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dam-l (Fwd) ACTION: Letters Needed to Help Restore the Danube!
------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
Date sent: Tue, 2 Mar 1999 09:43:01 +1000
From: swong@irn.org (Susanne Wong)
Subject: ACTION: Letters Needed to Help Restore the Danube!
To: irn-action@igc.org
FATE OF DANUBE RIVER THREATENED
Write to the Hungarian Prime Minister by March 10th!
Dear Friend,
I would like to ask you a favor. I would like to ask you to send the attached
letter or something similar to it to the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor
Orban.
This is because on the 10th of March he is planning to make an environmentally
disastrous decision in agreeing to the Slovak demand of NOT returning the
Danube into its natural riverbed.
He plans to do that, because he thinks that being a "good neighbor" to
Slovakia is the price he has to pay for Hungary being admitted into NATO and
the EU.
Mr. Orban is a decent 36 years old young man, he is also an environmentalist.
He is planning to do this hesitantly, against his better judgement and under
the impression that the World does not care about the Danube. If he receives
a few hundred letters from around the world, he will change his mind.
Please do send one of those letters and please ask your colleagues to do the
same. We have only a week to change the Prime Minister's mind and thereby
protect this marvelous biosytem, the only inland sea delta of Europe. Please
help.
With Best Regards: prof. Béla Lipták
Editor of the Environmental Engineers' Handbook, USA
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
TO: Viktor.Orban@meh.hu
COPIES TO: miniszter@kum.x400gw.itb.hu, laszlo.szekely@meh.hu,
168ora@hungary.net, angol1@kaf.radio.hu, barabas@nepszava.hu,
Bogad_Zoltan@mhirlap.hu, budapest.newsroom@reuters.com,
budweek@mail.euroweb.hu, csereI@nepszabadsag.hu, denes.albert@reuters.com,
demokrata@mail.datanet.hu, dunatv@hungary.com, dunatv@ind.eunet.hu,
foszerk@nepszava.hu, halmai@nepszava.hu, Horvath@nepszava.hu,
jbotlik@magyarnemzet.hu, KarcagiKatalin@mhirlap.hu, kronika@dunatv.hu,
letters.editor@bpsun.hu, levelek@mhirlap.hu,
magyarhirlap_L.E.V._levelezs@mhirlap.hu, mangelgyo@kossuth.radio.hu,
mdevich@mail.magyarnemzet.hu, mforum.hirlevel@mail.datanet.hu,
mnemzet@mail.magyarnemzet.hu, petofi@iroda.radio.hu, szentkiralyi@mhirlap.hu,
szerk@nepszabadsag.hu, szulofold1@kaf.radio.hu, tomkiss@bpsun.hu,
toma@mhirlap.hu,
SUBJECT: Return the Danube into its natural riverbed (Cunovo-Dunakiliti)
TEXT:
The Honorable Prime Minister of Hungary
Viktor Orban
(E-mail: viktor.orban@meh.hu)
Dear Mr. Prime Minister,
We understand that on the 10th of March, the Hungarian delegation to
Bratislava plans to withdraw its demand for the complete return of the Danube
river (from Cunovo to Dunakiliti) into the natural riverbed. This is in spite
of the fact, that the International Court of Justice in The Hague found, (with
10 in favor, 5 against) that: "Even as a temporary measure, the execution of
diverting the Danube was illegal."
We have also learned, that Hungary is willing to accept only 30% of the
river's yearly average flow (600 m3/s out of 2000) and in order to raise the
water level at this low flowrate, plans to block the riverbed by installing a
half dozen submerged dams. Because of the heavy metals and other poisons in
this highly polluted river section, diking the river will result in the
collection of toxic sludge, which in turn will poison the ground waters.
Therefore we respectfully suggest, that Hungary should continue to insist on
the full return of the Danube. We also respectfully suggest, that if it is
necessary to raise the water level in the natural riverbed, this should be
done by restricting and not by blocking the flow of the river.
The World Commission on Dams is meeting on the 27th of March in Prague and
will be glad to provide technical information on sizing such open riverbed
restrictions, as have been developed by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture,
Division of Irrigation and others.
Respectfully yours,
YOUR NAME, ADDRESS, ORGANISATION