Dangerous coal dumps in Luhansk region

28 February 2007, Sverdlovsk (since 2016 — Dovzhansk), Luhansk Oblast.

A report about the danger to mining towns from slag heaps formed by the removal of unusable coal rock. A former miner in his yard, ‘Donbas rocks,’ coal slag heaps, a view of the city from a slag heap, a rally of local residents, a meeting of the executive committee, an abandoned mine.

Comments: Vasyl Belkin, resident of a mining town; Viktor Beskrovny, chief state sanitary doctor of the city; Nadiya Suslova, resident of Sverdlovsk; Oleksandr Shmalts, mayor of Sverdlovsk.

Reference: dangerous coal slag heaps are piles of rock left over after mining operations. They can be formed either by the dumping of rock during coal mining or by the delivery and accumulation of rock from other mines or quarries. Some of the slag heaps are smouldering or burning, releasing toxic substances into the air that threaten the environment and the health of residents of mining towns and villages.