The new water supply, sewerage and wastewater treatment charges for SA “Apă-Canal Chișinău” approved by the National Agency for Energy Regulation came into force. The Agency’s decision of January 11 was published in the Official Gazette, IPN reports.

This way, the water supply charge for residential users will be 11.12 lei/m3, while for nonresidential users – 13.29 lei/m3. Also, the sewerage and wastewater treatment charge for residential users will be 4.18 lei/m3, while for nonresidential users – 11.17 lei/m3.

After the NAER made public its decision, the mayor of Chisinau Ion Ceban said the government does not allow adjusting the water supply and sewerage charges to their real value and the city risks remaining without water. “As the current water supply and sewerage charges in the capital city haven’t been adjusted for many years and the prices of all the services grew in a row, being raised for several times in the recent past, the current charges cannot cover the current costs, including for electrical energy,” stated the mayor.

The Agency replied that such comments are evidently tendentious and are based on superficial analyses and mistaken arguments. It noted that the water supply, sewerage and wastewater treatment charges were determined and approved in strict compliance with the relevant methodology.