The owners of ponds, dams and barrages will be punished civilly, administratively and criminally if they do not obey the construction norms and will be to blame for causing floods. The provision is contained in a bill drafted by “Apele Moldovei” (“Moldova’s Waters”) Agency. The Agency’s vice director Mihail Penkov has told Info-Prim Neo that any hydrotechnical construction poses inundation threats. “A person can now build a pond without authorization. The law does not regulate this aspect. But if the construction is not according to the plan, it can burst as a result of heavy rain and flood settlements and fields,” said Mihail Penkov. After the Law on Hydrotechnical Constructions takes effect, the people will know that they bear responsibility for the ponds that they make. “These constructions are not fences. The responsibility is great,” said the official. There are over 4,000 ponds, constructions for accumulating and eliminating water and 860,000 km of protection barrages in Moldova at present. “The number of applications for building new ponds is high, but we consider that 4,000 ponds are enough. We also need rivers. In Calarasi district for example, there are 8 ponds per one rivulet. The flow of water on rivers should be also constant,” said Mihail Penkov. The bill on hydrotechnical constructions was published on the website of “Apele Moldovei” Agency and proposed for public debates. After it is passed in Parliament, the law will come into force in six months.