Moldova Assured: Dniester River Levels Not a Threat
The Ministry of Environment in Moldova has responded to public images showing the Dniester River severely depleted of water near the Ukrainian city of Hotin.
Chisinau authorities assure the public that the Republic of Moldova will not be affected.
The Ministry of Environment attributes the situation seen in the video footage to a lack of rainfall in the Carpathian Mountains and the Dniester River's return to its natural course in this region.
"The Ministry of Environment and the Moldovan Agency for Water Resources (Apele Moldovei) jointly announce that the Republic of Moldova is not and will not be impacted by these hydrological phenomena," the statement reads. "Water flow throughout the country is compensated for by the Nistrean Reservoir, which maintains sufficient volume to meet the needs of both water supply to the population and the preservation of living conditions for aquatic ecosystems."
The Moldovan Agency for Water Resources remains in constant communication with relevant Ukrainian institutions.
A video clip circulating on social media shows the Dniester River with drastically reduced water levels.
The decrease in the water level of the Dniester River in the Chernivtsi region is attributed to an increased water discharge to boost energy production at the Novodnistrovsk Hydroelectric Power Plant. This information was confirmed for Ukrainian publications by representatives of Ukrhydroenergo, the state enterprise managing major hydroelectric power plants along the Dnieper and Dniester rivers.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
