Bucharest City Hall announced that it is moving ahead with plans to build a network of large underground rainwater retention basins aimed at reducing flood risks. The announcement came days after torrential rainfall overwhelmed parts of the city’s drainage system, flooding roads and subway stations.
The capital city is developing three major retention basins in flood-prone areas, with one already completed, construction underway on a second, and a feasibility study in progress for a third. The municipality is also exploring, together with water utility Apa Nova București, the construction of two additional basins beneath Izvor and Opera parks.
“Unfortunately, when it rains heavily, the water goes directly into the sewer system. But the sewer network was not designed to handle the volumes of water we saw in recent days,” mayor Ciprian Ciucu said. “The solution, which is not new, is these large retention basins. When a flash flood occurs, the water can be stored there and then gradually released at a rate the Dâmbovița River can safely absorb.”
He added that increasingly frequent extreme weather events mean the city must “prepare for the next 50 to 100 years” and said he would seek European Union funding for the projects.
The most advanced project is located on Drumul Lunca Cetății in Bucharest’s District 3, where an underground 2,000-cubic-meter stormwater basin and a 100-cubic-meter wastewater basin have already been completed. The project also includes a 2 km sewer network, with completion scheduled for spring 2028.
A second retention basin is under construction on Secerei Street in the Tineretului area. The 4,200-cubic-meter underground facility, designed to collect rainwater from a 13-hectare area, is expected to be completed within two years, followed by another year for the associated sewer infrastructure.
A third basin is planned beneath the parking area at the entrance to Carol Park, where a feasibility study is currently underway.
Mayor Ciucu said the stored rainwater could later be reused for irrigation in parks and green spaces. He described the initiative as part of a broader “sponge city” concept designed to improve urban water management.
The announcement follows a powerful overnight storm that brought 69.9 liters of rain per square meter to Bucharest in just 10 hours – more than 92% of the city’s average rainfall for the entire month of June. According to Apa Nova, the storm generated a peak flow of more than 208 cubic meters per second through the capital’s sewerage system, a volume comparable to the average flow of major Romanian rivers.
Separately, the Bucharest Natural Park Association argued that the capital also needs to invest more heavily in nature-based infrastructure to cope with increasingly frequent extreme weather events. The organization pointed to projects already implemented in Văcărești Natural Park and Tineretului Park, including rain gardens and biofiltration systems that absorb stormwater, replenish groundwater, and help restore wetlands.
The association warned that future storms could bring even larger rainfall volumes, making green infrastructure an essential complement to conventional flood-control measures.
irina.marica@romania-insider.com
(Photo source: Facebook/Primăria Municipiului Bucureşti)
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