Chisinau water & sewer rates remain unchanged

Charges for supply of water and sewer services in Chisinau have remained unchanged as the proposal to raise the rates by 27 percent was endorsed by the vote of only 24 city councilmen of the required 26. Constantin Becciev, director of Chisinau’s main water supplier Apa-Canal, told Info-Prim Neo that if the Council doesn’t urgently revise the rates, it is likely that most of Apa-Canal’s creditors will sue the company for debts. The draft decision suggests raising the water and sewer rates for household consumers from 3.67 lei to 5.07 lei, for legal entities – from 14.9 lei to 20.14 lei. The proposed average rate is 8.42 lei/m3, in contrast to what the National Agency for Energy Regulation considered as being the actual value of a cubic metre – 9.71 lei/m3. The accounts payable of Apa-Canal are estimated at 270 million lei, including 147 million lei owed to BERD. Accounts receivable amount to about 300 million lei, the housing sector owing 160 million of them. The financial situation of Apa-Canal is said to be critical, as a large part of the accounts receivable will be cleared quite slowly. Councilmen said earlier that even with its debts settled the utility would still encounter difficulties in rehabilitating the piping systems and reconstructing the wastewater treatment facility, which are both in dire need of major investment.