More than 60 pupils, teachers, local authorities from both banks of the Nistru River joined their efforts to clean up the waste from an area along the Nistru River in a unique way, turning the trash piles into unusual toys and artworks. Thus, the organizers of the action, “Vitality” from Tiraspol and “Renasterea rurala” from Tohatin associations with the assistance of the EU-UNDP “Support to Confidence Building Measures” Program, tried to draw the attention of people living on both sides of the Nistru to the precarious environmental situation of the river shores and call for more active actions to protect the environment, IPN reports.

Specialists of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova and experts from the Transnistrian said that because of waste spilled during the last decades, Nistru has turned into a “tank of technical water”. The ecologists warn that the river biological resources would degrade completely and the ecosystem would be fully destroyed, which could ultimately lead to an ecological disaster.

“Today's action is further evidence that people living on both banks of Nistru can improve their living conditions only through joint efforts. In the coming years, the European Union and UNDP will continue to provide the necessary support for joint initiatives in several thematic areas,” said Ekaterina Dorodnova, Political Officer of the EU Delegation in Chisinau.

“We are currently supporting 21 joint initiatives of NGOs to implement projects of mutual interest under the EU-UNDP “Support to Confidence Building Measures” Program. In the nearest future, we are also planning to start some environment infrastructure projects, which will benefit people living on both banks of the Nistru,” said Valeria Ieseanu, Program Analyst, UNDP Moldova.

The EU-UNDP “Support to Confidence Building Measures” Program is implemented in the period of 2012-2015, with a total budget of €10,600,000, granted by the EU and UNDP.