Átlátszó Publishes Investigation in the Framework of a CMDS Project
Átlátszó, an independent online media outlet in Hungary, investigated the hazardous waste deposit at the red sludge reservoirs in the Hungarian village Almásfüzitő.
According to the article, a new environmental permit was granted in December 2019 to Tatai Environmental Protection Ltd. (TKV)’s hazardous waste processing plant at the Almásfüzitő red mud reservoirs. Sources say that the company’s current owner is in talks with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s childhood friend, Lőrinc Mészáros, about the potential acquisition of the company which has an annual turnover of over 6 million euros.
The reservoirs of the former alumina factory, located right next to the Danube, received much attention after the 2010 red mud disaster in Western Hungary, when ten people died and 150 people were injured as a result of an accident.
This article is the result of the cooperation of academic researchers and journalists in our Black Waters project, a hybrid investigative-research and advocacy project that responds to the need for engaging reporting on environmental damage, corruption and the consequences for social justice in Central and Eastern Europe