What happens to Salina Praid. European experts: “It would be much more advisable to open another mine”

Experts of the European Association of Salt Manufacturers (Eusalt), who were in Praid on a technical visit and evaluated the situation after flooding the saline, presented two options, one to save and stabilize the existing mine and the second to open a new visiting and production gallery, according to Agerpres.

The investment director of Salrom, Nicolae Sebastian Solduz, presented, on Friday, in Praid, the proposals of the two Eusalt experts, which are to be found in a report presented by them.

“There are two suggestions. Work on a report in this sense. (…) The first would be the controlled water evacuation in me and, with the evacuation of the water, the grinding of the old mines, so filling with gravel, ballast (…), following, then, at the same time, to be blocked, The mine in which the extraction was made, which is why they were flooded at the time, ”said Nicolae Sebastian Solduz.

“So, the blocking of the respective channels and, subsequently, the attempt to remove, equally controlled, of the water from the tourist mine and the extraction mine, if possible, depending on what the reports will say, what the study will say about stability. They said that, from their point of view, this is a long-term process and with some materials. Which are the most on the surface, it would be almost 1,800,000 tons of gravel, so we are talking about millions of euros, only the material itself ”, continued the official Salrom.

“It would be much more advisable to open another mine.”

The second proposed variant, considered much more feasible by the experts, and which the investment director of Salrom is of the opinion that it should be considered, is the opening of a new visiting gallery.

“Their suggestion was that it would be much more suitable, if there was the possibility of opening another tourist mine and implicitly another extraction mine, using the people we have here, through two access galleries, proclaimed at the same time, one to go to the tourist mine, in the tourist area, which we will create separately and one to go to the area, which will be created. Format, they also have the role of ventilation, so there would be no need for an aeration well, which would be very expensive and much harder to do.

Referring to the first suggestion, respectively the controlled removal of the water and the removal of the old mines, Nicolae Sebastian Solduz pointed out that the experts have shown that it is not a definitive solution, as the waters will continue to inflict, if not from the stream, as it has happened so far, they will make it from the underground waters, as it is infiltrated.

Asked if the existing mines will be abandoned, in the situation in which it will opt for the second solution, he said that it will work in parallel, as the removal of water from the mine and stabilization is a work that will take a long time.

“They will not be abandoned, so it will work in parallel and on the part of the rambler, but which will extend over a much longer period of time, considering the amounts of money that will have to be brought in this type of project. So, it would not be a short-term thing, in a very short time on the ramble, with a large volume of work. Speaking of 200 trucks a day, which should pass on these roads daily, loaded with 25 tons of material, for about 400 days or about 500 days, ”said Salrom official.

About the place where the new visiting galleries could be dug, respectively, production, he showed that the perimeter for which the National Salt Society (SNS) has to be studied, to see where there are possibilities to achieve this.

Nicolae Sebastian Solduz added that, from the calculations made by experts, the creation of new galleries would take a maximum of a year and a half from the beginning of the works, but added that this variant has not yet been discussed.

“It was not discussed, (…) Yesterday was the suggestion that the experts gave us in the Emergency Committee, so everyone was there when the experts presented the solution. As I told you, the first thing to see, we must see the maps in which the SNS has an operating license, Attack the respective front ”, mentioned the investment director from Salrom.

The Minister of Finance requests resignations for the situation at Salina Praid

The Minister of Finance, Tanczos Barna, requested in the Government meeting on Thursday, the dismissal of the directors from Salrom and the Romanian waters, which he accused of not taking into account the recommendations of the specialists regarding the remedy of the situation from Salina Praid, and the salinity of the Târnava Mică river increased. A similar request made the president of CJ Harghita, who was unhappy on the way in which the works for the deviation of the Corund river was made on Wednesday.

“During the Government meeting today, we asked for the dismissal of the directories from Salrom and the Romanian waters. It is unacceptable what happened at Praid! (…) The two companies are arguing with each other, ignores the decisions of the experts, leaves tens of thousands without water and aggravates the damages caused to the environment,” the Minister of Facebook wrote.

He emphasized that irresponsibility cannot remain without consequences and those who were wrong must be held responsible.

“Therefore, I asked the Government colleagues today to take the necessary measures for the directors of the two companies to be dismissed immediately and to be appointed in their place people who can keep the situation under control. Praid will not be left alone – we will not allow anyone to endanger the safety of the inhabitants, the water supply and the natural resources of the region!”

Water food problems in Mureș, after contamination of the Târnava Mică river

The prefect of Mureș County, Barabási Antal-Szabolcs, said on Friday that he did not receive any official information about the situation in Salina Praid, although the effects are already felt in Mureș county, where the salinity of the Târnava Mică river has increased considerably, Agerpres further reports. “I did not receive neither from Salrom, nor from anyone, any official information about the incident and what happened at the mine. What we see today is that salinity in Târnava Mică has greatly increased me the most,” he said.

On Friday morning, the water plant in Târnăveni was stopped, and the network tanks were emptied in a few hours. The surrounding communes have only water from stocks, and in the fountains the supply is temporarily continuous from reserves and tanks. “At the moment, the municipality of Târnăveni is without water in the network (…). We try to win the fountains, maybe tomorrow and tomorrow we can still,” said the director of Aquaserv Mureș, Sipos Levente.

According to the environmental authorities, the wave of salinity comes from the Corund stream, affected by the infiltration from the saline. “The cause of this situation is known (…) and it will probably be perpetuated in the range of the other counties until the country exit from the Mureș River,” said the director of SGA Mureș, Ovidiu Ianculescu. He also announced the first effects on the fauna: about 50 kilograms of dead fish, especially between Sărăţeni and Sângeorgiu de Forest.

For the affected localities, ISU Mureș distributes drinking and domestic water with special vehicles including from other counties. “Today I asked for the supplementation of these special vehicles (…). Authorities also prepare an interactive map with water distribution points.