Copper exploitation at the mines of Rosia Poieni in the Apuseni Mountains, in Alba county, in Romania, was similar to a condemnation for occupants of the twin towns arranged in the foothills where excavations were done. Their trial started in 1977, when Romania's communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu chose to exploit the colossal copper store uncovered underground.
The government forced the inhabitants of the close-by town of Geamana to leave their homes and forsake their lifestyle keeping in mind the end goal to clear a path for the harmful waste from Roşia Poieni mining pit. Around 400 families were emptied and their town supplanted by a artificial lake that served as a sort of get bowl for the mine's defiled sludge to stream into.
The waters of the lake is exceedingly lethal laced with cyanide and different chemicals. As the lake developed, it immersed what was previously a beautiful town. The tower of the congregation and a couple of houses are all that remaining parts today .
Geamana Romania Photo
Source : NYTimes