J A P A N S P E C I A L F U N D
Mining is one of those industries that brings both fame and infamy to a place. The Ziar Valley in Slovakia received its share of fame over 200 years ago when it became home to Europe's first Mining Academy. But once a center of European cultural activity, the Ziar is now capping a near millennium of mining activity, and a legacy of ecological damage.The Ziar Valley, located in west-central Slovakia, is a picturesque mountainous region, home to a number of valleys scattered along the Hronom River and its smaller tributaries. While recorded history puts mining activities in the Ziar at some 800 years, the Ziar was also at one time a thriving cultural landscape and home to one of Central Europe's oldest universities. So much so that in 1762, Maria Theresa, Queen of the Hapsburgs (who ruled the area at the time), established Europe's first Mining Academy in the Ziar Valley in the town of Banska Stiavnica. Today the town is a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site.
Where once countless mines were scattered throughout the area, mining has almost completely vanished from the Ziar, now only remaining in Banska Stiavnica. In Ziar nad Hronom, the bulk of the population is involved in agricultural activities, although an estimated 4,000 workers continue on at a large local aluminum smelter.
While miners are now scarce, the same cannot be said for environmental damages. Ore processing and smelting were traditionally carried out at or near mining sites while tailings were dumped directly into nearby pits, the result being that processed ore residues have been exposed to the atmosphere and rainwater for centuries, causing significant leaching of pollutants into local soils and groundwater. And the list goes on.
First, arsenic pollutants continue to be produced by the local aluminum smelter as well as a local thermal power plant which burns lignite. Second, the entire Ziar Valley is a hydrogeologically closed system, which means that the area has its own natural sources of pollution, like heavy metals and gases, thereby making it difficult to differentiate between natural and man-made pollutants. Third, winds frequently move in circular patterns in the valley, thereby widely distributing airborne pollutants. Fourth, soft coal is extensively used for household heating and cooking. And finally, neither the number nor the contents of the many industrial and municipal waste sites, landfills and illegal dumps located throughout the Ziar are known.
The ultimate objective of the project was the environmental rehabilitation of the entire Ziar Valley while the following specific objectives were emphasized:
Using a Slovak-made landscape planning method called LANDEP, information about the impacts caused by pollutants was processed. Based on this analysis, proposals for the optimal utilization of the environment were made, including soil remediation technologies and cost-estimations. "We now know the kinds and levels of pollutants in the area," said Zsuzsa Ivanyi, JSF's Project Coordinator, who added that the project provides the background for a future feasibility study which could result in investments to clean up the Ziar.
After having completed the project in early 1997, a workshop was organized in the Ziar. Agricultural companies and individual farmers were informed about the achievements of the project and offered practical advice, including the types of crops which are optimal for cultivation in specific areas.
Other organizations are also busy in the Ziar, including UNESCO which is sponsoring an international conference on "Culture and Environment: Evaluation and Perception of Landscape Patterns" scheduled to take place in the World Heritage town of Banska Stiavnica from October 23-25.