The delivery of drinking water to the localities in Prahova and Dambovita counties will resume on Monday, 8 December and the responsibility for the current situation lies with both the Buzau-Ialomita Basin Administration and the local water operator, Minister of Environment, Waters and Forests Diana Buzoianu announced on Wednesday.

'We are halfway through the first stage of water treatment by the ESZ operator. We are on the schedule which was outlined last night. Additional water resources have again been allocated through the National Committee for Emergency Situations and we are also in contact with Transelectrica, which has mobilised excellently and managed to keep the situation in the National Energy System stable. The estimated timeline agreed by all authorities in all technical committees held so far indicates that as of Monday [8 December 2025] we will resume delivery. At this point, we have already passed more than half of the first water treatment stage. Physical and chemical processes need to take place. I cannot provide technical explanations. Moreover, it is also the operator's responsibility. Some of the problems we identified have already been publicly mentioned. Day by day, these experts have provided updated figures regarding the necessary treatment times. We hope that absolutely everyone - Hidro Prahova ESZ has taken all necessary measures so that these stages are completed as quickly as possible and that we meet the latest schedule they provided. I repeat, initially, they stated 72 hours, and for the past three days they have been saying the same thing, namely that they will meet the six-day timeframe,' Buzoianu said in an interview with Digi 24 private television station.

She added that the ESZ Prahova operator was aware of the risk of increased water turbidity, but did not speak at any of the locally organised meetings in October.

She underscored that these documents were forwarded to the local authorities with very clear conditions to be met, including strict monitoring of hydrometeorological developments and consultations with experts at each stage.

According to the quoted source, the responsibility for the situation in Prahova and Dambovita counties lies with both the Buzau-Ialomita Basin Administration and the local water operator.

'In my view, both local authorities - the Buzau-Ialomita Basin Administration and the operator - are responsible for the entire situation, which is why I requested the resignation of both directors. It is true that they are under the Ministry of Environment, but I do not have the authority to dismiss directors of the local basin administrations or the economic operator, which is certainly a company fully owned by the Romanian Waters. I will tell you one thing: I would not have believed the concealment of information was so obvious if there had not been meetings every day over the past three days, during which both the local Basin Administration and the water operator hid the fact that there would no longer be sufficient industrial water for the energy operator,' the relevant minister said.

Asked to comment on the request of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) leader Sorin Grindeanu, who called for her resignation, the Minister of Environment underscored that the decisions made over the years 'were taken by political figures placed there precisely by them.'

Tens of thousands of people in 13 localities in Prahova and Dambovita counties have been left without drinking water since Friday, 28 November, following works at the Paltinu reservoir.

The residents of 12 localities in Prahova county and one locality in Dambovita county will receive drinking water from the State Reserves, following a decision of the National Committee for Emergency Situations (CNSU), which approved the provision of urgent humanitarian aid for the communities affected by the lack of drinking water.

'The decision was issued in the context of the situation caused by the falling water level in the Paltinu reservoir, resulting from scheduled hydrotechnical works at the dam, combined with increased turbidity and the volume of alluvium generated by hydrological phenomena associated with the Code Orange, elements which affected the quality of raw water and required the interruption of drinking water supply in 12 localities in Prahova county and one in Dambovita county, affecting the living conditions of the population,' the Press Office of the the Inspectorate General for Emergency Situations (IGSU) informed.

The transport of water will be carried out by the National Agency for State Reserves and Special Problems, with the support of the IGSU, while the distribution to the population will be handled by local public authorities, with the support of emergency structures in the two counties.

The measures aim to ensure continued support for the affected population and to manage the situation efficiently until the safe restoration of drinking water supply.

Amid problems with water flow, OMV Petrom announced on Tuesday that it had shut down the Brazi power plant. AGERPRES(RO - writing by: Daniel Badea; EN - writing by: Rodica State)