More than 60% of Moldova's rural population does not have access to drinking water and the town infrastructure. They do not have sewerage systems and wastewater treatment stations. There are a number of average-size towns that do not have centralized water supply systems, Minister of the Environment Gheorghe Salaru said in a news conference. The minister said that progress is made in this area owing to foreign financial support, especially from such foreign organizations as the UNDP, the World Bank, the EBRD, and the EIB. “The European Commission provided €50 million for solving problems related to the water supply, but we must have the necessary abilities,” Gheorghe Salaru said. According to him, water treatment projects are now implemented in Orhei and Cimislia. Furthermore, 90 million lei was allocated last year from the Ecological Fund for supporting a series of water supply and sewerage projects. In the same news conference, the head of the State Hydrometeorology Service Ilie Boian said the quality of water has improved during the last few years owing to the measures taken to protect the environment and to the economic decline. According to him, the quality of water in large rivers has improved, while the water in smaller rivers is more polluted. This water can be used neither in irrigation not to water the animals as it is unsafe. In Moldova there are 3,600 rivers. Seven of them are longer than 100 kilometers, except the Nistru and Prut.