Moldova calls on Ukraine to stop the work on the expansion of the Dniester hydropower complex as it poses a serious threat to Moldova’s food security and the supply of drinking water to the population.
This is stated in the Declaration on the current and future impact of hydropower facilities on the Dniester River and the prevention of an imminent environmental catastrophe, adopted by the Moldovan Parliament. The document notes that the Dniester is the main waterway of Moldova and a strategic object of supplying our country with water: the river supplies drinking water to more than 70% of the inhabitants of Moldova and more than 90% of the Chisinau population. The declaration emphasizes that the protection of the Dniester is an issue of European importance and regional environmental security, since this river provides water to more than 8 million people in Moldova and Ukraine, and for many years the Moldovan authorities have been sounding the alarm in connection with the current catastrophic state of the Dniester and the threat of siltation of this a strategic and vital facility for Moldova, including due to the operation of the Hydropower Complex in Novodnistrovsk. Scientists and specialists in the field of ecology note the degradation of the hydrological, hydrochemical and hydrobiological regime of the Dniester; 80% reduction in the ability of the river to cleanse itself over the past 7-8 years; disappearance of valuable fish species; intensive siltation of the river; a sharp drop in the water level, the replacement of plants characteristic of rivers with plants characteristic of swamps and many other problems, indicating that our citizens may soon be left without a source of drinking water, while catastrophic environmental consequences will become irreversible not only for Moldova, but also for Ukraine. In recent years, several scientific studies and assessments have been carried out, indicating the negative impact on the Dniester following the activities of the Dniester hydropower complex and the construction of 6 more hydropower plants upstream of Novodnistrovsk. Findings from studies and impact analyzes suggest that we are on the brink of a major environmental disaster that could lead to drought, soil degradation, depopulation and even a humanitarian crisis. Therefore, the parliament calls on international and European organizations in the field of environmental protection, development partners and diplomatic missions accredited in Moldova, representatives of civil society and the media to more actively intervene in the process of solving the problems of the Dniester. Also, the parliament calls on the President of the Republic of Moldova to demand from his Ukrainian counterpart that the Ukrainian side stop work on the expansion of the Dniester hydropower complex. In addition, the parliament advises the head of state to demand from the President of Ukraine that the Ukrainian side fulfills the obligations arising from the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context and the Protocol of May 23, 2008 and submit to Moldova the documentation on the notification of the planned construction, as well as the assessment of the environmental impact following the extension of the Dniester hydropower complex. At the same time, the Government of Moldova is recommended to include the Dniester problem in the draft Agenda of the Moldova-EU Association for 2021-2027 as a priority in the Environmental Protection section. The Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment is recommended not to allow the cession to the Ukrainian side of the land plot located on the territory of Moldova, upstream of the dam of the Naslavcea village, and also to require the Ukrainian side to observe the hydrological regime downstream of the Dniester hydropower complex by dumping the ecological runoff that meets environmental standards. In addition, it is proposed to demand from the Ukrainian side to ensure uninterrupted round-the-clock flow of the Dniester to maintain the life of aquatic ecosystems downstream of the Dniester hydropower complex. // 15.02.2021 - InfoMarket.
