Thousands of households in Bucharest left without hot water due to network failures

Part of the residents in Romania’s capital city Bucharest have not received hot water for several days due to broken pipes that the public heating distribution company Radet has been struggling to fix.

Tens of thousands of residents in the relatively central neighborhoods Lacul Tei, Calea Moșilor, Colentina, Parcul Circului, Dristor, and Titan have experienced such problems in the past week, Hotnews.ro reported. Moreover, the residents of more exquisite district Aviatiei, close to Bucharest’s biggest office hub, have not received hot water constantly for over two months. People say that this reminds them of the old communist regime, and ask the authorities to solve the problem.

Meanwhile, Radet has accumulated debts of RON 1 billion (EUR 210 mln) and prime minister Ludovic Orban said on Thursday that the company’s bankruptcy is imminent, G4media.ro informed. A judge will rule on Monday on the company’s bankruptcy. If Radet goes bankrupt, another company must take over the heating and hot water supply service to household consumers in Bucharest.

The capital’s heating problems come from the fact that the price of heating has been subsidised for many years by the City Hall and the heating network is old and damaged, which leads to very high losses. Moreover, the company that produces the heat, Elcen, is controlled directly by the Government while Radet is controlled by the Bucharest City Hall, which has led to many blockages in the past.

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