”No, we cannot promise that there will be water in the fountains. We use four to five million kroner to keep them running and that is money we do not have.” Lars-Erik Berger, from Oslo's Water and Sewerage Authority told NRK.
The parks, sculptures and fountains are much beloved by Oslo locals and an important attraction for tourists to the city.
Julie Bjerketvedt, a long-term Oslo resident, told NRK that the city should find a way to keep the fountains running.
”The fountains make Oslo much more alive. Now that we have them, we should use them,” she said.
Another resident, Anne Borg, was sceptical about the authority's claims of limited funds.
”I cannot understand that they don’t have money” she said. ”We see that the park is being used all year around.”
According to the channel, Stian Berger Røsland, the mayor of Oslo, is working to find a solution to the water crisis.
”We always have good discussions with the councils about the budget at this time of the year. We are listening to their concerns and we are trying to find a solution to this,” he said.
If a solution is not found, some of Oslo’s most famous water features, such as the peacock fountain outside the National Theatre, will be dry this coming summer.
Please whitelist us to continue reading.