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Someone let about six cubic meters of used oil into the Danube branch of Ráckeve (Soroksár) in Szigetszentmiklós through the rainwater channel. As the Index reported, last week’s pollution destroyed a protected swamp and coastal vegetation in an area of nearly 2,000 square feet. According to experts, this is the most serious oil pollution in Hungary in recent decades.
The Central Danube Valley Water Directorate has been doing a great job rescuing the damage since Saturday, they started mining the soil and divers are trying to figure out the exact location of the discharge. It may take 1 to 2 weeks to remove 20 to 25 inches of oil and muddy sludge. According to information from the National General Water Directorate, on Monday 4 1000-liter tanks and several 220-liter metal barrels were filled with the contaminated material.
Used oil can cause immeasurable harm to nature and human health. A single liter of oil can convert a million gallons of fresh water into wastewater, floating on top of the water to prevent oxygen from entering the depths.
Fish researcher Balázs Szandófi came to the scene on Monday and took spectacular drone photos of the affected section of the Danube and the reeds.
He also makes movies about nature, so he also made a few minutes of video of the rescue efforts. He also told the Index about the serious contamination.
“The contamination has happened here backwards now, as usual. In the case of cane oil contamination, the oil first reaches the water and the cane protects the shore.
Now, however, the oil came from the shore through an inlet channel and spread into the reeds, stopping, without reaching the open sea. This is welcome on the one hand, because at least it doesn’t get anywhere else, a local charge remains. On the other hand, it is worse locally than oil floating on water ”.
The fish finder brushed.
One of the main problems is that the contamination has affected a reed belonging to a floating marsh protected “ex lege”, an area of great ecological value. The other is that the spread of contamination can only be prevented by extracting and transporting the soil from the affected swamps and the reeds found in it.
However, the rarest and most naturally valuable fish of the Danube Ráckeve, the highly protected marsh pony, the protected grassland plain and the endangered populations of the broad crucian live here.
Added to the devastation is the fact that the oil spill occurred during the winter month, which is a problem because the extracted sludge overwinters many fish, amphibians and other aquatic invertebrates.
“After the rescue, the affected area will need years to regenerate, and even the express parts of the floats, even decades, and probably will not be the same as before.”
– Balázs Szandófi reports on the consequences. He added that it is difficult to estimate the extent of the damage. The number of people killed due to pollution or oil extraction can be in the tens of thousands.
Based on the ideal value of individuals (the ideal value of a marsh pond is 250 thousand guilders, that of a marsh turtle is 50 thousand guilders), the damage can reach several billion guilders.
Specialists from the Central Danube Valley Water Directorate surrounded the junk with diving walls and also use oil absorbent material to ensure that dirt does not wash into the Danube during oil and mud extraction.
The trail guide fee offered by local civilians is constantly increasing, amounting to more than one million florins. The report reached the Szigetszentmiklós Police Headquarters, on the basis of which they are already investigating natural damage. According to our information, the authority is already monitoring and several locals have provided information about the contamination. So far it has been speculated that a nearby company could be behind the crime.
Cover image: Balázs Szandófi / Facebook
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