Many people are being displaced from their homes and the environment is on the brink of disaster. The toxic sludge has caused for the evacuation of several surrounding towns near the source of the leak. The source came from a break in a toxic waste reserve. Many factories around Europe dump their toxic and possibly radio-active waste into man made lakes. Yet even after being inspected a month prior to the incident, a pipe managed to burst, releasing decades worth of sludge through out several Hungarian towns. The main issue with this disaster is the toxic red sludge that has already injured hundreds and killed off every living species in the surrounding water systems. The henna tinted sludge is flowing down tributaries of the Danube itself. Many scientists fear that if the sludge reaches this vital river; the end results could be devastating. It would cause an ecological disaster, killing almost all of the wildlife in the river.
One important thing I learned in this article is that the clean up effort is far more difficult than stopping the leak itself. Some speculate that it might take years before the villages are restored. One major concern for many is who will assume responsibility for the damages and pay for the clean up. Many of these companies in order to consolidate funds, dump their byproducts into these potentially unsafe lakes. They most likely do not have the funds to conduct a clean up effort of this magnitude. “These old factories were supposed to maintain the sludge ponds and keep them safe, but it is a huge problem in Eastern Europe because these companies didn’t set aside enough money for that” claims Csaba Vaszko, the C.E.O of the conservation group WWF-Hungary. These companies merely do not have the means to pay for this. It the companies cannot fund this; it will be left up to the government to provide relief to those affected by the disaster. Whether this was a complete accident or an act of responsibility is another looming question. It is not fair that the potential irresponsibility of these companies rely on the government to clean up their mess.
When first reading about this issue the first thought that came to mind was its resemblance to the recent BP oil spill. Unlike the BP oil spill, which is still spewing from the ground today, the sludge disaster was quickly stopped. Both will require serious clean up. Which disaster is worse can be left up to debate. Although both tragically altered the wild life, the sludge in Hungary burned hundreds of victims and left four dead. It also displaced thousands from their homes. It is safe to say the results in Hungary were less economically burdening. The oil spill in the gulf coast cost BP millions of dollars. Not only in lost revenue, but now they have to find millions to stop the leak and clean the surrounding areas. Serious environmental issues stemmed from both incidents.
posted for N. Malik
1 comment:
1. I liked how she gave strong details and kept the story brief. If she went to far in depth it would have probably been confusing.
2. It was well written and easy to understand.
3. She gave a strong statement about what the problem is with the sludge and what scientists are worried might happen. She kept it clear and concise.
1. One thing I thought she could have made better was to go into more detail about what they are going to do to avoid disaster.
2. She could have given more detail about what sludge is and why it is so bad for the environment. Some might not know what the make up is and why it is so harmful.
1. I did not know that this sludge existed and in know way thought it was so harmful and detrimental to our ecosystem.
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