The water from accumulation ponds will be used first of all for the irrigation of crops, IPN reports, quoting the relevant regulations approved by the Government. The volume of water for irrigation will be set based on the authorization for using water and technical documents.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Viorel Gutu said the local public authorities have the right to lease out hydrotechnical constructions, but the lease contracts do not specify the conditions for using water and there appear litigations. A working group created by the Government in January identified methods of solving these problems.

The regulations say the owners or lessors with special authorization for irrigation for the same ponds are to set up installations to protect the fish according to the set standards. But they cannot ban the use of water for recreational purposes. A restriction or ban on the use of water can be imposed only by the commission for emergencies of Moldova.

The Law on Waters will come into force on October 26, 2013.