Environment Minister: Residents in country's north to have tap water again, but with restrictions for drinking use

Minister of Environment Gheorghe Hajder told a TV show that residents in the north of the country will have tap water starting tomorrow morning. However, the official recommended that the water be used only for household purposes for a few days and not for drinking.


“Analyses carried out for two consecutive days show that the level of pollution in the Dniester River water falls within acceptable limits, which allows us to resume water supply to Bălți,” Hajder explained.


The official stressed that the water which remained in the system for a longer period is not potable and that the network must be completely cleaned and filtered before it is used for drinking purposes.

The minister also noted that the authorities cannot rule out similar risks in the future and one of the solutions being considered is identifying alternative sources of drinking water supply.


“As long as there is war in the neighboring country and as long as this leak is still active, any scenario is possible. That is why I want to make it very clear that the Ministry of Environment and all the authorities involved continue working to install dams, absorbent filters, and other measures,” the minister said.


Hajder further stated that he has received assurances from the Ukrainian side that oil spills into the Dniester have stopped.


“We had very good discussions with my counterpart in Ukraine, who assured us that this spill has been eliminated and stopped. Between March 11 and 13, analyses indicated the highest level. Once we implemented the measures, the situation began to improve until we brought the tests and laboratory analyses back within the norms,” Hajder said.


The river water was polluted with petroleum products, gasoline, and derivatives. The situation on the Nistru is being continuously monitored, and impact studies are being conducted to understand the medium- and long-term consequences.


“The Nistru has a flow rate of 100–130 tonnes per second, so when the leaks are relatively small, the removal process is complex, and the filters must be replaced and handled properly in order to keep the water parameters within admissible limits, in line with national and international legislation. As for the quantity of pollutants, we estimate it is much higher than the 1.5 tonnes initially reported, although we are constantly monitoring the flows to limit the impact on the population in the north and we are waiting for an official response from Ukraine in order to inform the public,” Hajder explained.


The Minister of Environment assured that measures were taken as soon as the oil slicks were observed on the surface of the Nistru, involving reference laboratories of the Environment Agency and ANISP to monitor the situation and ensure the safety of citizens.

Several localities in the north of the country, including the municipality of Bălți and the districts of Soroca, Sângerei, and Florești, were left without drinking water for several days following the pollution of the Dniester River with petroleum substances. The pollution of the Dniester occurred due to the attack on the Nistrian Hydropower Complex in Ukraine on the night of March 6–7, when the explosions caused discharges of technical oils and petroleum products into the water.