Works to fully divert the Corund stream through a corrugated pipe system installed in the Praid area - Harghita County were completed on Monday in a one-off project designed for handling the emergency situation generated by the flooding of the local salt mine.

Investment director of the National Salt Company, Nicolae Sebastian Soltuz, declared that the water was redirected through the corrugated pipes on Monday morning, earlier than planned, due to the increased flow of the stream as a result of rainfall in the area, which the pumps could no longer handle.

The builders will next complete the concreting works at the intake and the anchoring works on the slope.

The diversion of the stream across the affected area in order to prevent freshwater from coming in contact with the salt was a very difficult and challenging task, with no precedent in Romania, executive director of the construction company Paul Bejan explained to the press. He said that it was a very challenging, interesting and, at the same time, very difficult job, fraught with surprises, because given the age of the mine, the site was not properly documented. The risk of collapse and washout-caused caving was looming every moment. Bejan specified that the novelty of the work is that 'it completely isolates the streaming water, which transits the perimeter without posing any risk'.

Paul Bejan added that a 'buffer' zone for flood control is also needed, to prevent situations in which the pipes cannot manage the high water flow.

He also reported having seen fish in the Corund stream, as well as a colony of ducks, a sign that 'life continues its course.' However, tourist routes in the area will not open any soon because of the high residual risk. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Gina Stefan; EN - writing by: Simona Klodnischi)