PHOTO // Environment Ministry of Moldova warns water reserves in Novodnistrovsk lake dropping alarmingly

The Environment Ministry warns that the hydrological situation in the Dniester basin remains difficult, even though the water level in Dubasari Lake is currently stable. The institution notes that the stability downstream does not reflect the real situation upstream, where Lake Novodnistrovsk’s water reserves are rapidly decreasing.

According to the Environment Ministry, the level of Lake Novodnistrovsk dropped by one meter during last July, and in August, up to the 25th, it fell by another meter. Operational forecasts show a total decrease of about 1.25–1.30 meters by the end of August.

“At the same time, the natural inflow of water into the Novodnistrovsk reservoir is declining. While at the beginning of August, the inflow was about 38 cubic meters per second, over the last eight days, the daily average has dropped to 22.38 m³/s. On one of the days, the inflow reached only 14 m³/s, a level the Ministry has classified as a new negative historical record. By contrast, in order to maintain a downstream flow of 75–85 m³/s, including for stabilizing the water level in Lake Dubasari, three to four times more water is currently being released from the Novodnistrovsk reservoir than is flowing in. The difference is being covered from previously accumulated reserves,” the environmental authority explains.

The Ministry stresses that Lake Dubasari depends directly on the upstream water inflow and does not have an autonomous strategic reserve capable of ensuring supply for an extended period.

Under these conditions, maintaining the current flow of 75–85 m³/s is becoming increasingly difficult. If the natural water inflow does not increase and Ukraine is forced to reduce discharges, the effects could be felt quickly in Lake Dubăsari and at downstream water intake stations.

A new meeting of the Dniester Commission, with the participation of the Ukrainian side, is scheduled for August 28. The participants in the meeting are to reassess the hydrological balance to identify and solutions for protecting water intakes and the Dniester ecosystem.

The Environment Ministry announces that it is continuously monitoring the situation and calls on local authorities and water operators to check the operation of intake stations and the tightness of networks. Businesses and farmers are urged to reduce non-essential technological consumption and the population is asked to use drinking water strictly for household and domestic needs.

The authorities warn that the situation on the Dniester can evolve rapidly and that water resource management continues to depend both on hydrological conditions and on cooperation between Moldova and Ukraine.