Chisinau's water supply system needs investments of hundreds of millions lei

The capital’s aqueduct system needs investments of hundreds of millions lei, money that would allow to repair and renovate the worn-out piping and reduce water leaks. Over 60% of the 1800 km of pipes are worn-out and 900 km need to be replaced, Info-Prim Neo reports. The oldest pipes have over 30 years and are those from the central part of the city, with the highest density of consumers. As a result, water leaks are unavoidable. Mayor Dorin Chirtoaca told the City Hall's meeting on Monday that the causes of this situation are the previous inadequate fee policies and the worn-out infrastructure. He instructed the executives of Apa-Canal Chisinau to inspect all the aqueduct networks and to renovate the oldest ones. The practice of replacing 20 km of piping every year improved the situation, but substantial capital investments are needed for a major change. However, the utility lacks these funds as the fees were updated only two years ago, which allowed to double the level of investments. Deputy production director Vitalie Midari said that there were 40 leaks registered every day due to weariness. The number of accidents is kept constant thanks to investments made by the utility. About 10% of the 40 leaks discovered every day are latent. It is much more difficult to find them and this is only possible thanks to the company’s modern equipment. ACC renovates 3-4 water pipes every month. Nonetheless, the company’s precarious financial situation doesn’t allow the full municipal system of pipes. A solution could be to find creditors in the international financial institutions. The company plans capital investments of 29.2 million lei, capital repairs of 42.3 million lei and current repairs of 28.7 million lei in 2012.