By Nick Thorpe Tirgu Mures, Romania

Environmentalists from four Central European countries have called for governments in the region to co-operate more closely to clean up badly polluted rivers.

Meeting in the Romanian city of Tirgu Mures, delegates from Romania, Hungary, Ukraine and Slovakia urged regional leaders to seek help from the European Union to reverse the damage to rivers in the Carpathian basin.

A cyanide spill from a goldmine in northern Romania drew attention to the extent of the problems two years ago, but scientists say little has been done since to prevent serious accidents happening again.

Eastern Europe has some serious environmental problems

Problems discussed include the waste from abandoned and still functioning mines and the serious deforestation of river valleys in Romania and the Ukraine.

Everyday industrial practices also provoked criticism - such as the intensive extraction of gravel from several rivers.

Few towns and cities in the region have more than rudimentary sewage facilities, adding another burden to rivers with weakened natural cleaning mechanisms.

Working together

Scientists from the participating countries have been cooperating closely for the past decade, and the conference in Tirgu Mures was a chance to plan new projects.

But they are now calling for similar level of cooperation between the governments of the region to develop an integrated approach to a complex ecosystem.

They are also seeking help from the European Union and other international agencies to repair some of the damage.