The municipality of Chisinau does not have sufficient logistic resources to cope with emergencies. The snowplows are old and have a low working capacity. There are not enough pumps to intervene in case of flooding and no money was earmarked for purchasing new pumps. Relevant issues were discussed in a meeting of the Chisinau Commission for Emergencies on November 17, IPN reports.

Deputy mayor Nistor Grozavu said that besides logistic problems, there is defective cooperation between different bodies involved in emergency response operations. When it rains, Chisinau is flooded because there are no drainage channels or the existing channels are blocked and also because the Byk River is not clean and the water floods.

Acting mayor general of Chisinau Silvia Radu requested the General Public Transport and Communications Division to present information about the costs of extending the system of drainage channels and on what area by next Monday. As regards the capacity of the road maintenance company “Exdrupo” to cope with snowfalls, Silvia Radu said the existing snowplows are old, but the streets will anyway be cleared of snow. If need be, the municipality will rent snowplows from private companies.

Head of the General Public Amenities Division Petru Gontea said the removal of snow from secondary streets and yards of apartment buildings remains problematic. Four times more units of transport are needed to cope. This is 160 vehicles. Money for equipment is allocated annually, but is enough to purchase only one unit.

Attending the meeting, mayors of suburban communities of Chisinau complained that the roads in winter are cleared of snow only up to the entrance to settlements or the termini of trolleybuses. They requested that the snowplows should advance at least 200 meters inside the settlement so that the buses and minibus transporting passengers could run.

Health Division head Mihai Moldovanu said the access to some of the health facilities, like the Municipal Children’s Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases, is impeded in winter. Also, owing to the icy roads, more than 500 persons suffer traumas.

As a result of the meeting, the responsible divisions will divide the territory in their charge and will agree intervention schemes. The district heads and suburban mayors will identity business entities that have snowplows and will sign contracts for the provision of snow removal services with them.