Chisinau does not risk running out of water, and currently there are no premises that could affect the capital’s water supply. The statement was made by the general mayor Ion Ceban during the operational meeting of the municipal services on Monday, after the Ministry of Environment warned that, due to the hydrological drought, the water intake station could become non-functional, if the level of the Nistru continues to decrease, reports IPN.

The Mayor specified that, over the weekend, the Commission for Exceptional Situations of Chisinau municipality approved the updated version of the civil protection plan regarding the water supply of the capital. Furthermore, specialists from Apa-Canal Chisinau have been delegated to constantly monitor the flow and water level of the Dniester, both in the central area and in the north of the country. According to Ion Ceban, in the last four days, there have been no deviations of the monitored indicators.

The mayor criticized the statements of the Ministry of Environment representatives and pointed out that the management of the Nistru river basin and water flows is the responsibility of the Government, not of the local authorities. He also announced that he requested the Prosecutor’s Office to be notified about the statements made by the representatives of the central authorities, which he considers likely to cause panic among the population.

The mayor’s reaction comes after the Minister of Environment, Gheorghe Hajder, stated that the water level in the Novodnestrovsk reservoir is decreasing due to drought and lack of precipitation in the Carpathians. According to the minister, if the level of the Nistru continues to decrease after July 31, the main pumps of the water intake station that supplies water to Chisinau could stop, as the installation can only operate from a certain water level. The minister also stated that the reserve system managed by Apa-Canal Chisinau is abandoned and it is unclear whether it can still be used.

Previously, the Ministry of Environment announced that the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine are facing a severe hydrological drought in the Dniester basin. The Ukrainian authorities proposed reducing the discharge from the Novodnestrovsk reservoir from 100 to 70 cubic meters per second, but, at the request of Chisinau, they agreed to maintain the current flow rate until July 31. At the end of the month, the two sides are to re-analyze the situation depending on the evolution of hydrological conditions.