The Annals of Valahia University of Târgovişte, Geographical Series, Tome 11 / 2011 ______

A DIACHRONIC APPROACH OF THE BUILD-UP AREAS IN THE - ROVINARI COAL FIELD

Roxana CUCULICI1, Bianca MITRICĂ2, Ines GRIGORESCU2, George MURĂTOREANU3

1Faculty of Geography, University of Bucharest 2Institute of Geography, Romanian Academy 3Valahia University, Faculty of Geography

Abstract. The Motru-Rovinari coal field, located in South West Development Region, stands for one of the most important critical environmental regions in . Its spatial transformations had become irreversible, particularly since 1955 (the time of the first mining perimeter) in terms of radical structural and functional landscape changes and after 1989 (the fall of the socialist regime), when, the restructuring of the industry had led to long-term social and economical changes. As a result, the study-area has been facing sudden and radical landscape transformations triggering dynamic and uncontrolled evolution of the build-up spaces. The present study is aiming to mix modern GIS computer mapping with statistical techniques through processing a wide range of cartographic documents and demographic data in order to put together a diachronic analysis of the build-up areas in this critical environmental area. The authors will be able to highlight the relationships between the dynamics of the build-up areas and the key factors of change in order to understand their causal interactions.

Key words: diachronic approach, critical environmental region, Motru-Rovinari coal field, build-up areas, GIS, Romania.

Introduction The rapid and forced economic development which had affected the Central and South-East European countries over the last century encouraged the rapid expansion of urban centres accompanied by a nucleated urban growth associated with industrialization (Douglas et al., 2002). All together, the transformation process from totalitarian to democratic political system and from centrally planned to market economy had resulted in a wide range of global phenomena (e.g. deindustrialisation, changes of location criteria, decentralization etc.) (Suchacek, 2005). In Romania, the 20th century had urged the need to enhance economic progress, often related to the development of the big industry (Bălteanu et al., 2006). Moreover, the second th half of the 20 century brought about radical changes due to country’s economic and social development and the associated policies and measures (Ianoş, 1987). Under the given circumstances, the socio-economic transformations distinguished two major transition periods which marked the passage from the capitalist economy to the highly centralised plan-based socialist system (1950–1960/1962) and from the socialist economy to the market system (the post-1990 period) (Ianoş, 1987; Dumitrescu, 2008). During the first interval, which marked the socialist period, the industry became the leading branch in Romania’s economy setting off the processes of urbanization and industrialization (Bălteanu et al., 2006), the industrial town becoming the representative urban settlement type with an upsurging evolution (Dumitrescu, 2008; Dumitraşcu and Dumitrescu, 2010). The second period marked out the fall of the communist regime which resulted in significant transformations in terms of industrial restructuring and the related socio-economic consequences. Both periods had brought about complex socio-economic upshots, thus considerably affecting settlements development in terms of intense urbanization and industrialization processes triggering land-use dynamics (changes, conversion, displacements

163 The Annals of Valahia University of Târgovişte, Geographical Series, Tome 11 / 2011 ______etc.). In time, industrial activities have generated regional disparities related to unemployment, population growth, urban sprawl, immigration, social imbalances which, ultimately, had triggered a wide range of socio-economic or aesthetic gaps (poverty, crime, social segregation, environmental quality degradation, shrink of the vegetation-covered areas etc.) (Gavrilidis et al., 2011). Additionally, when taking into consideration the coal exploitation process (from the geologic prospections to the exploitation itself and, further on, environment rehabilitation) substantial changes related to the entire local geomorphologic system occurred (Anghel, Balaszi, 2006). Within Motru-Rovinari Coal Basin, the development of the mining industry proved to be the main economic and social stimulant. Among the numerous transformations, a major impact had the number of inhabitants, the great social mobility, as well as the spatial, social and professional mutations experienced by various social groups. Social mobility entailed the incoming of population from neighbouring or remoter regions attracted by the expansion of the industrial-urban space (Dumitrescu, 2008).

METHODS AND DATA The current research is aiming to identify and analyse the specific trends in land-use changes in the Motru-Rovinari Coal Field with a special focus on the built-up areas in relation to the opening, development and collapse of the mining activity. In order to assess the dynamics of the built-up area over the analysed interval (1940- 2008), the authors have taken into consideration several relevant topographical maps corresponding to the years which have framed both the mining activity and restructuring of the Motru-Rovinari Coal Field: 1940, 1970, 1990, and 2008. The analysed cartographic documents were chosen based on different critical drivers of historical, social, political, economic nature: the agrarian reforms, the first studies undertaken in order to discover geological deposits, the opening of the first coal mines, the new economic programs etc.

Table 1. The main cartographical resources used for the Motru-Rovinari Coal Field Year Analysed time-frames Data sources - topographic maps

1940 Scale 1:100000; edition 1939-1940 (DTM, fist edition) T1 – T2 (1940-1970) 1970 Soviet map; Scale 1:100000; edition 1971 T2- T3 (1970- 1990) 1990 Scale 1:100000; edition 1990 (DTM, forth edition) T3- T4 (1990- 2008) 2008 Scale 1:100000; edition 2008; Serbian Map

The study was completed by the statistical figures supplied by the National Institute of Statistics through: Romanian Statistics Yearbooks (1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2008), Population and Households Censuses (1930, 1956, 1992, 2002) and TEMPO-online (www.insse.ro). Additionally, by using GIS-based methods and tools, the authors were able to process and compute the acquired digital data (spatial and statistical) in order to obtain a complex diachronic analysis of the build-up areas dynamics and change in the Motru- Rovinari Coal Field.

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The study-area The Motru-Rovinari Coal Field is located in the south-western part of Romania, overlapping the southern part of the Getic Subcarpathians and the northern part of the Getic Piedmont, covering 522.54 sq.km.

Figure 1. Motru-Rovinari Coal Field

In the Motru-Rovinari area, the lignite exploitation has stared in 1955 at Balta Unchiaşului open pit, firstly as experimental excavations, later expanding to a greater number of coal fields: Cicani, Peşteana Nord, Beterega, , Roşia, Rovinari Est and Beterega Sud etc. (Braghină, 2000; Braghină et al., 2008). Further geological prospections (mainly undertaken between 1956 and 1965) had pointed to significant lignite deposits, thus encouraging large exploitations and other related investments in the study-area. Under the given circumstances, the mining activity extended to Motru and Jilţ basins. Therefore, the mining activity has been developed in three main coal coalfields: Motru, Rovinari and Jilţ covering a wide strip of over 10-12 km, area which stands for the so-called the Mining Region of (fig.1; tab. 2 and 3). The study-area holds the largest share of lignite reserves in the country. The exploitation activity is made by the National Lignite Company Oltenia (Compania Naţională a Lignitului Oltenia - CNLO) organised into six ground and underground production units: EMC Roşia-Rovinari, EMC Motru, EMS Motru, EMC Berbeşti, Quarry, EM Mehedinţi) and two divisions for technical supply, transportation and services (BATS Rovinari, BATS Motru). Additionally, there are other related industrial products such as the electrical energy produced by SC SA Energy Complex and SC Rovinari Energy Complex SA power plants (Cândea et al., 1993; Dumitrescu, 2008; Dumitraşcu and Dumitrescu, 2008).

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Table 2. Mining exploitations in the Motru Coal Field Motru Basin Opening year Motru Basin Opening year Lupoaia open-pit 1972 Miculeşti II micro open-pit 1969 Roşiuţa open-pit 1984 Ploştina Nord micro open-pit 1972 Bujorăscu Mic tailing 1992 Plostina Sud micro open-pit 1973 Lupoiţa tailing 1987 Porcasa micro open-pit 1973 Ştiucani tailing 1988 Ştiucani micro open-pit 1977 Valea Cerveni tailing 1975 Roşiuta micro open-pit 1974 Valea Mănăstirii tailing 1969 Valea Racilor micro open-pit 1979 Valea Porcasa tailing 1973 Meriş II micro open-pit 1988 Valea Rogoazelor tailing 1985 Boca quarry 1995 Lupoaia tailing 1986 Horăşti quarry 1962 Lupoaia micro open-pit 1978-1980 Leurda quarry 1963 Lupoaia Vest micro open-pit 1978-1981 Lupoaia quarry 1968 Lupoiţa micro open-pit 1985 Ploştina quarry 1963 Lupoiţa II micro open-pit 1987 Rapa quarry 1977 Miculesti I micro open-pit 1967 Roşiuţa quarry 1969 Motru Vest quarry 1977 Zegujani quarry 1977

Source: processed after www.cerovinari.ro; Huidu, 2000; National Lignite Company, Oltenia – EMC Motru. Table 3. Mining exploitations in the Rovinari and Jilţ Coal Fields Rovinari Basin Opening year Rovinari Basin Opening year Gârla open-pit 1970 Roşia Jiu tailing 1973-1974 Balta Unchiaşului open-pit 1955-1956 Tismana tailing 1976 Cicani open-pit 1966 Peşteana Nord tailing 1983 Beterega open-pit 1970 Valea tailing - Peşteana Nord open-pit 1959 Farcăşesti quarry - Peşteana Sud open-pit 2003 Rogojel quarry - Pinoasa open-pit 1986 Rovinari quarry 1950 Roşia Jiu open-pit 1973 Timişeni quarry -

East Rovinari open-pit 1976 quarry -

Tismana I open-pit 1970 East Rovinari I open-pit 1957 Tismana II open-pit 1981 Gârla II quarry 1958 Urdari open-pit 1985 Schela quarry 1956

Jilţ Basin Opening year Jilţ Nord tailing 1984 Jilţ Sud tailing 1976 Bohorelu tailing 1976 Cerchez micro open-pit - Dealul Jgheabului micro open-pit - Runcurel micro open-pit - Drăgotesti quarry 1974 Tehomir quarry 1978 Matăsări quarry 1974 Cojmănesti quarry 1978 Negomir quarry 1977 Timişeni quarry 1979

Source: processed after www.cerovinari.ro; Huidu, 2000; National Lignite Company, Oltenia – EMC Roşia-Rovinari.

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The economic development of this mining area set off the urbanisation process, mainly related to the coal extraction industry, thus leading to the construction of two one- industry towns Motru and Rovinari.

Results and discussions The study area displays a strong correlation between the patterns of build-up areas dynamics and the main socio-economic and political drivers of change. In order to contain the explosive growth of Romania’s large cities (beginning with the 1960s) administrative-judicial restrictions were imposed on the settlement of newcomers in regional cities, county-seats, and especially in Bucharest the country’s capital. On the other hand, a balanced urbanisation process in the territory was going on, some rural localities being granted town status, new towns being established, or some villages located in the proximity of towns being assimilated into the respective urban area (Iacob and Ianoş, 1980; Ianoş, 1987). This is the case of Motru and Rovinari declared towns in 1966 and 1981, respectively. The evolution of the built-in area was seriously influenced by the number of inhabitants. An analysis of this situation, based on the population growth rate indicator at representative time-intervals, has revealed that some settlements had a demographic growth record, others had registered a decline. The period 1930-1970 is characterized by significant increases in the number of inhabitants (54.3%), the highest being recorded in communes of Drăgoteşti, Fărcăşeşti, Bâlteni (over 120%) (fig. 2). The first significant increase occurred after the Second World War, when industrialization was based on the Soviet model (Săgeată, 2006). The regime established after Second World War, adopted as policy of national economy recovery, encouraged the development of the industry, especially the heavy one.

Figure 2. Population dynamics, 1930-1970 Figure 3. Population dynamics, 1970-1990

In predominantly agrarian economy conditions, the industry was concentrated in a few localities, while large regions had not industrial units. In the planned economy it was promoted a recovery policy of the disadvantaged areas, through the differentiated distribution of investments in the territory. This process was to achieve a comprehensive program of

167 The Annals of Valahia University of Târgovişte, Geographical Series, Tome 11 / 2011 ______material resources and workforce capitalizes in each county and locality, implantation of a large number of new production and socio-cultural units. In areas that formerly had no industry, it has built large industrial complex, hydro and thermal power plants, chemical, wood processing, food and textile industry units. The investments were not evenly distributed by economy branches as the distribution had in view the county’ structure and possibilities (Groza, 2000; Dumitrescu, 2008). Under the given socio-economic circumstances, the topographic map issued in 1940 revealed a landscape largely dominated by agricultural and compact forest areas in the Motru- Rovinari Coal Field with quite compact build-up areas located along the main roads (fig. 4).

Figure 4. Landscape in the Motru-Rovinari Coal Field (Topographic Map, 1940)

Oltenia region was one of the economically backward regions in capitalist period. Some natural resources were not exploited and others were partially exploited. Since 1948 through the geological exploration it was identified significant ore fields, appearing new industrial branches. The highest population growth rate in the Motru-Rovinari coal basin was registered in 1956-1970 interval (78.9% on average), an indication of the pro-natality policy imposed by the then political system (fig. 3). A rate of more than 100% had the communes of Bâlteni (575.3%), Băleşti (214.7%), Floreşti (113.6%) and Negomir (104.9%). This spectacular numerical increase was due to the mining industry of Rovinari where quarry exploitation of a lignite deposit was used for the first time in Romania (1955 at Balta Unchiaşului). The mining activity got momentum in the years 1955-1956, when a profile enterprise was founded at Motru and Rovinari, thus the exploitation of lignite developing progressively. In 1961, with the opening of mines at Horăşti, Leurda, Ploştina and subsequently being at Lupoaia and Roşiuţa, a numerical upsurge of population was recorded (Huidu, 2000). Therefore, the year 1970 brought about the new political pattern of the new communist regime in power and its attempts to demonstrate that the exploitation of natural resources is a key element for the economic development. The map points to a major expansion of degraded areas, fragmentation of forest land which ultimately led to an increased population growth urging the need of housing development, therefore to an expanded urban sprawl (fig. 5).

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In the 1970-1990 period, the population growth rate slowed down, averaging 32.5% throughout the Motru-Rovinari coal basin. The highest growth record had the town of Motru (131.4%), while the population of Câlnic, Ciuperceni, Teleşti, Fărcăşeşti, Bâlteni, Samarineşti, Floreşti and Glogova communes registered a decrease.

Figure 5. Landscape in the Motru-Rovinari Coal Field (Soviet Map, 1970)

While in the 1960s the basin’s workforce had originated from traditionally mining regions, in the 1980s it came from poorly developed regions, mostly from Moldavia where job-seekers out-numbered available work-places (Groza, 2003). The outburst of mining exploitations, reached in 1985, determined radical land use changes, the extension of degraded areas (quarries, mine, mine holes, tailings etc.) and settlements’ displacements. As from 1990, the decline of the mining activity has brought about significant social and economic imbalances turning this region into disadvantaged one (Bălteanu et al., 2006) triggering an uncontrolled dynamics of the build-up areas (fig. 6). The period of transition from communism to democracy experienced numerous demographic changes. Migration abroad and a change of direction (from town to country-side) at home was caused by political and economic factors. In the 1990-2000 decade, the numerical evolution of the coal basin’s population had a positive trend (6.7% overall average), unlike the all-country value. This growth was due to the support granted by the Government to the extractive and energy-producing industries rather than the processing one. The volume of investments was reduced, so that new sites were no longer opened, instead efforts were made to maintain existing mines and the large workforce in this sector operational. The positive trend was the outcome of population increase in the town of Rovinari (46.8%) and the communes of Mătăsari, Floreşti, Bâlteni, Drăgoteşti (over 10%) (fig. 7).

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Figure 6. Landscape in the Motru-Rovinari Coal Field (Topographic Map, 1990)

After the fall of the communist regime the restructuring of the industry had led to long-term social and economical transformations, as the year 1990 marked a major break in the evolution of Romanian industry (Popescu et al., 2003). Therefore, the preoccupations of developing this region had constantly decreased, thus being mirrored in land use dynamics, particularly in terms of surface and typology. After 1990 the quarries have faced a restructuring process triggering several social consequences. Concurrently, government support has focused exclusively in mining and energy braches and less on the processing, thus leading to a different evolution trend of these three branches (Dumitrescu, 2008). After 2000, the rate of population growth turned negative (-4.6%), decreasing by over 10% at Mătăsari, Fărcăşeşti, Motru and Floreşti, the only viable alternative after 1997 was to close down miners, or restrict their activity (fig. 8).

Figure 7. Population dynamics, 1990-2000 Figure 8. Population dynamics, 2000-2008

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The mining sector registered huge losses, but benefited from important state subventions. Restructurings brought about new problems, such as the economic slowdown of restructuring-affected mining regions, massive lay-offs that enhanced social and environmental issues, and greater poverty.

Figure 9. Landscape in the Motru-Rovinari Coal Field (Serbian Map, 2008)

The last year taken into consideration (2008) in the current study does not reflect major changes as compared to the year 1990. Its main evolution trend is related to a continuous decrease of the coal resources, a massive restructuring of the employees of the mining companies etc., thus causing significant changes to all landscape elements, including build-up areas (fig. 9).

Conclusions

Over the past almost seventy years Motru-Rovinari Coal Field had experienced significant and sometimes irreversible transformations due to Romania’s socio-political context. Therefore, after the Second World War and especially after 1955, the beginning of the mining exploitations, the study-area faced critical land cover/land use changes which, together with the expansion of the coal fields and the adjacent developments (quarries, mine holes, tailings, etc.) have led to the expansion of degraded lands against other land use categories (arable, grasslands, forest and even build-up in the case of settlements’ displacements). The population growth went hand in hand with the increased development of the mining sector bringing about new housing-related needs and an extended urban sprawl. Land cover/land use dynamics in the Motru-Rovinari Coal Field reveals a connection between the dynamics of the mineral sites and of the build-up areas, especially after 1970-1980, the peak of the mining activity (fig. 10 and 11). The build-up areas have expanded mainly in the detriment of the arable land (which shrank with over 155,000 sq.km between 1940 and 2008). On the other hand, statistics revealed an overall decrease of the build-up areas which can be explained by the frequent settlement displacements generated by the expansion of mining activity.

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water-covered areas grasslands 2008 forest mineral sites arable land build-up areas 1990 water bodies

1970

1940

sq.km 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350

Figure 10. Land cover/land use dynamics in the Motru-Rovinari Coal Field (1940-2008)

The analysis of the build-areas dynamics between 1940 and 2008 (in terms of changed and unchanged areas) revealed that over 90% of the settlements from the Motru- Rovinari Coal Field changed their location at least one time, thus pointing to an increased change index, mainly due to replacement phenomenon (fig. 12).

Figure 11. Built-up areas dynamics Figure 12. Changed and unchanged build-up areas (1940-2008) (1940-2008)

After 1990, the process of industrial restructuring, the so-called deindustrialization determined important socio-economic transformations in the Motru-Rovinari Coal Field and the urban sprawl process has experienced a slight decrease immediately after. Soon after, even if by 1997, the extractive industry had a quite stable evolution based on the subventions from the state budget, the continuing restructuring process has brought about huge collective redundancies and attractive financial compensation for those made unemployed (Bălteanu et al., 2006). Subsequently, the increased unemployment and the new disturbed social conditions, had led to converting the area into a disadvantaged zone in 1998, thus benefiting from several economical and financial advantages, thus leading to a new enhancement of the build-up areas. The complex analysis of the build-up areas dynamics over the 1940-2008 time span had pointed to a strong connection between the urban sprawl and the political and socio- economical transformations experienced by this one-industry area (Motru-Rovinari Coal Field). Under the given circumstances, the future development of this area must take into

172 The Annals of Valahia University of Târgovişte, Geographical Series, Tome 11 / 2011 ______account both national and regional strategies and programmes in order to support a balanced spatial and socio-economic development focusing on environmental protection, attracting new investments and projects, personnel reforms etc.

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