Clean up Danube River now, group urges


   Tuesday, June 15, 1999

      The Danube is the source of drinking water for 10 million people in
                      Yugoslavia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine.

   Now that the war in Kosovo appears to have come to an end, the Danube
   River must be cleaned without delay, the World Wide Fund for Nature
   said Monday.

   Unconfirmed reports have indicated that the NATO air campaign against
   Serbia resulted in the bombing of oil refineries and chemical plants
   on the banks of the Danube River. As a result, the river is polluted
   with toxic chemicals and oil, the group says.

   "This is a transboundary issue with risks for an entire region of
   Europe and the Black Sea," said Philip Weller, the Vienna based
   director of the World Wide Fund for Nature Danube Carpathian Program.

   "Now that the war appears to be over, urgent action has to be taken to
   protect the lower Danube and the millions of people whose security is
   linked to its environmental health," Weller added.

   The first step, according to the group, should be an independent
   assessment of the situation so that it is known what actions must be
   taken.

   A conference hosted by the United Nation Environment Program May 12-14
   found that no significant water pollution could be detected in the
   Danube to that date, but did agree that a more thorough analysis of
   the situation was needed.

   On this front, the World Wide Fund for Nature said that it is helping
   the governments of Romania and Bulgaria obtain international funding
   to acquire specialized equipment to monitor a variety of toxic
   substances suspected of being in the Danube.

   "We are acting as the go-between with governments and international
   organizations," said Weller. "We hope that they appreciate the need
   for urgency."

   The Danube is the source of drinking water for 10 million people in
   Yugoslavia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine. Its waters are
   also used to irrigate crops.

   The 1,740-mile-long river supports some of Europe's last and richest
   natural wetland regions, including its vast and globally important
   delta, according to the group.

   Copyright 1999, Environmental News Network, All Rights Reserved


 
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