Authorities in Praid, Romania, have extended the local state of emergency for another 30 days, keeping special measures in place until September 9 as efforts continue to protect the flood-damaged salt mine and surrounding area. The prefect’s office of Harghita county in Szeklerland, Transylvania, reported that during this period, work will continue on the temporary diversion of the Corund stream and on building the temporary dam designed to channel the stream into the dedicated pipe system.
Officials said work will be completed within a week. Crews are raising the temporary dam, strengthening the embankment, and stabilizing the stone bed and steel structure beneath the pipes. The pipe system is currently able to handle the full stream flow.
A week ago, just two days after the project was completed, the pipes designed to carry the stream could not handle the increased water flow, and part of the water spilled alongside the pipes, damaging the freshly restored terrain. Repairs are now underway.
Authorities stress the failure was due to the dam’s inability to contain the surge, not a fault in the pipes themselves.
Authorities first declared the state of emergency in Praid, Harghita county, on May 8, when torrential rains caused the Corund stream to swell and break into the mine. Since then, the state of emergency has been extended month by month. The large volume of water that poured into the state-run Praid salt mine completely flooded all sections within just a few days.
The salt mine is one of Szeklerland’s most visited tourist attractions, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. The livelihoods of not only the miners, but also the operators and employees of the hundreds of guesthouses and hospitality businesses in the town and surrounding area, depend on it.
