Water shortage and state of emergency in Moldova

Moldova has declared a 60-day state of emergency following an unusually severe drought.

The state of emergency applies to the energy and water sectors and was passed by parliament to enable the authorities to take measures more easily to tackle water shortages and rising energy costs.

The country’s Ministry of the Environment describes the situation as a “serious hydrological deficit” after water levels in the Prut and Dniester rivers – which are vital to the country – have fallen so low that Moldova’s water supply is under threat. The Ministry has already threatened to impose water restrictions.

Furthermore, the price of natural gas and electricity – both of which Moldova relies heavily on imports for – has risen sharply.

“It’s not as though we’ll run out of gas, diesel, electricity or water tomorrow. The problem is that we are heading into the cold season with several risk factors overlapping,” says Prime Minister Vasile Tofan.

^{Cover image: The River Dniester, shown here near the town of Soroca on the border with Ukraine, has low water levels. Archive image. Photo: Aurel Obreja/AP/TT}