Although that stretch of river has become void of aquatic life, much of the wildlife was able to migrate out of the area.Continue reading
Tests confirmed that cleaner water is now flowing into the Sajó (Slaná) River from the Alsósajó (Nižná Slaná) mine, Újszó reports.
The measurements were carried out immediately after the water flowing into the deeper layers of the mine had been brought to the surface, the press office of the Ministry of Economy informed. According to the Slovakian Minister of Economy, Richard Sulík, the intervention was effective.
According to the ministry, chemical analyses show that the iron and other mineral content of the water discharged into the Sajó river has been reduced by 80 percent.
According to the ministry, the mine water was successfully brought to the surface last Thursday, which is why it does not leach as many minerals from the lower layers.
Reddish discoloration of the water was detected in the upper part of the Sajó in Slovakia in February 2022. The Slovak authorities determined that the pollution originated from the now-bankrupt former Siderit iron ore mine. Meanwhile, the pollution has been flowing uncontrolled into the river for months, almost wiping out the wildlife in the upper reaches of the Sajó. In Hungary, the authorities had previously stated that no toxic pollution exceeding the limit values had been measured in the waters of the Sajó.
Featured image: The Sajó river at Sajópüspöki, near the Hungarian-Slovakian border on March 14, 2022. Photo by Péter Komka/MTI
