Flooding and climate change

Recent floods cause loss of human lives and material damage in Romania.

Corina Cristea, 25.06.2020, 14:00

The Romanian authorities say they are making efforts
in order for EU-funded projects for the prevention of climate change to be implemented
in Romania. Statements to this effect were made in the wake of devastating floods
in several areas around the country. Yellow and orange code alerts are in place
everywhere, with rivers in the northern part of Romania being under a red code
alert for flooding. Things don’t look good in the near future, either. Hydrologists
are expecting flash floods in the mountains and small rivers to burst their
banks and flood nearby areas. The most worrying situation is on the river Prut,
in the east.

What we see today is the consequence of growing
climate change and of ignoring these threats for years. Climate change brings
about an increasing number of extreme weather phenomena in this country, as
well, said president Klaus Iohannis in a statement. He recalled that this June
was the rainiest in the last sixty years, resulting in severe flooding and many
problems in a very short interval. A change of approach is imperative in order
to respond efficiently to situations of this magnitude, the president also
said. He warned that flooding with serious consequences has become a common occurrence
in Romania and said the authorities must be much better prepared to manage them.
President Klaus Iohannis:

We’ll have to do more than build a few dams and think
they’ll be enough to stop flooding. Dams are no longer efficient, the
conservation of forests and sustained forestation campaigns are convenient solutions,
not to mention that they have countless beneficial effects for the environment,
as well as in terms of protecting river banks and waterways and preventing
flooding. A significant amount of the European funds available to Romania under
the 2021 to 2027 budget will have to be channelled to projects to combat
climate change, the so-called Green Deal proposed by the European Commission.

For the time being, measures are being taken to
contain the effects of flooding. The local authorities have set up committees
to assess the damage caused by floods so as to be able to channel funds as soon
as possible to repair the damage and compensate the people whose property was affected.
Prime minister Ludovic Orban says the government may also resort to European
funds in such cases. (CM)