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| A NEW HEAT WAVE SWEEPS ROMANIA (20.07.2007) |
| (2007-07-20) |
| Last updated: 2007-07-23 14:26 EET |
A new heat wave, after the one which killed 30 in June has been affecting Romania for several days. In an attempt to stave off the effects of extreme weather conditions, Romanian authorities have declared the orange code in 32 counties out of the country’s 41 and have established more than 1000 first aid centers and hundreds of drinking water distribution points. In the past days, emergency services have been flooded with thousands of calls from people suffering from the high temperatures, exceeding 40 degrees in some regions, where extreme weather has already caused three victims.
The sanitary authorities have cautioned the population to comply with hygiene norms and avoid bathing in unauthorized pools, after a rise in contamination with meningitis has been reported; meningitis is a disease favored by high temperatures. The scorcher has also wreaked havoc on Romania’s various crops; the ministry of agriculture estimates that lack of rainfalls will cut this year’s wheat production to half as compared to last year, that is to only 2.6 million tons, triggering considerable price hikes in food products. Attending the Higher Defence Council session on Thursday, Romanian president Traian Basescu cautioned the government on the drought effects, calling on the authorities that in addition to the measures meant to contain the drought effects in agriculture, they ensure the necessary water supplies to schools in the run up to the start of a new school year.
Another measure taken by the authorities is to ban traffic on all Romanian roads, between 11 and 20 hours, of all vehicles weighing over 7.5 tons both inside and outside the cities. At the same time the Prefect’s Office in Bucharest has issued an order under which institutions and public services in the Romanian capital are to reduce office hours between 11 and 17 p.m. during this period.
The heat wave hasn’t spared other countries in Eastern Europe and the Balkans either. In six Bulgarian cities in the Danube plain, temperatures have reached the highest level in the past 100 years. The state of emergency has been instated in Montenegro, while Serbia has prepared special measures to fight the extreme weather. Southern Greece has been ravaged by fires, and a person has been killed by the hot weather in Slovakia.
Further weather reports for this period aren’t very optimistic either. Meteorologists believe the extremely high temperatures will last for another week and are due to reach a maximum this weekend, expected to be another major challenge for the population and authorities alike. The coverage recently given by the Romanian media to this phenomenon has unveiled the limited financial resources available to those expected to intervene in extreme situations, as well as the attempt of some to needlessly politicize a climate phenomenon.
(Valentin Tigau)
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2025-04-03
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