stability of heavy metal cyanide complexes in the aquatic system. The Report recommends further study of the heavy metals in sediments followed by a comparison of the present status with available data on concentrations before the spill for a reliable assessment of the long-term risks of the spill.

The Report calls furthermore for an urgent immediate action as a basis for long-term drinking water improvements. These include: a hydro-geological survey as a base for new water resources prospecting and development (in the Baia Mare area and along the Somes river); installation of ground water monitoring by local authorities including private wells; an inventory of existing private wells in Romania, Hungary and Yugoslavia; an inventory, in Romania, of polluted areas, which endanger groundwater, surface and drinking water and the preparation of emergency water supplies, and finally, a health survey for population in affected areas and monitoring of diseases caused by pollution of water.

Finally, the UN report strongly advocates the need for a broad, cross-border, longer-term environmental rehabilitation and management plan and sustainable development strategy both for the Maramures region in Romania but also amongst the riparian states for the entire catchment area of the Tisza river - a strategy which would address, inter alia, the mining and related industries, other economic activities such as tourism and fishing which suffered losses after the spill, biological diversity requirements, and social needs and imperatives.

In the Report, UNEP offers its support and collaboration, together with the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), to develop the proposal made recently, to develop a protocol on liability and compensation, to the UN/ECE Convention on Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes and to the UN/ECE Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents, in order to help settle, through an international regime, the question of liability and compensation for similar incidents and its consequences.

UNEP’s Division of Technology, Industry and Economics, is currently working with key stakeholders to address questions regarding the mining industry in areas such as emergency preparedness and response (APELL programme) at mine sites; the revised design and operating codes for cyanide processes at mines; the development of new international standards for fail-safe concepts in tailings dams; a review of permitting and inspection procedures of hazardous mining installations; training workshops for national inspectorates in risk assessments and enforcement, and the publication of a "best practice water management at mines" guide and case studies.

Background note:

The full report assessing the 30 January cyanide spill in the Romanian mining area of Baia Mare, is the result of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Joint Mission together with the UNDAC (UN Disaster Assessment Coordination) branch of OCHA, from 23 February to 3 March 2000 in Romania, Hungary and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to assess the pollution caused to the Tisza and Danube rivers system after the cyanide spill of liquid and suspended waste following a breach in a tailings retention dam from the Aurul Company S.A. in Baia Mare, in the North Eastern region of Romania.

UNEP and the OCHA/UNDAC were approached by the governments of Romania, Hungary and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, to assist in providing a rapid, independent and objective description of the spill, the situation and events causing it, and its impact on the environment.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) have established close cooperation to address environmental emergencies, collaborating through a joint unit which was established in 1994 within the Disaster Response Branch of OCHA, Geneva. UNEP and OCHA utilized this mechanism to respond to the request from the three governments on the spill emergency.

This mission was supported by a number of governments and included representatives of the European Commission (EC), the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE) and the World Health organization (WHO). Valuable additional support and advice was received from the UNDP office in Bucharest, and other relevant United Nations agencies and international organizations, including the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICDPR), the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Regional Environment Centre (REC).

The mission’s task was also aimed at supporting the provision of advice to respective national authorities on response activities and better accident prevention and preparedness. The mission was an urgent fact-finding and assessment mission comprising field visits to selected locations, supplemented by meetings with relevant national authorities, experts, representatives of non-governmental groups and the population.

The aim of the UNEP/OCHA report is to assist the governments in their efforts to mitigate the consequences of the Baia Mare accident, and provide an input to the broader framework of international cooperation with regard to a longer-term rehabilitation programme of this region in Europe. The report is not intended as a full overview of the emergency and all related implications but should be seen as marking the beginning and providing a contribution to a process of investigation and review by, inter alia, the Baia Mare Task Force set up by the European Commission.

For further information:

In Geneva: Anders Renlund, UNEP Press Officer, Tel: 917 82 72, email: renlunda@unep.ch, or Donato Kiniger-Passigli, OCHA Press Officer, Tel: 917 2653, email: kiniger-passigli@un.org

In Nairobi: Robert Bisset, Office of the Spokesman, Tel: +2542/623 084, fax: 623 692 or email: robert.bisset@unep.org

Press Release 2000 

USA JUSTICE DEPARTMENT DECLARES SUPPORT FOR EARLIER RULING PROHIBITING THE DUMPING OF COAL MINE WASTE NEAR STREAMS

Planet Ark - 19 April 2000  - The Justice Department has supported a federal judge's earlier ruling that West Virginia cannot issue new permits for dumping coal mine waste within 100 feet of streams unless the waste causes no environmental damage.
Further information can be obtained from the news article.

LOCAL RESIDENTS NEAR ASHANTI GOLDFIELDS OBUASI MINE IN GHANA SAY POLLUTION NOT ACCEPTABLE

Planet Ark - 14 April 2000 - The residents of Sanso and Anlo villages located near Ashanti Goldfields Obuasi Gold mine have said they will no longer tolerate the mine's pollution and want to be resettled.  Further information is available from the article.

PROPOSED MINERAL SANDS PROJECT FACES ACCUSATIONS BY LOCAL COMMUNITY IN KENYA, AFRICA

A company proposing to develop a mineral sands mining operation in Kenya, Africa has been accused of environmental degradation, bribery, coercion and graft by the local community at a meeting organised by the company.  The Kwale deposit located in sand dunes 10km inland and 65km to the south of Mombasa contains a resource of 200 million tonnes of rutile, ilmenite and zircon bearing sands.  The project is being developed by Tiomin Resources Inc. a Canadian company. 

The local community have called for compensation terms to be reviewed and refuse to negotiate without a Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) prepared by a neutral assessor. They feel shortchanged by the company executives and local administrators, and wish to renegotiate anew under the Environment Act 1999 which came into force on January 7, 2000.  Concerns have also been raised, that radioactive elements located in the same area as the mineral sands deposits would be disturbed by the mining operations and pose a risk to the local population.

The EIA study being prepared by consultants for the company  is expected to be submitted to the Kenyan Government after Easter.  The issuing of the mining permit is awaiting this study and other licencing requirements.  

The news article is available on Lycos Environment News Service (ENS), and background information on the Kwale deposit and the company is available from the Tiomin Resources Inc. website. 

CHINA CLAY TAILS DAM FAILURE INTO THE FAL RIVER IN SOUTH-WEST ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM

A tailings dam containing china clay (kaolin) waste, located adjacent to the River Fal in Cornwall, South-west England, has failed releasing a large quantity of sludge into the river system.  The river was reported to be blocked by the dam failure with water discolouration visible up to 10 kilometres downstream from the dam site.  There is concern for the potential effects of the sludge on aquatic life and estuarine shellfish farms.  Initial sampling has shown the spill has not caused heavy metal contamination.  Further information is available from the England and Wales Environment Agency on the 05/04/00 and the 06/04/00.

BAIA MARE TAILINGS RE-TREATMENT PROJECT CYANIDE SPILL AFFECTS RIVERS IN ROMANIA, HUNGARY, FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA, AND BULGARIA

UNEP is responding to the serious environmental situation created by a major spill of cyanide containing effluent from the AURUL mine in Romania.  The accident at the mine resulted in the release of a large volume of effluent from a tailings dam into the regional river system, causing serious water pollution and massive fish kills in the Lapus, Szamos, Tisza and Danube Rivers.  UNEP and OCHA, upon formal request by the governments of Hungary, Romania, and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, have sent an independent scientific team to the region to study the consequences of the accident, and advise national authorities about protection measures.  This site gives further information about the accident, and the UNEP/OCHA investigation.

A tailings effluent spill from the Baia Mare Tailings Re-treatment Project in Baia Mare, northern Romania has contaminated extensive sections of the Tisza  and Danube River system in Romania, Hungary, Federal Republic of Serbia, and Bulgaria.  The spill occurred on January 31, 2000 when a pond at the mine overflowed due to heavy snow and rainfall events.  Reports have stated that approximately 100,000 cubic metres of cyanide and heavy metal contaminated effluent were released into the nearby Lapus River which flows into the Szamos River, and subsequently into the Tisza River.  The effluent raised cyanide concentrations well above maximum allowed limits for human consumption as it passed through the river systems.  Sampling has shown that the effluent has become progressively diluted as it moves down the river system.  The result of the contamination appears to be widespread destruction of fish and other aquatic life, and the temporary loss of water supplies for villages and cities along the Rivers affected.  There have been no reports of human injury to date.  The long term effects of the spill may not be known for some time.

The Baia Mare Tailings Re-treatment Project is operated by AURUL S.A., a joint venture between the manager, Esmeralda Exploration Ltd (50%) an Australian mining company, and REMIN S.A. (44.8%) the Romanian state precious-metals mining company.  The project was designed to re-treat a number of old tailings deposits and other residues from earlier Gold mining activity in the Baia Mare area.  The project was commissioned in 1999 with a initial planned life of 10 years.

A new section has been established to provide information under the heading
Romania - Tailings Spills.  Links to the latest news, and other information sources related to the cyanide spill can be found there.

UNITED KINGDOM TO INTRODUCE A ENVIRONMENTAL LEVY ON QUARRYING

Planet Ark (23-03-00) have reported that Britain is to introduce a levy to account for the environmental costs of quarrying and encourage the use of recycled materials.  More information is available from the article.  The Quarry Products Association (QPA) has expressed its disappointment at the decision, having been proposing a number of voluntary and regulatory measures to achieve the same environmental goals as the levy.

A NEW TAILINGS SPILL IN ROMANIA FROM THE BAIA BORSA MINE ADDS TO THE TISZA RIVER POLLUTION DAMAGE

Lycos Environment News have reported that on Friday 10 March, 2000 melting snow and heavy rain caused the overflow and breaching of a tailings dam at the Baia Borsa Mine in Romania.  Approximately 20,000 tonnes of tailings sediments is believed to have entered the Vaser spring, and from there into the river Viso, a tributary of the Tisza River.  The tailings sediment contained lead, copper, zinc and a small amount of cyanide.   

The Baia Borsa mine is located near the Tisza River, upstream of the Baia Mare Tailings Re-treatment Project. 

Further information on the new tailings spill is available from the Romania - Tailings Spills section. 

CYANIDE CRATE DROPPED IN RUGGED TERRAIN DURING HELICOPTER TRANSPORT TO THE TOLUKUMA MINE, PAPUA NEW GUINEA

A crate containing one thousand kilograms of cyanide pellets was dropped during helicopter transport to the Tolukuma gold mine in Papua New Guinea on Tuesday, 21 March 2000.  The crate was lost from the helicopter sling at an altitude of 1500 metres above rugged terrain, 85 kilometres from Port Moresby during adverse weather conditions.  The contents of the crate were reported to be spread over an area of 1,250m².  There are concerns about contamination of surface water by cyanide.  

PNG Disaster and Emergency Services have issued a warning to villagers in the area not to use natural water sources, but there is a concern the message has not been received by remote communities. 

The Tolukuma Mine is owned and operated by Dome Resources N.L. an Australian mining company.  The mine is located in Mountainous terrain 100km north of Port Moresby, with all personnel and materials for construction and operation transported to site by helicopter.  The company now has a team of 14 people on the ground at the site of impact attempting to contain and decontaminate the cyanide spill.  Approximately 95% of the cyanide has been recovered in a solid form as of Friday, 24 March 2000.  Monitoring of downstream water ways is to continue for the next week. 

Further information and maps of the Tolukuma Mine can be found on the Dome Resources N.L. website.  Announcements by the company, news articles and other information is available in the Current Issues section on the Tolukuma PNG - Cyanide Spill page.

MiningWatch PRESENT PLAN TO CANADIAN GOVERNMENT ON ABANDONED MINE SITE PROBLEM

MiningWatch, a Canadian NGO focusing on the mineral industry, has presented a plan to the Canadian Government for dealing with the problem of Abandoned Mine Sites in Canada.  The plan calls for:

• a inventory of abandoned mine sites,

• physical and chemical assessment of the sites,

• provision of resources to establish priorities and then clean up the worst sites, and

• establishment of a funding mechanism to recover costs.

They estimate that there are at least 10,000 sites requiring cleanup under federal jurisdiction, with an estimated cleanup cost of C$1 Billion.

Further information on the plan can be found at the MiningWatch website.

Title: Seabed mining
Source: UNCTAD
Sent by: minerals.forum@unctad.org
Date: 3/27/00

Details

See http://www.natural-resources.org/law/news.htm for reports on the seabed mining code including emergency orders to deal with environmental incidents, the right of coastal States to protect their marine environment and the protection of archaeological or historical objects found on the seabed.

Title: Convention on Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents
Source: UN/ECE Information Office
Sent by: sergiusz.ludwiczak@unece.org
Date: 3/22/00

Details

GENEVA, 14 March (UN Information Service) -- What began as a mining accident in Baia Mare, in northern Romania, resulted in widespread water pollution with far-reaching consequences in the Danube's downstream countries. "This clearly demonstrates the threat that industrial accidents pose to our environment and the need for countries to work together to improve industrial safety", said the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE), Yves Berthelot.

Mr. Berthelot therefore welcomes the forthcoming entry into force of the UN/ECE Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents on 19 April. The Convention has already been ratified by Albania, Armenia, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Luxembourg, Norway, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the European Community. More countries are to follow suit. Drawn up by the UN/ECE as part of its pan- European environmental legal framework, the Convention aims to protect both human beings and the environment against industrial accidents. In the wake of the cyanide spill in Romania, more countries of the UN/ECE region have come to realize the importance of strengthening their cooperation to prevent that sort of accident happening again.

What difference will the Convention make? The Convention requires its Parties first of all to establish competent authorities to supervise its application. It also obliges its Parties to identify hazardous industrial operations and assess the risks so as to ensure that they operate safely and that precautions are taken to prevent accidents. Hazardous operations should also be sited where they are the least likely to have an impact on the environment. Moreover, neighbouring countries need to be told about such operations and the hazards they pose, so that cross-border contingency plans can be drawn up. This means that, should an accident occur, these countries can take adequate response measures together.

The Convention's framework also includes a system of notification. In the event of an industrial accident, the countries that might be affected will be informed immediately. This will give them more time to activate their response measures. Since a country is unlikely to be able to cope with the effects of a severe accident on its own, the Convention also foresees that other countries should offer assistance. Besides the cooperation envisaged in the event of an industrial accident, the Convention also promotes the sharing of information and technology to improve emergency preparedness and especially to help the countries with economies in transition to improve industrial safety.

For more information, please contact: Sergiusz Ludwiczak, UN/ECE Environment and Human Settlements Division, Palais des Nations, office 409, CH - 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland. Phone: (+41 22) 917 31 74; fax: (+41 22) 907 01 07; email: sergiusz.ludwiczak@unece.org.

Title: Hard Rock Legacy
Source: National Geographic magazine
Sent by: minerals.forum@unctad.org
Date: 14 March 2000

Details

The March issue of National Geographic (Vol.197, No.3) contains a report on the legacy of mining activity on federal lands in the western USA, featuring the often negative impact on the environment and questioning the continuing efficacy of the General Mining Law of 1872. See also the National Geographic website:  http://www.ngnews.com/hardrockmining

ENVIRONMENTAL APPROVAL GRANTED FOR DINKIDI COPPER AND GOLD PROJECT, PHILLIPINES

SPILL OF EXPLOSIVES AT KUMTOR MINE, KYRGYZTAN

Lycos Environment News Service reports that 1500 kilograms of explosive (Ammonium Nitrate) was spilled on January 20, 2000 at the Kumtor Gold Mine in Kyrgyztan, Central Asia.  The spill occurred near the town of Barskoon as the result of an accident involving a truck hauling the explosive to the Kumtor mine site.  The spill was cleaned up the same day.  The mine is operated by the Kumtor Operating Company, 1/3 owned by Cameco Corporation and 2/3 by the Kyrgyz Republic.  The chemical spill, the third reported at the mine since May1998, led to calls from environmental and human rights groups for the release of the companies emergency response plan. 

NEW INITIATIVE TO DEMONSTRATE SUCCESS OF PARTNERSHIP APPROACH

Major multinational companies, NGOs, governments and intergovernmental organisations (notably the World Bank) have joined together to form "Business Partners for Development", which aims to demonstrate the benefits of partnerships between business, civil society and the state. It has several "focus projects" around the world which will share practical experience in building partnerships and learn together how to achieve the greatest impact on business and communities. Focus projects are grouped in 4 "clusters", 1 of which is the Natural Resources Cluster, bringing together oil, gas and mining. This cluster has 5 focus projects in Asia and South America. Click on the links for more information.

WWF LOOKS INTO INDEPENDENT CERTIFICATION OF MINING

WWF-Australia is carrying out a Mining Certification Evaluation Project in partnership with leading Australian mining companies. As its name suggests, the project is an evaluation of the applicability to the mining sector of independent, third party certification of environmental and social performance. It is designed to investigate a means of satisfying the desires of mining companies and conservationists to improve environmental performance, together with an ability to credibly attest that an individual mining company is attaining environmental performance standards, allowing the company to gain competitive advantage. Independent certification of environmental performance has been successfully developed for the forestry sector under the aegis of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

BASEL COP5 PUTS EMPHASIS ON WASTE MINIMISATION

The 5th conference of the parties (COP5) to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal ended in Basel, Switzerland on 10 December. It was the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the convention. The meeting marked a shift in emphasis from controlling and reducing hazardous wastes movements to environmentally sound management of such wastes, particularly through minimization of wastes at source. Research indicates a worldwide increase of waste generation over the last ten years. Member country ministers affirmed that waste minimization is the fundamental objective of the convention and they made it the convention's vision for the next decade. For more information, see the IISD record of the meet.