News about Water resources
The extremely difficult situation regarding water resources in the Dniester River (sharp decline in water levels) and other bodies of water that arose in Moldova this summer is a natural consequence of the authorities’ long-standing indifference to this critical issue.
On Wednesday, the Romanian government announced that it would begin shutting down its only nuclear power plant on Thursday after water levels in the Danube fell to a record low this week and attempts to prevent a complete shutdown failed. This will be the first shutdown of the plant since the drought of 2003.
The government has approved the National Program for the Development of the Water Supply and Sewerage Sector for 2026–2030. The total estimated cost of the measures outlined in the program is approximately 598 million lei.
The Romanian Ministry of Energy reported that technical procedures have begun at the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant to carry out a controlled shutdown of the second power unit due to very low water levels in the Danube.
Water discharge from the Dniester Hydroelectric Power Plant downstream on the Dniester River will be reduced to 75 cubic meters per second. This decision was made today by the Moldovan-Ukrainian Commission on the Dniester. The decision is in effect until the end of August.
The drought problem is most acute in the south of the country, where the highest number of water stress episodes has been recorded. Under these conditions, the authorities are proposing to explore the possibility of reusing treated wastewater to irrigate agricultural land. For example, in the Kahul, Kantemir, and Keushen districts, an additional 1,817 hectares could be irrigated with treated wastewater. This would increase the total area of irrigated land by approximately 40%.
This week, the last protective dams installed on the Dniester River following an oil spill—allegedly caused by an attack by the Russian Federation on the Novodnestrovsk Hydroelectric Power Plant in Ukraine—were dismantled.
The National Energy Regulatory Agency (NARE) has approved new rates for water supply and sewerage services provided by four companies, including Apă-Canal Chișinău.
Hungary narrowly avoided a shutdown of its nuclear power sector as the Danube’s water level rose. Hungary’s prime minister said Tuesday that Budapest miraculously managed to avoid a complete shutdown of its nuclear power plant, as the return of the Danube’s water levels to normal allowed the country to keep its only nuclear power plant operational.
Against the backdrop of the aid announced by the central government for the capital, municipal services demonstrated the readiness of the vehicle fleet used for water supply.
The trend of falling river water levels will continue from August 1 through August 7. This warning has been issued by the Republic of Moldova’s Meteorological and Environmental Monitoring Agency. Hydrological warnings of various levels—ranging from “yellow” to “orange”—are currently in effect for most of the country’s river basins.
On the banks of the Danube, near the town of Ryakovo in Bulgaria, the remains of an ancient mammoth have been uncovered. The river, with water levels at a historic low due to the recent heat waves, has exposed the bones, which, according to researchers at the Regional History Museum in Ruse, belong to a specimen of the species “Mammuthus primigenius,” better known as the woolly mammoth.
Following the meeting of the Moldovan-Ukrainian Commission on the Dniester, a decision was made to reduce the water discharge from the Novodnestrovsk Reservoir downstream from 100 to 85 cubic meters per second. This is a compromise solution. Two weeks ago, the Ukrainian side proposed reducing the discharge to 70 cubic meters per second.
The Capital’s Main Directorate for Housing, Public Utilities, and Urban Improvement, in cooperation with the sector prefectures, will designate areas for the installation of mobile water distribution stations for the public.
Romania has suspended operations at one reactor at the nuclear power plant in Cernavodă due to low water levels in the Danube caused by dry weather.
Water resource management on the Dniester River, in light of the current hydrological situation, was one of the topics discussed at the meeting between Moldovan Prime Minister Vasile Tofan and Paun Rogovei, Ukraine’s ambassador to the Republic of Moldova.
The Moldovan government today declared a 30-day state of alert (high readiness) in the field of hydrology.
In the first six months of 2026, 27 people, including five children, drowned in Moldovan bodies of water. The National Public Health Agency (ANSP) released these figures as the summer season gets underway, a time when the number of water-related incidents tends to rise.
New details and assessments are emerging regarding the water supply situation in the Republic of Moldova’s settlements in general and in the capital in particular, and these fall well short of a “good” rating.
This morning, photos and videos of the Byk River appeared on social media, showing that the waters of the Bîc River, which flows through the capital, have become murky along its entire length.
