Protest march organized by AUR at Curtea de Arges, in context of drinking water crisis

The Alliance for the Unification of Romanians (AUR) organized a protest march on Saturday at Curtea de Arges, in the context of the drinking water crisis affecting the residents of the municipality and neighboring localities. The chairman of AUR, deputy George Simion, accused the local and central authorities of indifference for the situation created. "Here, as at the national level, there is a PSD government with USR, here, in Curtea de Arges. And they didn't think, when they heard that the Vidraru dam was being closed, that this would happen. It seems inconceivable to me (...). The people of Curtea de Arges are suffering, we are with them. I couldn't believe it, honestly, everyone was focused on the Prahova Valley, I didn't think that this is the situation after four months, still, for these people who are suffering," said Simion. He declared himself skeptical that the situation would be resolved after the involvement of Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, Agerpres informs. "We did our duty in Parliament, we filed a motion against Mrs. Buzoianu (Minister of Environment, Waters and Forests, editor's note), who guaranteed that there would be no problems. This motion passed and Mrs. Buzoianu is still the Minister of Environment," George Simion also said. In turn, the chairman of AUR Arges, deputy Bogdan Velcescu, demanded the resignation of the management of the Aquaterm company in Curtea de Arges, but also of the management of the local administration. The protest participants gathered in the area of the Royal Church in Curtea de Arges, near the Aquaterm headquarters, from where they started their march on the central boulevard. According to representatives of the Arges County Gendarmerie Inspectorate, the protest was authorized between 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM, on the route between the Royal Church and Manole's Fountain. MP Alina Gorghiu, president of the Arges PNL, declared on Friday, regarding the drinking water crisis in Curtea de Arges, that the situation is being monitored at the governmental level, and Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan asked the institutions involved to remedy the problem by next week. She mentioned that she expects immediate solutions from the Ministry of Environment and the administrations in Arges. The Curtea de Arges City Hall also announced on Friday that the presence of a bacterium, Clostridium perfingens, was detected in the raw water, but it did not reach the distribution network. "The water supplied to the city remains unsafe due to the increase in raw water turbidity, generated by controlled discharges from Vidraru Lake. Analyses showed the presence of the bacterium Clostridium perfringens in raw water samples, but the bacterium was not detected in the distribution network, due to the treatments applied," a statement from the local administration states. According to the same source, the local operator, the Aquaterm company, applies intensive treatments with aluminum sulfate and lime and disinfection with a higher dose of chlorine, to reduce impurities and control bacteria. "In parallel, drinking water basins were made available in several points in the city, and the water tariff was reduced until the parameters of drinking water were restored. Monitoring and treatments continue to ensure safe water for consumption as soon as possible," the information also mentioned. The Aquaterm company had previously announced that the presence of a bacteria had been confirmed in the water supplied to the municipality of Curtea de Arges, which remains unsafe. As a result of the increase in turbidity, in the context of controlled discharges from the Vidraru reservoir, the water supplied through the distribution network serving the municipality of Curtea de Arges and the communes of Valea Danului, Valea Iasului and Baiculesti, with a total population of approximately 40,000 inhabitants, is no longer drinkable since the beginning of November 2025. The Aquaterm company informed, as early as November 10, that the turbidity of the raw water in the Oesti canal, where the water intakes are located, was much higher than the filtration capacity of the Cerbureni Treatment Plant. In recent months, Hidroelectrica has carried out a series of controlled discharges from the Vidraru reservoir on the Arges River, necessary to ensure the technical conditions for carrying out the renovation works of the hydropower facility.

Protest march organized by AUR at Curtea de Arges, in context of drinking water crisis

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