Moldova's national system of management, prevention, reducing consequences of floods to be reformed

Chisinau, 10 May /MOLDPRES/ - The cabinet, at a today’s meeting, approved a concept of the reform of the national system of management, prevention and reducing the consequences of floods, in order to adjust the national legislation and standards to the EU legislation and standards.
The floods represent a significant natural danger in Moldova, the document reads. There are easily flooded meadows on the Prut and Dniester rivers, with most of them protected against floods and used for agriculture. About 5,000 lakes and reservoirs are set in Moldova. Extended areas were flooded in Moldova in 1969, 1980, 2008 and 2010.   
Despite the fact that there is a complex system of hydro-technical constructions for the protection of settlements against floods, the damages caused by these natural calamities grow year after year and the consequences of floods often have a catastrophic character. The degree of Moldova’s exposition to floods is more than 40 per cent and this level reaches 70-80 per cent in some regions of Moldova, according to the Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment Ministry.
The goal of the concept of the reform is to establish the fundamental principles and objectives as to the protection against floods, as well as the legal and institutional framework in the field of management, prevention and reducing the risk of floods. The authorities propose to switch from the defensive actions of action to the ones of management, floods risk management. To achieve this objective, decision-makers are to improve the present legal and institutional framework, which is mostly aimed at liquidating the consequences and not at preventing the risks and dangers.  
The concept of the reform of the national system of management, prevention and reducing the consequences of floods sets the measures needed, as well as the list of normative acts which are to be elaborated/amended/completed in the context of insuring the residents and settlements of Moldova against the negative effects of the floods.
(Reporter V. Bercu, editor M. Jantovan)