Damaged reservoir beyond repairBUDAPEST: Workers raced to build an emergency dam in western Hungary Sunday as cracks in a reservoir widened, threatening to unleash a second torrent of toxic sludge on the village of Kolontar and nearby rivers. About one million cubic meters of the waste material leaked out of the alumina plant reservoir into villages and waterways earlier this week, killing seven people, injuring 123 and fouling rivers including a local branch of the Danube. Kolontar was evacuated Saturday after cracks appeared in the northern wall of the reservoir, threatening a second spill of the toxic red sludge, which swept through neighboring areas Monday, toppling cars and wreaking havoc in houses. A by-product of alumina production, the thick, highly alkaline substance has a caustic effect on the skin. It contains heavy metals, such as lead, and is slightly radioactive. Inhaling its dust can cause lung cancer. News agency MTI cited environment state secretary Zoltan Illes as saying a 25-meter-long crack in the weakened wall had widened slightly by Sunday and the wall of the damaged reservoir now looked beyond repair. Illes said the northern wall of the reservoir could collapse “within one day or a week” and crews at the scene were scrambling to complete a new dam to protect Kolontar and the nearby town of Devecser, home to 5,400 people. Illes said authorities had amassed plaster and various types of acids along 100 kilometers of the river Marcal to neutralize the high alkaline content of any new spill before it reaches the Danube, a major European waterway. The Interior Ministry said on its website samples taken Sunday showed alkaline levels in smaller rivers affected by Monday's spill, and in the Danube, had returned to normal. Gyorgyi Tottos, a spokeswoman for disaster crews, said authorities hoped to complete the 600-meter dam within days to stop 500,000 cubic meters of sludge still in the reservoir from escaping. “This wall will be able to stop the flow, experts hope to get it done within three days,” Tottos said. “This is a race against time as good weather is forecast for the coming few days but then the rain will come. If we can have the dam finished by the time the rain comes, then it will be all right,” she said. Tottos said the sludge still in the reservoir was thicker than the water-like substance which caused Monday's disaster and authorities expected its spread to be slower and more contained, should a new spill occur. While Monday's spill affected 1,017 hectares, she said the remaining sludge could spread over an area of 500 to 1,000 meters from its origin. Tibor Dobson, spokesman for disaster crews at the scene, said workers had laid the foundation of the new dam in Kolontar. He said the number of people evacuated from Kolontar, which lies closest to the reservoir, had increased to about 1,000 overnight.
