About 620,000 people in Moldova do not have access to drinking water, while over 1 million people are not connected to improved water supply and sewerage systems. At the same time, the water in most of the communities contains large quantities of nitrates, boron, fluorine or ammonium. The authorities intend to improve the situation until 2025, through the agency of the national program for the implementation of the objectives set based on the Protocol on Water and Health in the Republic of Moldova (2016-2025), which was officially launched in Chisinau on September 27, IPN reports.

In the event, Minister of Health Ruxanda Glavan said the adoption of the national program derived from the commitment to ratify the Protocol on Water and Health assumed by Moldova and was also determined by the precarious situation and problems existing in this field. The unfitness of the drinking water is one of the main causes that lead to morbidity through acuter dihedral diseases, viral hepatitis A, digestive chronic diseases, etc.

“Work on this strategic document lasted for four years. Through this, we aim to create, by 2025, better conditions for supplying water to all the children’s institutions, to reduce by 20% the samples of water that do not meet the main chemical parameters and by up to 5% those that do not meet the microbiological parameters. Another objective is to cut the number of epidemic outbreaks through infectious diseases by 20%. Currently, 85% of the children’s institutions are connected to water,” stated Ruxanda Glavan.

Minister of Environment Valeriu Munteanu said the largest part of the population has access to drinking water, not yet to sewerage and this discrepancy creates other problems related to environment pollution. The sewerage systems are three-four times more expensive than the water supply systems and larger investments are thus needed. During the next few years, Moldova will have to contribute at least 15-20% or the foreign partners will also not make investments. 

Natalya Nikiforova, who represented the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, said the effort made to work out the national program for the implementation of the objectives set based on the Protocol on Water and Health shows the Moldovan Government’s readiness to achieve, in particular, goal No. 6 of the Protocol, which refers to clean water and sanitation.

“I want to note that this innovative approach of the Republic of Moldova was borrowed from the experience of other states. We welcome the fact that such countries as Norway already implemented a plan of action similar to the Protocol on Water and Health of the Republic of Moldova. I know that time was needed to work out, promote and ensure the adoption of this national plan, but we now must make sure that the implementation of this plan brings about results. The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe intends to continue to assist the Republic of Moldova in implementing the Protocol,” stated Natalya Nikiforova.

The first actions defined in the national program refer to the construction or modernization of wastewater treatment stations in Cahul, Falesti, Soroca, Nisporeni and in the municipality of Chisinau.