Ministry of Environment says Moldova should take over “The Jalopy” Project from neighbouring countries

The share of emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere in Moldova went down 30% comparing with the 90s, says Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Constantin Mihailescu. In his words, the drop in the level of pollution is due to the re-equipment of thermal power plants, making them use biofuel instead of coal or diesel oil. However, says Mihailescu, Moldova still has a lot to do to reduce exhaust gas levels. 65 percent of those 500,000 units of transport in the country are older than 15 years. Only 7 percent are new vehicles and only 30 percent meet the European requirements. According to the minister, Moldova should borrow the “Jalopy” Project from the neighbouring countries, where the old, worn-out cars are collected from their owners in exchange for a recompense which the owners may use to buy a new car. Referring to water protection, Constantin Mihailescu pleads for the need for restoring those 560 wastewater treatment facilities in the country. In this respect, the Cabinet is expected to examine on Wednesday a Strategy for supplying Moldova’s villages and towns with water and sewerage systems. Today is the World Environment Day. On this occasion, the Ministry awarded money prizes ranging from MDL 11,500 and 46,000 to several settlements in Moldova, as well as a district in Chisinau, for the best results in the competition themed “The Greenest and Cleanest Locality”.