The Assessment of Social and Economic Impacts Associated to an Abandoned Mining Site Case study: Ciudanovita (Romania)

Abstract

The abandoned mining sites are a major current area of concern as they generate consequences from environmental, economic and social perspectives within traditional industrial areas. Former uranium mining at Ciudanovita, located in the SouthWestern part of Romania, represents an example of such a situation. The aim of the present study is to analyze the social effects (professional morbidity, rate of mortality) and economic ones (such as: unemployment, economic decline due to the restructuring of mining, loss of productive land) generated by the exploitation of uranium. The high rehabilitation costs and lack of involvement of the local authorities determine a halt in solving the issues of environmental degradation and socio-economic consequences. Closure of uranium exploitation from Ciudanovita involved conducting certain ecological actions, but there were no procedures regarding the security and long term health of population or to decrease the adverse economic impact. The objectives of this study aim to identify priority actions in order to improve the population's health condition and to reduce the negative economic effects generated by closing the uranium mine. Ciudanovita has a significant agricultural potential, but at present the agriculture is limited by the degraded lands.