Ecological emergency in the Donetsk oblast
11.12.2000 source: ‘Rabochaya gazeta, 28 September 2000
After showers the dam of the liquid ash reservoir ‘Starye Terny of Kurakhovskaya thermal electric station broke down.
In several seconds thousands of tonnes of the pulp went down through the gap eighteen meters wide. The pulp contains several poisonous elements and has a high level of radioactivity. A number of small rivers so valuable in the arid Donetsk steppe suffered, as well as the surrounding landscape. The greatest loss is that some quarries of the mineral raw materials were filled with the pulp. According to the first data obtained from experts attracted to study this emergency, the dam was broken because for a long time it had not been repaired.
In several seconds thousands of tonnes of the pulp went down through the gap eighteen meters wide. The pulp contains several poisonous elements and has a high level of radioactivity. A number of small rivers so valuable in the arid Donetsk steppe suffered, as well as the surrounding landscape. The greatest loss is that some quarries of the mineral raw materials were filled with the pulp. According to the first data obtained from experts attracted to study this emergency, the dam was broken because for a long time it had not been repaired.