The extent of damage caused by floods in Romania

In June and July the floods caused damage estimated at 867 million euros, the Romanian government announced on Wednesday.

The government drafted a damage evaluation report that has to be forwarded to the European Commission by September 1st for Romania to be able to access the EU solidarity fund.

The Romanian Minister of the Interior, Vasile Blaga, pointed out that Bucharest would receive from Brussels only a small part of the money it needs, that is almost 24.5 million euros, given that there are other European states that have been equally affected by floods and are entitled to European funds.

In other words, the Romanian government is bound to look for funds to rebuild the infrastructure and the destroyed houses.

But given that over the past years, the flood nightmare has repeated itself, the government drafted a medium and long-term strategy for fighting floods.

The strategy provides for the substantial reduction of flood prone areas. Here is the Environment Minister, Lazlo Borbely:

“If these provisions included in the Strategy materialize by 2035, some of the risks will be substantially reduced. First of all, the number of households vulnerable to flooding will be reduced by 62% as compared to 2006, the population will be protected against floods and social vulnerability of the communities exposed to flooding will be diminished by 50% in ten years’ time and by 75% in the long run.

"In two months’ time I will present the government with several proposals. We first have to make a technical decision and also a political one regarding the removal of the artificial dams built along the Danube in the 1970s and re-flood the river’s former flood areas.”

To reach these objectives, the government will invest, over a period of 25 years, 17 billion euros in land rehabilitation works.

The money will be allotted from the state budget and from foreign loans as well as from the national fund for the environment.

(Radio România Internaţional, Serviciul în limba engleză).