The hydrological situation on the Dniester and Prut remains critical, and the authorities are preparing for a scenario in which the water level will continue to decrease, due to the lack of precipitation. The Minister of Environment, Gheorghe Hajder, says that solutions are being sought for the water intake stations in the south of the country, as well as for the water supply of the city of Chisinau, reports IPN.
The authorities maintain that one of the biggest issues is at the Prut water intake station, which provides water for 11 localities in the west and south of the country. Approximately 18 thousand people depend on this station, and the river level has reached its operational limit. The government is set to purchase an additional pump, with a larger capacity.
“I have seen those interventions at the water collection stations from where Leova and other localities are supplied, respectively, certain measures were taken this morning. We are certainly monitoring and ensuring that people do not run out of water. We are also monitoring other collection stations on the Prut and Nistru rivers. The situation is equally serious on both rivers,” said the Minister of Environment.
The authorities are seeking solutions for the Vadul lui Voda intake station, which provides water for the city of Chisinau. According to Hajder, the infrastructure is old and no longer copes with the current hydrological situation. In the short term, the construction of a subaquatic dam is being considered, and a new intake station is expected to be built within the next three years.
The Mayor of Chisinau, Ion Ceban, stated, following a visit to the Vadul lui Voda water intake station, that the City Hall has prepared several measures for the eventuality of a drastic decrease in flow. The municipality has three emergency intervention zones, equipped with pumps of various capacities: one of 4 thousand cubic meters per hour, a submersible pump of 3,200 cubic meters per hour, installed in the protection dam area, as well as several motor pumps provided by the Government.
The mayor also said that the project for a new water intake station for Chisinau has been in progress for almost five years, and construction work is expected to begin next year.
The Republic of Moldova has been in a state of emergency in the energy and hydrological sectors for nearly two weeks, due to drought and very low levels of the Nistru and Prut rivers. Authorities say that, for now, there are enough resources to supply the population and urge people to use water rationally.
