UNITED NATIONS EXPERTS MEET IN GENEVA AFTER ENDING SURVEY OF CYANIDE SPILL

Press Release
IHA/698
UNEP/64

UNITED NATIONS EXPERTS MEET IN GENEVA AFTER ENDING SURVEY OF CYANIDE SPILL

Assessment Report Scheduled for End of March

GENEVA, 7 March (UNEP) -- A team of international experts is meeting in Geneva today to start preparing a scientifically based, independent report on the environmental impact of the cyanide spill at the site of the gold and silver producing company, AURUL S.A., at Baia Mare, Romania, on 31 January.

The Geneva meeting follows the mission by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in response to a request for an emergency evaluation by the Governments of Romania, Hungary and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

The joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit was set up in 1994 to improve international response to environmental emergencies. The OCHA/United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team provided essential coordination support for the field mission and was headed by Sergio Piazzi, Head of the European/NIS Desk of OCHA's Disaster Relief Branch.

"Cooperation with the three Governments and with other stakeholders has been effective and fruitful, with full sharing of information on findings and measurements provided to the international team throughout the assessment mission", said UNEP's European Director Frits Schlingemann, who coordinated the United Nations assessment mission.

The team, consisting of 16 experts from seven countries, finished its sampling on Saturday, 4 March, on the Danube in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The experts carried out a rapid two-week assessment from the spill site in north-west Romania. Some 800 kilometres downstream through the Lapus, Somes and Tisza rivers, they collected water, sediment and soil samples in specific sites all the way to the Danube delta.

Joint sampling was carried out by national experts and the United Nations scientists. A special joint sampling at the locality of Csenger (on the Hungarian/Romanian border) was organized by the United Nations mission, together with Romanian, Hungarian and international experts. This enabled the experts to compare methodologies and data, which have differed since measurements started immediately following the pollution incident in the three countries.

- 2 - Press Release IHA/698 UNEP/64 8 March 2000

The heads and members of the joint UNEP/OCHA mission had extensive talks with Environment Ministers in the three capitals and with local authorities, non-governmental organizations, the local population, and the press throughout the mission to discuss issues related to the accident, clarify the work of the expert team, and coordinate information delivery by the three countries to the team. Scientific information from national experts will help the international team prepare to better understand the evolution of the spill through the river systems downstream through to the Danube delta.

The emergency assistance by the United Nations team was carried out with the support of a number of international organizations, including the Vienna- based International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR). It followed the announcement earlier by the European Environment Commissioner, Margot Wallstrom, that a Task Force was being set up to ascertain the extent of pollution caused by the cyanide spill into the Danube and other rivers. Experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) participated in the mission. The European Commission was also represented in Romania and Hungary. Furthermore, non-governmental organizations, including the Regional Environment Centre and the WWF, were consulted.

"There is a need for a more comprehensive river basin approach to tackle the underlying causes of river pollution in this region in Europe", said Mr. Schlingemann, echoing concerns expressed by governments and non-governmental organizations over the need for closer cooperation of the riparian States in the Tisza-Danube catchment area in the overall economic, social and environmental fields.

The report of the UNEP/OCHA mission, which is expected to come out by end of March or early April, will be based on the findings of the mission carried out from 26 February to 6 March 2000.

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