The candidate for mayor of Chisinau of the “Party “Platform Dignity and Truth” (PPPDA) Andrei Nastase said that on the very first day of his mayoralty he will insist that he should take part in the Moldovan-Ukrainian negotiations concerning the future of the Nistru River. Also, given his powers in the cooperation with the central public administration, he will demand to ensure maximum transparency in this problem. The candidate made such statements in a news conference in Vadul lui Voda town on May 27, when it was celebrated the Day of the Nistru, IPN reports.
According to Nastase, the municipality of Chisinau is 85% supplied with drinking water from the Nistru and the pumping station in Vadul lui Voda is a strategic facility that supplies the city and its suburban communities with water. “In 2016, when there was a drought, the station was close to being stopped as the level of water in the Nistru fell to almost 8 meters. We were only 10 cm of the critical level,” stated the candidate.
He noted the risk of an ecological and humanitarian catastrophe appeared as a result of the steps taken by the Ukrainian authorities in relation to the Nistrean Hydroelectric Complex. In two years, this danger could become imminent if Ukraine builds six hydropower plants as a result an agreement reached by the two governments. “We know very well that the negotiations on the issue are non-transparent and the exclusion of civil society experts from them shows that obscure agreements were reached with the government of Ukraine,” stated the candidate.
According to him, the danger of degradation and destruction of ecosystems along the lower course of the Nistru is the most serious consequence that will generate exorbitant costs for identifying alternative resources of drinking water and a real danger that the population of the Republic of Moldova, including that from the left side of the Nistru and over 1 million people in Odessa region, will remain without the main source of drinking water.
In the same news conference, the leader of the Party “Action and Solidarity” Maia Sandu said it is sad that the Day of the Nistru is celebrated in such worrisome circumstances created by the negotiations between the Ukrainian and Moldovan authorities. “Our government steals everything from us, including the water. What we should do now is to get rid of this government at the local and central levels and choose a government that would represent us and would defend our interests. We should mobilize on June 3 and go to vote! We should have a person who would represent us and would help us keep the Nistru for us and the future generations as mayor,” stated the politician.
The Nistru is the largest river in the Republic of Moldova and the ninth largest river in Europe. It has an annual flow capacity of about 10 km3. It is the main source of drinking water for the capital city of the Republic of Moldova and the localities situated on its banks. It has its origins in Ukraine, from near the border with Poland. In 2008, Parliament decided that the Day of the Nistru will be celebrated in Moldova on the last Sunday of May.
