Moldovan parliament speaker says citizens need to know that problem of Dniester River's pollution appears after Russia bombed Hydroelectric Power Plant in Ukraine

Citizens need to know that the pollution of the Dniester River occurred after the Russian Federation had bombed the Novodnestrovsk Hydroelectric Power Plant in Ukraine. At present, the Moldovan authorities, together with partners in Ukraine and Romania, are monitoring and managing the situation, in order to minimize the effects on the population. Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu today evening made statements to this effect at the show titled, Reality Concerns You, broadcast by Rlive.

The speaker underlined that the authorities and working teams were on the ground and were managing the process of cleaning the water of oil substances.

"The teams have set up two barriers on our side and one barrier on the Ukrainian side. Today morning, specialists from Romania arrived on site. They are using modern equipment and technologies. An additional team from Romania will also come. At present, the situation is under control," Igor Grosu said.

The official urged citizens to follow the evolution of the situation and to get information only from official sources.

"Please, follow very carefully the information provided by the Environment Ministry. At present, the most critical samples are in the Naslavcea area. We urge citizens in this region to stay in contact with the local public administration. Nevertheless, we are confident that the filters will improve the situation," Igor Grosu noted.

The speaker said that the Moldovan authorities were in permanent contact with their counterparts in Ukraine. In addition, Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu has requested, through the Interior Ministry, the activation of the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism.

"We are doing everything possible to clean the water of the Dniester River. The EU Civil Protection Mechanism is an instrument we can resort to. It is important to protect people and to remedy this incident caused by the Russian Federation. We are mobilized; specialists are on the ground and will inform us about the next steps. We are taking all necessary measures, as this involves a strategic resource – the water supply for the citizens of Moldova," Igor Grosu emphasized.

The authorities of Moldova today morning raised the alert level in the northern area of the country, after laboratory analyses indicated that pollutant substances in the Dniester River water had exceeded the admissible limits. Following the installation of filters, laboratory investigations this evening found that the quality of the water had improved in the settlements of north Moldova.

At the same time, the National Crisis Management Center today ruled to create a crisis cell made up of specialists from national institutions and experts from neighboring countries.

The problem arose after a Russian attack on the hydroelectric power plant in Ukraine. As a result, an oil substance entered the Dniester River and continues to move downstream.