Moldova, Ukraine sign cooperation agreement to protect waters

The Government of Moldova and the Government of Ukraine signed an agreement of cooperation in sustainably developing and protecting the Nistru Basin, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to a communiqué from the Ministry of the Environment, the agreement refer to the sustainable use of the water resources and other natural resources, the diminution of the pollution level in the Nistru and, respectively, the Black Sea, and the prevention of degradation and restoration of ecosystems in the Nistru Basin. The Ministry said that the signing and implementation of the agreement will bring many benefits. There will be created a legislative framework for managing the basin, in accordance with the international standards. The signing of the mentioned agreement, as an obligatory instrument, will allow Moldova and Ukraine to attract international financing for solving specific problems encountered in the Nistru Basin. One of the major problems in the basin, which was earlier highlighted by ombudswoman Aurelia Grigoriu, is the Kalus potassium mine in Ukraine’s Ivano-Frankovsk region. Specialists warned that the potassium mine poses a threat to the ecological safety of the Nistru. As the crater of the mine is overloaded, the unstable storage barrages may yield. Thus, about 2 million cubic meters of waste will get into the Nistru and the area, Odessa region and the Danube Delta in Romania will be seriously affected. As a result, Chisinau may remain without water.