Romanian President Nicușor Dan went to Praid on Saturday „because it is a serious situation that could have been prevented.” For this reason, the president will ask interim Prime Minister Cătălin Predoiu to send the Control Body to establish „who is to blame.” Because the problems have been known since 2007 and nothing has been done.
Later, Nicușor Dan announced several short, medium, and long-term measures in front of hundreds of people gathered after the president's arrival in front of the Praid salt mine.
President Dan will also visit today the village of Băcel in Covasna County, affected by devastating floods.
Short-term measures for Praid
Firstly, "the Salrom company has committed to a three-week deadline to build a pipeline to divert the water flow."
Then, with high-power pumps, water can be discharged, "with some limitations," into the river and from there further.
In the medium term, "a study will determine whether the entire salt mine can be saved or only the upper part and the tourist area. The study is relatively complex and has a deadline of 3-4 months," explains Nicușor Dan.
What the affected people will receive
As for the locals, for those who worked in the mine, there will be some forms of compensation after studying the collective labor contract.
For those who lived off tourism in the Praid area, "the Government will consider some measures like those during the pandemic," adds Nicușor Dan.
In the long term, "it is necessary for the water flow not to interfere with the permeable soil." And here there are two options. Either a "collection lake" is built or work is done to divert the river's course. But even here, a study is needed.
As for those responsible, the president added that at this moment there is a discussion between Salrom and the Romanian Waters: "The message is that we will look at who is to blame and we will not leave them behind. (…) For now, we need to do what is necessary for it (the mine - editor's note) to re-enter the circuit. Freshwater must no longer enter the salt mine; some specialists in structural matters must speak. There are certain answers that are based on technique and cannot be given by politicians. The Prime Minister's Control Body needs to clarify."
The Disaster at Praid
President Nicușor Dan arrived in Praid (Harghita) on Saturday, where the salt mine was severely damaged by floods, affecting the entire community.
Nicușor Dan's visit is at the invitation of UDMR leader Kelemen Hunor.
Nicușor Dan is accompanied by Minister of Development Cseke Attila, Minister of Finance Tanczos Barna, and Minister of Economy Bogdan Ivan.
The Praid salt mine has been closed for several weeks since the first infiltrations were recorded, also after rains. However, in recent days, both the tourist gallery and the mining galleries have been flooded.
The floods that led to the closure of the Praid Salt Mine have affected the community, almost entirely dependent on salt mining, tourism, or commerce activities carried out near the mine, leaving thousands of people without their only source of income.