site.btaGreens Warn of Unregulated Use of Hazardous Mining Waste

Greens Warn of Unregulated Use of Hazardous Mining Waste

Sofia, May 8 (BTA) - Waste from tailings piles of the Vlaikov Vruh Mine near the southern village of Elshitsa has been spread by construction companies into dozens of settlements in Plovdiv Region and has thus endangered human health, the Bulgarian Centre for Green Economy and the Greens party warned at a BTA-hosted news conference on Monday.

The materials have been scattered around 19 villages and have gone into making road surfaces. They pose a serious environmental hazard which can have grave consequences for human health, the environmentalists said. Over time, this kind of waste can release heavy metals and manganese dust which is particularly dangerous to children. Bought at low prices by local construction companies, it has been used in the rehabilitation of municipal infrastructure and in the construction of water reservoirs, buildings and other facilities.

The environmentalists disagree with the previous leadership of the Environment and Water Ministry, which found that the content of harmful substances in these materials is within the safe levels. The unregulated use of mining waste has been brought to the notice of the Energy Ministry, MPs from the local constituencies, the Environment and Water Ministry and the State Agency for National Security, but they have not responded in any relevant way, a speaker said at the news conference. On Tuesday, the Bulgarian Centre for Green Economy and the Greens party will alert the prosecuting magistracy and the European Commission.

Borislav Sendov of the Greens party said the permission to use tap water in Haskovo, Southern Bulgaria after it was reported to have high uranium content is against the rules. The source of uranium contamination should be identified promptly, he said, adding that it probably comes from a former uranium mine near Haskovo. The process of contamination may have been set off by recent prospecting for gold in the area, Sendov noted.