Water crisis in Romania's Prahova, Dâmbovița counties impacts over 100,000 people
Over 107,000 people in Prahova and Dâmbovița counties, in southern Romania, have been without drinking water since Friday, November 28, due to problems at the Paltinu Dam. According to local authorities, the problems are set to persist until next week.
The dam registered a drop in water levels, leading to problems in the water distribution system.
To help those impacted, Prahova prefect Daniel Nicodim said he will ask the executive to ensure the necessary drinking water for people in the area. In turn, the president of the Prahova County Council, Virgiliu Nanu, said that efforts are being made so that the supply of water will be resumed. However, the treatment stations need to be primed, and installations need to be filled with water, hence the long waiting period.
The situation, Nanu said, could very well repeat in the future. “Let this be clear to everyone. If we do not also come up with an alternative solution, we will end up here again. Right now, we are just returning to the initial state, but the dam problem has still not been resolved,” he argued.
Meanwhile, firefighters have been mobilized to distribute domestic water and bottled drinking water to the population of Prahova and Dâmbovița counties. So far, Prahova ISU firefighters have done so in the localities of Breaza (at City Hall), Băicoi (at Patrick Hospital and in containers installed by authorities at various points in the city), and Câmpina (at the Down Syndrome Association, Municipal Hospital, Youth Center, Economic Directorate, and Electromechanical High School).
Additionally, firefighters from the Câmpina Detachment support the distribution of bottled drinking water to the population.
In Dâmbovița County, military firefighters have assisted local authorities in distributing bottled drinking water to the population of Moreni municipality.
Households are not the only ones impacted. On Tuesday, December 2, energy and gas giant OMV Petrom (BVB: SNP) announced that it has stopped two production units at the Brazi power plant due to the lack of water. Located near the city of Ploiesti, in Prahova County, the natgas plant stopped two units with a combined capacity of 569 MW. Another unit with 262.95 MW is scheduled to be stopped later, according to Profit.ro.
The plant provides about 10% of Romania’s national electricity production. Current data anticipates restarting all three units on December 4 at 1 AM.
Commenting on the situation, environment minister Diana Buzoianu argued that the situation at Paltinu Dam was already known, and that intervention works should have started in June. Buzoianu also stated that an analysis will look into whether the criteria for declaring a state of emergency are met.
“The blockages are exclusively due to the institutions managing the Paltinu Dam, representing the intake, and the Voila Treatment Plant. Recent rains have generated a high level of sediment, turbidity exceeded permitted limits, and the installations entered technical blockage. These conditions make it impossible to treat the water to the required parameters,” the minister said, cited by Digi24.
(Photo source: IGSU - Inspectoratul General pentru Situatii de Urgenta, Romania on Facebook)
