"Once in 40 years": Apa Nova director explains Bucharest's devastating flood
Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
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- Apa Nova's deputy general director explained that the recent heavy rainfall in Bucharest, which caused flooding, is a statistically rare event occurring approximately once every 40 years.
- He attributed the flooding to an exceptionally high volume of rain falling in a very short period, overwhelming the city's drainage system.
- Apa Nova is investing in targeted upgrades, including retention basins in flood-prone areas, to mitigate future risks, though a complete modernization would require substantial funding.
Bucharest experienced severe flooding after a torrential downpour, an event described by Apa Nova's deputy general director, Alexandru Moldovan, as a statistical anomaly occurring roughly once every 40 years. The intense rainfall, with 120.8 liters per square meter recorded in ศtirbei Vodฤ within just 15 minutes, overwhelmed the city's combined sewer system, which handles both wastewater and rainwater.
the rain on Tuesday night to Wednesday can be classified, according to current design criteria, in the category of events that occur statistically approximately once every 40 years.
Moldovan explained that while the city's extensive network of over 2,300 kilometers of sewage pipes and an 18-kilometer collector channel leading to the Glina treatment plant is designed to manage normal precipitation, it cannot cope with such extreme volumes in a compressed timeframe. This exceptional rainfall led to water accumulation in low-lying areas, such as the Tineretului-Vฤcฤreศti zone.
water accumulations - in such conditions - appear more frequently in the depressionary areas of the city, such as Tineretului โ Vฤcฤreศti, where a retention basin is needed, which we have already started.
To address these vulnerabilities, Apa Nova is implementing a โฌ230 million, 11-year investment program focused on specific problem areas. Construction has begun on a retention basin in the Tineretului area, with plans for similar projects in Vฤcฤreศti, Sector 3, and 1 Decembrie. Additional basins are being considered for Izvor and Operฤ-Eroilor.
After 2 years of documentation, we started working on a basin in the Tineretului area, a depressionary zone, for rainwater retention.
Regarding the flooding at the Poligrafiei underpass, where vehicles were submerged, Moldovan stated that a recently rehabilitated pumping station experienced a brief power fluctuation, causing the pumps to stop for several minutes. This interruption allowed water to flood the technical room and inundate the electrical panel, preventing the pumps from restarting immediately.
It shouldn't have any problem with it. Only that last night there was a voltage fluctuation. The pumps stopped for a few minutes.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by Chosun Ilbo in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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