Consumers to participate in poll on new water disinfectant

Water consumers in Chisinau will get the chance to have their say about the new disinfectant for water in the municipal aqueduct in a poll included in their bills. Director of Apa-Canal Chisinau (ACC) Constantin Becciev declared on Wednesday, May 2, during the City Hall operative meeting that the form of the poll will be discussed, but the main question will the people’s opinion about the water disinfected with sodium hypochlorite, Info-Prim Neo reports. The poll will reach 200,000 consumers via their bills for May. The AAC director said that water had previously met all standards, but the new disinfectant is simply better and has no chlorine smell. “We analyze 50 samples of water daily. The results are good. Our water meets international standards”, said Becciev. He explained that sodium hypochlorite is a good disinfectant with a large range of effects in fighting microflora in water. As a result, the biofilm in some pipes will be eliminated over the next 3-4 months. It consists of bacteria and microorganisms that are not harmful, but create a favorable environment for the development of pathogenic microflora that can infect the water. Turbidity levels might increase slightly, but it won’t affect the water’s taste and quality. The implementation of this disinfectant will eliminate these unwanted substances. ACC recommends consumers to clean the mechanic filters in their water meters, installed in 90% of the buildings in Chisinau. Constantin Becciev added that over the last two years the expenses for repairs diminished by 6-7 million lei, but investments and capital repairs increased by the same amount. However, the wear of the pipes is pretty high. In order to improve the situation, mayor Dorin Chirtoaca proposed a 5 to 10 year program for replacing pipes and renovating the water purifying plant. “We expect only good news, renovations, reduction of costs, major investments and many more accomplishments that will raise the services provided by Apa-Canal Chisinau to European standards”, said the mayor. The opening of the new water treatment facility using sodium hypochlorite took place on April 12.