More than 53% of the total number of fines issued in the first 11 months of this year by the inspectors of the National Administration of Romanian Waters (ANAR) were applied for violations in the operation of mineral aggregates.

Thus, out of the total amount of fines applied, namely 13,075,000 lei, almost 7 million lei (6,961,000 lei) related to the exploitation of mineral aggregates due to non-compliance with the legislation in the field of water management, the institution said in a statement sent on Tuesday.

Sanctions have been applied in more than 1,600 inspections, of which 84 were conducted jointly with other authorized state institutions based on the cooperation protocol.

At the same time, out of 22 appeals to criminal investigation bodies, 17 related to the development of minerals without regulatory legal acts in the field of water management, respectively, in violation of the provisions of the Law on Water No. 1000. 107/1996 with subsequent changes and additions.

• “We draw your attention to the fact that carrying out ballast works (sand, gravel) that do not comply with the obligations of regulatory acts have a significant impact on the environment and can lead to damage to water bodies. They can also cause erosive phenomena on bridges, as well as flood protection infrastructure (dams, levees),” the National Water Resources Administration of Romania reports.

In addition to the fines applied for improper operation of ballasts, contravention sanctions covered all other types of use, namely water treatment and water supply plants, operation of type C and D dams, sedimentation tanks, insufficient sanitary treatment of watercourses, accidental pollution and so on.