Water and sewer rates up by 38% for household consumers and by 41% for heat and power suppliers

The Chisinau Municipal Council approved higher water and sewer charges by a majority vote on October 11. The Social-Democrats that joined the majority coalition in the CMC voted in favour and owing to their votes the decision was passed. The household consumers will pay 5.07 lei for water and sewer in contrast to 3.67 lei before. The economic entities will pay 20.14 lei, compared with 14.9 lei earlier. But the industrial water charge was decreased from 9.82 lei to 5.83 lei, in compliance with the calculations of the National Agency for Energy Regulation (ANRE). The decision took effect when made. Constantin Becciev, director of Apa-Canal Chisinau SA, said that the approved tariff does not include all the real expenses of the company and that he will soon ask CMC to allocate compensatory investment resources to cover the difference in the incomes approved by CMC and the ones calculated by ANRE. The average water and sewerage charge approved by CMC is 8.42 lei, as against the value of 9.71 lei calculated by the energy regulator and by the CMC’s General Economy, Reform and Patrimonial Relations Division, Becciev said. Asked what changed Apa-Canal Chisinau will implement after the rise in charges, Chisinau Mayor General Dorin Chirtoaca said that the water supplier could not carry out qualitative repair works. Now the blockage was removed and the stress will be laid on the more efficient activity of the company and on the improvement of the quality of the services provided by it. Oleg Cernei, leader of the Noastra Moldova Alliance faction, said that now that the charges are higher, the Government should increase the nominative compensations for the 11 disfavoured categories of people stipulated in the law on the social protection of the population. According to him, the current compensations of 7 lei a month for water should be increased proportionally to the rise. The accounts payable of Apa-Canal Chisinau SA total 270 mln lei, including 147 mln lei owed to the EBRD. The accounts receivable add up to over 300 mln lei. Termocom SA owes 37 mln lei to Apa-Canal Chisinau, CET 1 – 22 mln lei, CET 2 – 29 mln lei, Moldcarton – 26 mln lei, the housing sector administrators - 160 mln lei.