The rain with hail of the last few days affected over 4,000 hectares of crops, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Iurie Usurelu stated in the working meeting called by Prime Minister Pavel Filip on June 3. This said that the districts of Stefan Voda, Sangerei, Criuleni, and Hancesti were the worst hit, IPN reports.
According to the deputy minister, things worsened owing to excessive soil wetness. However, many of the cherry orchards weren’t affected by wetness.
Mihail Harabagiu, head of the Civil Protection and Emergencies Service, said the level of water under a railroad bridge on the Chisinau-Straseni road rose by about 30 cm on an area of about 1.5 km. “The small vehicles travel with difficulty there. There is a reserve variant – passage can be ensured over the railroad and this sector will be bypassed,” he stated.
Mihail Harabagiu also said that the local public authorities were informed about a possible river flood following the heavy rain on the upper course of the Prut River. “Thus, during June 3-5, the level of water between Criva village and Costesti town is expected to rise by 0.7 meters compared with the level on June 3. There is yet no danger of serious floods,” he said, adding that the volume of water discharged into the accumulation lake Costesti-Stanca will increase until June 14.
Moldova’s Water Agency director Arcadi Calaras stated that most of the accumulation lakes in Moldova are leased out and no one is responsible for maintaining them given the shortage of funds.
Pavel Filip said it is important to identify the districts and settlements vulnerable to natural disasters so as to prevent emergencies in the future.
