The Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) Moldova, together with the Ministry of the Environment and the e-Governance Center, on May 28 launched the one-stop shop for issuance of special water use authorizations, IPN reports.

The authorizations are needed for irrigation activities, building of pontoon bridges and wharfs and for commercially exploiting beaches for swimming and recreation, etc.

According to experts, now that the one-stop shop was launched, the procedure for issuing authorizations will last not for six months as earlier, but for one month. The one-stop shop will also allow private individuals and legal entities to submit online applications for authorizations, nonstop from any computer, with no need to go to the offices of public authorities. The applicants will also be able to see at what stage of examination their application is. In the absence of a computer, the applications for water use authorizations can be submitted to the local subdivisions of the State Ecological Inspectorate.

The devices and materials needed for ensuring a better quality of services at the one-stop shop were bought with funds of the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation’s Compact. Kent Larson, the representative of the U.S. Embassy in Chisinau, said the process of issuing authorizations was earlier difficult and involved corruption risks. Now this shop will ensure improved access to irrigation water for farmers.

The representatives of the State Ecological Inspectorate anticipated that about 5,000 special water use authorizations will be issued in the immediate period. “When this program was being tested, 95% of the authorizations were submitted online. We thus expect that the number of applications will be much higher,” said Alexandru Procopciuc, senior specialist at the Inspectorate.

MCA Moldova executive director Valentina Badrajan said the one-stop shop is an information system for managing the process of obtaining special water use authorizations and forms part of the Compact activities for reforming the irrigation system and improving the management of water resources in Moldova.

Deputy Minister of the Environment Lazar Chirica said the authorities now do not possess real data about Moldova’s water resources and this electronic platform will enable them to swiftly exchange data electronically and to find out information about the use of water resources in real time.

According to Stela Mocan, director of the e-Governance Center, the launch of the one-stop shop for issuance of special water use authorizations is part of the Government’s efforts to digitize the public services so that the private individuals and legal entities benefit from fast, qualitative and transparent services. All the public services in electronic format can be accessed on www.servicii.gov.md.