The Environment Chronicle

Notable environmental events between 2000 and 2000 Deselect

  1. Around 4 million litres of crude oil escape from a burst pipeline belonging to the state-owned oil concern Petrobas into the Barigui and Iguacu rivers, 700 km south-west of Rio de Janeiro. The Iguacu flows through the Iguacu Falls national park. The oil slick, several cm thick, kills thousands of fish and birds and threatens the water supplies of some cities. The Iguacu Falls, one of the largest tourist attractions in brazil, are also threatened. Floating barriers are used to contain the slick while it is pumped off. The oil concern is fined tens of millions US$.

  2. A storm and technical failure cause the dam at the Rumanian-Australian gold miner Aural's treatment plant to burst in the northern Rumanian city Baia Mare. 100,000 m_ mud contaminated with cyanide pour into Hungary's second largest river, the Theiss, and from there into the Danube. The Danube delta, previously environmentally intact, is threatened. The contamination kills thousands of fish and poisons drinking water.