The almost 200,000 inhabitants of Bacau, one of the biggest cities in Eastern Romania, have been without water since last Saturday after a large pipe burst. The 45-km pipe was changed seven years ago, with an investment of EUR 52 million, local Digi24 reported.

The incident also affected the local hospitals. For example, the Bacau County Hospital began to focus only on emergencies, as its water reserve was designed to provide water for four days, and the city has been without water for five days already.

Meanwhile, the authorities are working to fix the problem. The inhabitants of Bacau could have water again starting Friday. They’ve been queuing for days at the points set up by the local authorities to take bottles of water provided by the City Hall.

However, furious that the authorities failed to solve the problem for so many days, some of the city’s inhabitants organized street protests. For example, on Wednesday, dozens of people protested by crossing one of the city’s streets continuously for a few minutes, demanding the authorities to solve the problem faster.

Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com