The Foundation For The Defense Citizens Of Citizens Against State Abuses (FACIAS) has referred the matter to the criminal prosecution authorities in order to launch an investigation into the drinking water crisis in Prahova and Dâmbovița counties, which has left over 107,000 citizens without access to a vital resource for an indefinite period. FACIAS calls on the prosecutors to identify the persons responsible within the competent institutions for the acts that have created a direct and immediate danger to public health.
The seriousness of the current situation goes beyond a simple technical failure and falls under criminal liability. The water crisis has caused major damage to the population, the Câmpina Municipal Hospital and educational establishments. The Brazi refinery, which provides about 4% of Romania's energy production, has also been disrupted.
The effects of the water crisis are currently being strongly felt in Prahova county. Medical facilities, including Câmpina Municipal Hospital, are operating under restrictions, with many admissions suspended due to the inability to sterilize medical instruments. For emergency cases, the transfer of patients to health units in Bucharest is being considered.
At the same time, schools in the affected localities were forced to suspend their activities with physical presence, with classes being moved online, because the minimum hygiene conditions necessary for a safe educational process cannot be guaranteed.
The authorities did not inform the population about the risks and did not take the necessary measures to prevent further crises, although the potential dangers should have been evaluated as early as June 2025. At that time, the Buzău-Ialomița Water Basin Administration reported that the GF2 bottom drain of the Paltinu storage was not functioning properly and the situation was qualified as serious. As a consequence, the Commission for Monitoring the Behavior of Constructions (UCC) was convened in order to carry out a technical assessment and determine the necessary measures.
FACIAS has asked the prosecutors to clarify which of the institutions directly responsible for managing the hydro-technical infrastructure are responsible for the drinking water crisis in Prahova County. List of institutions concerned: National Administration of Romanian Waters (ANAR), the legal operator of the dams and manager of the hydrotechnical infrastructure, the Buzău-Ialomita Water Basin Administration, the territorial structure that directly manages the works and operations at Paltinu Dam, the Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests, the central authority that coordinates the policies in the field and ordered the referral of the Control Body, and Zonal System Exploitation Prahova (ESZ), the operator that treats the raw water received from the dam and the main producer of drinking water for the county.
At the same time, FACIAS has asked the Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests to submit the conclusions of the investigation carried out by the Control Body on the management of works and operations undertaken before the drinking water crisis in Prahova and Dâmbovița counties. Communication of these results is essential for clarifying institutional responsibilities and identifying any procedural or decision-making shortcomings that contributed to the current situation.
FACIAS requests that all persons who, through their actions or inactions, have contributed to the generation of this cause that has jeopardized public health and safety of the population in two counties of Romania.