F L O O D B U S I N E S S
Nobody expected that such an enormous flood would hit the Czech city of Ostrava. Or that the country's only oil recycling factory would release some 500 tonnes of used oil into the water. But perhaps the biggest surprise, since the flood passed, is that neither the state nor the company appears to be doing anything about it.
Two large waves surged down the Odra River, flooding the city of Ostrava, located in eastern Czech Republic near the Polish border. They also engulfed Ostramo, a private company which hosts the only oil recycling plant for the whole country. Old containers and pipes on the factory grounds were hit, resulting in the horrific release of some 500 tonnes of used oil products and lubricants into the surrounding waters. Residents and reporters watched in awe and photographers snapped away as the Czech National Civil Protection Service and local firefighters struggled to contain the viscous mess - a partial success, while large quantities managed to reach the Odra river and flow north into Poland.
"Nobody is quite sure how much got away, or what was in it," said Milan Machac, a member of Ostrava's City Council. "Local residents say it was used oil and other wastes. But nothing was measured during the flood. I think parts of the city are now contaminated, including schools and houses."
Ostramo was originally a state-owned company - the only plant in the Czech Republic which was responsible for recycling and refining used oil, especially from vehicles, and other chemicals, including PCBs. During the communist era, the plant caused severe local ecological damages, particularly from its waste lagoons which were leaching contaminants into the surrounding soils, said Machac.
In the late 1980s, there was an agreement between the state and the city of Ostrava that production would soon be stopped, but in 1991, the state privatized the company by selling it to one individual, Viteszlav Vlcek, based on certain conditions made by the city. The city agreed that production could continue if Vlcek solved the lagoon problem, upgraded the recycling technology used, and invested in a special environmental fund. "But he didn't do this," said Machac. "And he has nine to ten million crowns owing to Ostrava." Since then, relations between the city and Vlcek have left much for improvement.
In January of this year, the Czech government took back the lagoons from Vlcek, and later in the year, he stopped production at Ostramo, arguing that he didn't have the funds to solve the plant's problems, and that it was the duty of the state to fix them or to give him the money. "He thinks it's a state problem," said Machac. "But he's the owner of the company and he should fix it." Machac also estimates total damages from the flood for Ostramo at about 60 million crowns, and neither the state nor Vlcek want to fork out the cash.
The city is now attempting to sue Vlcek for damages. And relations between Ostramo and local groups and residents are also poor, with some residents having alleged that Ostramo deliberately dumped the oil into the flood.
"Ostramo is not a good company," said Zdenek Jakubka, Director of VITA - Association for Environmental Education and Eco-Counseling, an environmental NGO based in Ostrava. "The law means nothing for Vlcek. He influences it. He talked about cleaning up but didn't do anything. It was only talking."
Jakubka said that there was a Citizen Committee which tried to negotiate for better conditions between the city and Ostramo, but that it wasn't successful and ended. "It had lots of problems, and certain members had other goals," he said. He added that VITA tried to get information from Ostramo about the flood, but that was also unsuccessful (as were the attempts to get information for this story).
In contrast, another local plant, the Moravian Chemical Works, avoided serious damages from the flood and have begun environmental discussions with VITA since the flood. "We have very good relations with this company. They are very good," said Jakubka, adding that VITA is helping them with how to establish an improved environmental management system and a public information service to meet the community's 'right-to-know' about what the plant produces.
Jakubka is also unsure of what was released from Ostramo and where it went to. He also finds the Czech government unconcerned about the entire Ostramo issue. At the same time, the country continues to produce some 40,000 tonnes of used oil per year, but nobody seems to know where it's going. "Perhaps some goes to Germany," says Jakubka, "but I'm not sure."
Neither is Roman Haken of the Czech NGO, the Center for Community Work, who says that there is presently no system in place for recycling oil in the country as long as Ostramo is closed. "The state doesn't really care about oil recycling," said Haken. Haken also heard rumors that Ostramo deliberately dumped the oil into the flood, but said that it's only a rumor. "Another rumor is that many companies will probably say next year that the flood took their tax receipts away," he added with a grin.
