Chisinau declares a state of alert on the Dniester river after the pollution caused by the Kremlin
The Chisinau government declared a state of alert on the Dniester river for 15 days after the pollution caused by the Kremlin. The decision is necessary for the application of additional measures and interventions in the north of the country, where the situation is critical, according to Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu.
The Dniester water in the north of the Republic of Moldova is polluted with oil. PHOTO: Igsu.gov.md
The state of alert on the Dniester River was established during a Government meeting, convened on March 15 by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, Alexandru Munteanu.
On the same day, the members of the National Crisis Management Center (CNMC) met in session and decided “the application of some restrictions on the use of water from the Dniester for the localities located on the river segment between Rezina and Dubăsari”.
It happens after being stopped a day earlier ,, the activity of the water collection station in Cosăuți, as well as in the locality of Naslavcea, the districts of Soroca, Bălți, Florești and Singerei. The local public authorities in the affected riverside localities will ensure, in the next 48 hours, the use of alternative water sources, without capturing water from the Dniester River. Also, they will inform the residents that it is forbidden to use water from the Dniester for domestic consumption and for watering animals”.
At the same time, the Moldovan authorities decided “the installation of additional dams and systems for the capture and absorption of oil products in certain strategic points of the river, especially in the northern area and downstream to the water capture station for the municipality of Chisinau, as well as the installation of additional barriers in the Dubăsari area, to reduce the risk of spreading pollution. At the same time, the operators of the water supply services in the riverside towns are requested to check the existing reserves and to prepare possible alternative sources of supply, if the situation requires it”.
On March 10, Chisinau announced that the water of the Dniester is polluted with oil products, which are visible near the villages of Naslavcea and Otaci in Ocnița district, located in the north of the neighboring country.
In the following days, the pollution spread, and Kiev announced that a part of the Dniester River that crosses the territory of Ukraine is also polluted, stating that the situation was recorded following the Kremlin's attack on the Novodnistrovsk Hydroelectric Power Station.
And on March 13, the head of the Cabinet of Ministers from Chisinau, Alexandru Munteanu, requested the activation of the Civil Protection Mechanism of the European Union.
