Environmentalists launch campaign to improve water management in Bic River basin

Environmentalists are set to launch a campaign to improve water management in the Bic River basin. The campaign will kick off on Monday, September 22, in Calarasi and will end on September 26 in Anenii Noi, Info-Prim Neo reports. Vladimir Garaba, the president of Chisinau's Local Environmental Movement, said at a press conference on Thursday that the team of the campaign includes specialists in the areas of ecology and public health, water management, researches. In the course of the next week, the team will make trips to the districts of Straseni (Sept. 23), Ialoveni (Sept. 24), and Chisinau municipality (Sept. 25). The pollution levels along the Bic River are dangerously high, said Garaba, blaming the Moldovan authorities for the failure to correct the situation. “The Bic River is virtually extinct up to the Gidighici reservoir. The riverbed is dry and the reservoir was thirsty all summer”, said Valentina Tapes of the State Ecological Inspectorate. Experts say there is a need for a couple of billions of lei to rehabilitate the biological treatment facilities. The campaign is part of the “Partnership for a Clean River” Project. At 155 kilometers, the Bic River is the second longest tributary of the Nistru. Its basin has 256 smaller rivers with a total length of 868 kilometers; the population of the basin is 940,000, including 80 percent urban population.