Romania’s Minister of Environment, Waters and Forestry, Barna Tánczos, declared on Wednesday that some local administrations will have to impose restrictions on using drinking water, considering it a waste for citizens to water their gardens with drinking water, „even if we are sorry for the tomatoes”.
“The warnings and appeals will keep coming, because there will be local administrations that need to take measures in order to ensure drinking water for all citizens and to ensure drinking water, in the medium- and long-term. The restrictions decided locally come in support of restoring night-time reserves or restoring reserves, during those periods in which the restrictions are applied. There are many localities that have drinking water systems built for a normal consumption, without using drinking water for other purposes: irrigation, industrial, swimming pools, watering gardens or lawns, especially in this period when we need to be responsible and to take care of this resource”, said Barna Tánczos at the end of Wednesday’s Government sitting.
He specified that the Government crisis unit will handle monitoring areas affected by drought and taking measures in localities where drinking water deficiency is being registered.
„In areas where there are no pools or clubs, where water is most likely being used for irrigation in gardens. There is just as much waste there as well. Even if we are sorry for the tomatoes we planted, water for drinking and for household needs is expensive water, treated water, which goes through many treatment processes and filtering, which is why we must use it for what it should be”, the Minister highlighted.
During the sitting, Barna Tanczos signalled the problem of dry vegetation fires and made an appeal to farmers to stop burning agricultural fields, because the danger of starting fires is high.
„Farmers should not use fire instead of harvesting, mowing, instead of other agricultural procedures, because the fire will extend over the dry vegetation and will start a blaze. We should not use fire on agricultural surfaces, in the forests, during this period”, the Environment Minister stated.
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