Oslo City Council chief Raymond Johansen believes that his predecessors – the Conservative-led City Council – delayed the process of putting a new water supply in place. The result is today’s water shortage, he says.
“If Holsfjorden were in place, this would not have happened,” Johansen (AP) told NTB, referring to the new reserve water supply from Holsfjorden outside Oslo, which is under construction.
Johansen believes that the facility could have been ready today if the Conservative City Council had done its job.
“Now, it will not be completed until 2028,” Johansen added.
“Large project”
The new water supply project is very expensive, and the current City Council has received a lot of criticism for constant budget breaches. The first part will cost NOK 17.7 billion (NOK 5.2 billion more than estimated), while the final part will cost NOK 9 billion (early estimates were NOK 2 billion, but the cost limit was set at 9).
“There has been a lot of speculation about this, of course. And it is a demanding and large project. But we have at least shown political action and started the work towards 2028,” Johansen said.
Earlier this week, the municipality sent out an SMS to all residents that they must save water due to water shortages.
“This illustrates at least, with all clarity, the importance and necessity of this large project from Holsfjorden,” Johansen added.
“Discussed since the 1950s”
The Conservative Party’s group leader in Oslo City Council, Anne Haabeth Rygg, agrees that the current situation would have been avoided if the reserve water solution in Holsfjorden had been completed.
“The new water supply has been discussed in Oslo City Council since the 1950s, and many different proposals and solutions were proposed before Raymond Johansen took over as City Council leader,” she told NTB.
She pointed out that the case was accelerated when the Norwegian Food Safety Authority threatened millions in daily fines in both 2017 and 2019.
“The City Council has also chosen an extremely expensive solution, surpassing the budgeting framework in excess of NOK 12 billion,” she added.
Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
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This (dangerous) drought must be climate change. Is the Atlantic Current still moving … and bringing over moisture?
Are we at “The Day After Tomorrow?”