Hungary's new Minister of Agriculture István Nagy, who should be sworn in on Tuesday,
initiated a meeting with Slovak Environment Minister Ján Budaj in order to resolve the situation on the Slaná (Sajó) river, which turned red in mid-February. "The Sajó River and its ecosystem are our common natural heritage. My first official foreign trip after taking up the post of Minister of Agriculture will lead to the Minister of the Environment of the Slovak Republic," stated Nagy, who said the pollution of the river needs to be tackled urgently.
The cause of this situation is the outflow of mining water from the iron ore mine in the area of the former Siderit mining enterprise. The results of the water analysis in the river showed a 12-fold exceeded value of iron, also elevated levels of manganese and sulphates and the presence of arsenic. The situation on the Slaná River is also being addressed by the Slovak Environmental Inspectorate, according to which a technological line is to be built to treat the polluted water flowing from the mine into the Slana. The state enterprise Rudné mines has filed a criminal complaint in connection with the pollution of the watercourse. The company rejects claims that it has failed to fulfil its obligations.
Source: TASR
