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The Danube decreases, flows of the rivers are growing
The most affected County is Dolj, where thousands of people from Bistret, Plosca, Sapata and Macesu de Jos were evacuated because of the rise of the level of the water which poured through Bistret dam
Published on 2006-04-21
Even if at the entry into the country the flow of the Danube is decreasing, the Counties on the bank of the river continue to be on alert because of the possible overflowing of the water. In the last 24 hours, the authorities continued to fight the floods in the Counties along the Danube, and to evacuate the population and their belongings. A last centralised report shows that the growth of the flow of the Danube has affected 12 Counties, 137 localities, 5,750 persons being evacuated, 693 houses submerged, 198 destroyed, 3,363 households and annexes deluged. The meteorologists announced rains and electric discharges in the coming period of time, especially in Banat, Muntenia and Dobrogea, and in South Moldavia and Transylvania. Premier Calin Popescu Tariceanu convened yesterday a meeting at Victoria Palace, with the responsible Ministers, for an analysis of the risk of inundation and the situation on the Danube. Participants were the Environment Minister Sulfina Barbu, the Minister of Agriculture Gheorghe Flutur, the Minister of Home Affairs Vasile Blaga, and the Secretary of State Victor Paul Dobre.
Blaga launches a new appeal
The Minister of Administration and Home Affairs Vasile Blaga resumed yesterday the appeal made one day before and asked the evacuated persons to refrain for the moment from returning to their houses. According to the same, some of the inhabitants returned to the places of origin, which explains the fall of the number of evacuated persons to 5,750. "If Bistret dam breaks, the higher areas from this locality, even if they are not flooded, will be isolated, which will render more difficult the efforts of the authorities to help the population", stressed Vasile Blaga, at a conference organised at the Ministry of Administration and Home Affairs (MAI).
Blaga added that the aid for the evacuated population - food and mineral water - comes from the state reserve through Dolj Prefecture. Also, during the session of MAI College, it was established that all the evacuated families from Rast and Negoi would receive, from the contribution of MAI staff, packages with traditional Easter food. The MAI taskforce in the inundated areas consists of 1,575 employees of the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, Gendarmerie and Border Police. It also includes 611 staff from the Ministry of National Defence (MapN) and 1,707 employees from other state institutions.
Bistret and Bechet residents evacuated
The dike near Bechet is on the point of collapsing, and some hundreds of people have already been evacuated at Bistret.
Bechet authorities are on red alert after the Danube poured out of one of the protection dikes. The gusty wind and heavy rain damaged the dike in several places across a total surface area of 3 square kilometres, with the lower areas in danger of being submerged. Residents of the district Bechetul de Jos had been working throughout the night at salvaging their belongings and animals from the water fury. Authorities had evacuated over 600 people late Wednesday night into the early hours of Thursday. Most of them took shelter at their relatives in the district of Bechetul de Sus.
While in the Dolj commune of Bistret, Premier Calin Poescu Tariceanu called for the forced evacuation of the locals. The head of the Executive, who was in Bistret on Wednesday, along with the Interior minister, Vasile Blaga, said that the dike was jeopardising the peoples' lives. "The dike remains a danger. We cannot assure the citizens that they are trouble-free. The proposal by the ISU head is to evacuate the population. We've agreed with this measure. Forced evacuation shall come to effect," Tariceanu said. Bistret residents reproached the premier that nobody had earlier thought of deliberate flooding, which would have allowed them to escape the flooding.
Broken dam
Three infiltrations of clear water, caused by the increased level of the Danube and by the water's pressure have been signalled onto Noianu-Chiscani dam, which protects the localities Varsatura and Chiscani, according to the Ministry of Environment and Water Management. Environment Minister Sulfina Barbu was yesterday in Braila and said that, in order to prevent a possible overflow, as result of the dam's damage, a second defence line must be built.
100 families from Constanta localities, evacuated
100 families from Constanta commune of Ostrov had to leave their homes, as six of the houses have already collapsed and many others are seriously affected by the flooding, and face the danger of collapsing. Over 30 families from Aliman and Vlahi communes were also evacuated. Those who remained in Vlahi are facing the danger of remaining isolated, as the county access road to the locality was covered by water. The local authorities in Cernavoda also had to evacuate several families, as the water of the Danube reached the centre of the town, where 16 buildings have already been flooded.
by Simona Popescu
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