Flooding of the Nova Mine

April 1, 2003, Zhovti Vody, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

On video: miners, coal conveyor, various plans; miners at work, coal mining process; equipment repair; miners descending on an elevator, mine flooding, flooded control panel, disaster relief.

Reference: In March 2003, 40% of the mine field was flooded at the Nova Mine in Zhovti Vody, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, due to rising groundwater. The enterprise was in an emergency state, pumping equipment worked intermittently, and more than 80 workers went down every day to pump out water, risking their lives. The problem was complicated by a lack of funding and salary arrears, which threatened the destruction of the unique scandium ore deposit.