In general terms, Romania imports rather than exports polluting substances, and is below the EU average in terms of polluting substances per inhabitant. The only exception is sulphur dioxide emissions. Air quality is much poorer in towns and cities and in their neighborhoods due to the proximity of polluting industries, households buring fossil fuels, and increasingly heavy traffic, especially at rush hour. Water quality has slightly improved since 1994, a result of a decrease in industrial production. The percentage of "1st" grade quality watercourses has increased from 35 to 54 percent between 1985 and 1994, while 12-13 percent of the total lengths are still and lifeless. Pollution of the Danube river, Romania's most significant water course has been significant, and for this reason, international support was given to improve its quality.Drinking water and groundwater pollution is also extensive, resulting primarily from agricultural sources in rural areas (e.g. ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, livestock wastes) and industrial discharges (e.g. phenols, zinc, lead, cadmium, iron, manganese). Microbiological pollution is a further problem in some areas, probably caused by municipal wastewater and livestock waste. In addition, agriculture and industry play a major role (principally the chemical, petrochemical, fertilizer, pulp and paper, and metallurgical plants), and municipal wastewater is also a major contributor to water pollution in Romania.Soils are also polluted both by agriculture and some industries (like the metallurgical sector). For example, 75 percent of agricultural soil has been damaged by one or more pollutants such as pesticides, improperly used chemical fertilizers, heavy metals, petroleum, etc. and by disruptive phenomena like drought, flood, erosion, salting, increases in acidity, for which little remedy has been brought so far. Therefore, despite its natural qualities, only one third of Romania's remaining soil meets standards for an environmentally sustainable agriculture." |
