Red mud: 5 European experts at work in Hungary on Monday
(BRUSSELS2) Five experts from Belgium, France, Austria, Sweden and Germany will be hard at work in Hungary, from this Monday, alongside Hungarian specialists to combat the pollution caused by the rupture of a dam of toxic sludge in an aluminum factory in Ajka.
They will benefit from the assistance of the European Commission's liaison officer, Laurent de Pierrefeu, who arrived on site on Saturday. He was able to get there in the afternoon (photo). Laurent de Pierrefeu, from the BSPP (Paris fire brigade) and COGIC (the French interministerial crisis management centre), serves as a seconded national expert in the European Commission's civil protection unit.
After Friday's call for contributions, the Commission received many offers from Member States: no less than 40 applications from 10 Member States, the Commission was told.
The mission of these European experts will be fourfold:
- Contribute to the assessment of the impact of alkaline sludge on the environment, in particular on agricultural land, water - including groundwater -, flora and fauna;
- Advise on opportunities for prevention, mitigation and reduction of negative environmental impacts caused by alkaline sludge;
- Provide advice on the optimal solution for sludge decontamination in urban and agricultural areas;
- Assess other needs, anticipate risks and propose solutions with regard to the rehabilitation of nature, agricultural and urban land affected.
According to the latest report provided by the Hungarian authorities, 7 people died and 1 is still missing. Between 800 and 1016 hectares were affected. 1166 people and 186 vehicles were involved in the rescue operations.
(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)