Free access to drinking water also becomes visible in Romania. A recently launched map indicates spaces: restaurants, cafes, public institutions, where you can receive a glass of tap water, without ordering anything else. The project brings to the foreground a legal obligation applicable from April 2024.
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In a context marked by heat, increases and fiscal pressure on the Horeca sector, an independent initiative brings to attention an essential, but often ignored gesture: free access to tap water.
Although, starting with April 2024, Law 96/2024 obliges the premises to provide free drinking water, upon request, however, specialists point out that it is vaguely applied: “The clear norms are missing, the staff is not always informed, and customers often are ashamed to ask.”.
Law 96/2024 requires “Free supply of drinking water through the distribution network, for consumers from restaurants, canteens and catering services” (Article 16, paragraph 4, letter d). This approves the Government Ordinance no. 7 of January 18, 2023 regarding the quality of water intended for human consumption, including among obligations and the supply of drinking water for free.
Romanians do not trust the water from the sink
According to the documentation of the normative act, Romania has the lowest proportion of inhabitants connected to centralized water systems in the EU. About 30% of the population uses individual water sources, such as wells and wells, which are not verified in terms of quality. However, a research conducted in 2024, by Waterdrop shows that most consumers are afraid to drink tap water. Specifically, 84.9% of respondents believe that tap water is not a safe hydration source, and from this percentage 51% is attributed to Romania, compared to the Czech Republic, which has a percentage of only 5.9% on negative answers. As a consumption alternative, most people opt for bottled or filtered water.
“Free water at restaurants! Because the holidays start, I remind you of an important recently approved law: you can ask for drinking water from the tap, for free. In restaurants. The measure helps to reduce waste and plastic pollution. The law was designed with Allen Coliban and Roxana Piece and was blocked for years European.at the end of June, the former deputy Cornel Zainea, on his Facebook page, wrote.
In other countries, especially in the northern area, free access to drinking water is already a reality assumed: refill points can be found in restaurants, stations, museums or parks, and reusable bottles are a natural accessory of urban life. In Romania, however, the water continues to be perceived as a product, often a luxury one, served in PETs from other countries, with a high ecological and economic cost.
In other countries, the gesture is natural
In a world suffocated by plastic, PETs are one of the largest categories of waste and it is estimated that in 2021 approximately 600 billion bottles were produced globally. According to statistics, about 1 million plastic bottles are bought every minute on the globe, the equivalent of a pile of half the size of the Eiffel Tower. And out of the total plastic waste only 9% are recycled, the rest reaching waste warehouses or in nature. “I went for years with a bottle of one liter after me, always full, always heavy. It was my way of avoiding buying water at PET. (…) in many countries where I traveled and especially in the northern ones, it is normal to find refill points. In restaurants, in bars, in stations, museums or parks. Map, we want to take the idea further: the water should not be offered only on request, but with initiative, generosity and respect. says Rareș Beșliu, the founder of the “north of words” association and the initiator of the project “de la tap”.
The publication of the map comes in a delicate context: against the background of inflation and the new taxes announced for the Horeca sector, including the price of water in restaurants risks. “I did not write by chance> in this way. We have especially referred to Romania, one of the countries with the most mineral sources. Instead, we consume bottled water brought from Italy, France or other European countries, in PETs transported thousands of kilometers.he adds.
Tap water: an ignored solution
According to the data of the United Nations, by 2050, half of the world’s population could be affected by severe water. Moreover, it is anticipated that the global water demand will increase significantly in the coming years, mainly due to population growth, urbanization and accelerated industrialization. Moreover, climate change will affect the distribution and availability of water worldwide, amplifying droughts, floods and other extreme events that can compromise access to drinking water. This will increase tensions and conflicts in different regions of the world, where access to drinking water will become a strategic priority, warns specialists.
The consumption of tap water is not only cheaper, but also more friendly with the environment: it reduces CO₂ emissions and the amount of plastic waste. According to the European Commission, improved access to quality water could reduce the consumption of bottled water by about 17% in the EU.
In Iceland, Norway or Canada, any restaurant offers people to drink tap water, according to it. “We want to have this alternative, and the tap water to become a modern, fresh, careful choice for people and nature. We expect as many Romanians to join us in this approach,” adds it, supplementing that the realization of this map is not sponsored. “It is not made by any corporation. It is not part of a CSR program. It is made by us. With our documentation, in our time. And with the belief that water is a right, not a moft”.
The initiators point out that the map is a starting point, not a final inventory. The platform remains open for suggestions and updates, with the support of those who believe that a glass of water should not be a request, but a natural offer. And if in some cities the gesture still seems rare, the map can gradually become a barometer of change and good-will.
The map can be accessed here: https://tinyurl.com/hartadelarobinet and includes cafes, restaurants, shops, public institutions and independent spaces that offer tap water, drinking and safe, without having to ask for or feel left.
At the same time, the United Nations has recognized, since 2010, the right to safe drinking water as part of the fundamental human rights, indispensable for a worthy life and to protect life. According to resolution 64/292 of the general meeting, the water is “Essential for the full exercise of life and all other human rights”. In the same spirit, the UN Committee for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights clearly states that public states and actors have the obligation to facilitate access to available, safe, physically and economic accessible. In this context, the refusal to offer a glass of water to a person, in a public, cultural or hospitality space can be regarded as a gesture of lack of politeness, or can it become a subtle form of violation of an essential right?
