The aqueduct in Vadul lui Voda will be extended towards Straseni and Calarasi districts. Afterward, the settlements of the two districts will be connected to the water supply and sewerage systems through it. A memorandum of understanding in this respect was signed by the authorities of Chisinau and the local authorities of Straseni and Calarasi on February 5, Info-Prim Neo reports. Minister of the Environment Gheorghe Salaru said the goal of the memorandum is to supply the population with safe drinking water, according to the sanitary norms. “The problem of water supply and sewerage in Moldova is an acute one. Currently, about 85% of the drinking water reserves in our country are from the Prut and Nistru Rivers, while 15% are from underground waters,” he stated. Gheorghe Salaru hopes that the foreign partners and the regional economic entities will contribute to financing this project. “We hope that the study for the construction of the water main will be ready by the end of July and we will be able to start promoting the public-private partnership,” said the minister. Councilor Oleg Cernei said the Chisinau City Hall allocated 6 million lei for the extension of the Chisinau-Truseni-Cojusna water main in 2013. He spoke about the differentiae in the water and sewerage charges for different settlements, saying it is important that the state regulator ANRE set the tariffs. Straseni district includes 32 statements, while Calarasi district - 44. As many as 57 settlements will be connected to the aqueduct at the initial stage.