VIDEO // Environment Minister announces decrease of pollutant on Dniester, upstream from dams installed in Dondușeni district

Environment Minister Gheorghe Hajder urgently traveled to the village of Arionești, Dondușeni district to coordinate decontamination operations on the Dniester River, following a new intensification of pollution with petroleum products. The official’s presence on site comes after new pollutant slicks were detected last night, caused by rising water levels following recent precipitation and discharges from storage reservoirs.

Intervention teams were mobilized starting at 03:00 this morning, with additional materials and personnel transported to limit the spread of petroleum substances.

Following the inspection carried out this morning by Hajder, a significant decrease in the presence of the pollutant was found upstream from the previously installed protective dams, compared to the situation observed the previous evening. Nevertheless, the authorities are maintaining a high state of alert to prevent any additional risk to the river’s ecosystem.

Specialists from the Environment Agency and the National Agency for Public Health (ANSP) are on the ground to rigorously monitor water quality. New samples were taken this morning to determine the concentration of hydrocarbons and to ensure the public that the water remains within safe parameters.

The Environment Minister stressed that the authorities in Chișinău are maintaining permanent contact with their counterparts in Ukraine for an efficient exchange of information. Coordination of cross‑border actions is considered essential for managing the flow of pollutants moving downstream along the Dniester River.

According to technical data, the reappearance of pollution slicks is directly related to the river’s hydrological dynamics. The rise in water level has mobilized petroleum residues from shoreline areas or storage basins, carrying them downstream.

Gheorghe Hajder assured that intervention teams will remain deployed in the field until any ecological risk is definitively eliminated, with the current priority being the protection of drinking water quality and the biodiversity of the Dniester basin.