EU support enables Moldova's National Agency for Public Health (ANSP) to better monitor SARS-CoV-2 in urban wastewater.
EU4Environment Water and Data participated in the second edition of the "One Health Conference" in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, on 23-24 November. Andrei Ursache, Programme Representative in Moldova and Prof. Norbert Kreuzinger (Vienna University of Technology, Institute for Water Quality and Resource Management) spoke about the good progress of the Covid monitoring of Chisinau's wastewater.
The graph below shows the first results of weekly monitoring of urban wastewater and the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 virus load in the local population.
Source: Research Unit Water Quality Management, Vienna University of Technology, based on data from ANSP and Apa Canal Chisinau
Environment Agency Austria (Umweltbundesamt Austria) is the leader of the E4Environment Water and Data programme and responsible for water monitoring related activities. Austrian expert took the opportunity of this conference to continue its advisory work for Moldovan colleagues from the laboratory of the National Agency for Public Health (ANSP), which produced the figures in the graph.
The 2nd National Conference "One Health Approach - Achievements and Challenges" was organised by the Association for Biosafety and Biosecurity of the Republic of Moldova in cooperation with the National Agency for Public Health, the Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy, and in partnership with the World Health Organization Country Office in the Republic of Moldova, with financial support from the European Union.
The conference aimed to bring together scientists and researchers to share their experiences and research findings on all aspects of the One Health approach. It also aimed to provide a leading interdisciplinary platform for researchers, practitioners and academics to present and discuss the latest innovations, trends and concerns, as well as practical challenges and solutions in the field of One Health.
The first meeting of the recently established Nirnova Basin Intercommunal Development Association (ADI) was held on 16 January 2024. The group of municipalities was established in accordance with the Law No. 17 of 02.02.2023 on Intercommunal Development Associations of the Republic of Moldova (read more).
The meeting was attended by the Ministries of Environment, of Infrastructure and Regional Development of the Republic of Moldova, by Water Solidarity Europe and International Secretariat for Water (SIE-SEE), representative of the Moldovan Parliament, French Embassy in the Republic of Moldova, Apele Moldovei Water Agency, Artois Picardie Water Agency from France, Presidents of Hincesti and Nisporeni Raions and Mayors from Nisporeni and Hincesti Raions.
The meeting focused on the future procedural work of the ADI: election of the ADI President, creation of thematic working groups. In the afternoon, participants discussed the action plan for water and sanitation.
Following the Water and Sanitation Master Plan developed with EU support, the EU4Environment - Water and Data programme is supporting the ADI in the selection of an operator to provide water and sanitation services to the population.
The EU4Environment Water and Data Programme also supports the technical clarifications necessary for the implementation of three main actions of the Water and Sanitation Master Plan:
On Monday 25 September, the "Nirnova Basin Intercommunal Development Association" (ADI) was officially registered with the Moldovan authorities and presented at a press conference in the Moldovan Parliament on 17 October.
It is the result of several years of commitment and mobilisation by the mayors and Solidarity Water Europe (SWE), as well as the trust and support of the Moldovan national authorities and institutional partners (Artois Picardie Water Agency, Saint-Omer Urban Planning and Development Agency, French Embassy in Moldova, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation). This Intercommunal Development Association (ADI) is the first form of association of municipalities in the Republic of Moldova.
A first association of municipalities at the level of the Nirnova river basin.
This association of municipalities is part of the ambitious reform process initiated by Moldova on the way to European Union integration, in particular the transformation of public action. The Intercommunal Development Association (ADI) "Nirnova River Basin" aims to bring together all the communes of the river basin, comprising 30 villages located in the districts of Hincesti and Nisporeni (raïon), with a population of approximately 45,000 inhabitants, the majority of whom live in rural areas.
The member communities of the Association for the Development of Intercommunal Cooperation (ADI) are committed to jointly establishing water resource management in accordance with the principles of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM), where water is a limited and vulnerable resource essential for sustaining life, the environment and development.
The EU's support for water in Moldova has materialised through early cooperation with this group of municipalities.
The EU4Environment Water and Data programme (since 2022) and the EU Water Initiative Plus project (2016-2021) have engaged at the level of the Intercommunal Development Association (ADI) in the Nirnova river basin, recognising that better water management requires management at the local level.
Under the EU Water Initiative Plus project, the development of a Master Plan for the Development of Water and Sanitation Services, at that time unofficially associated with the Intercommunal Development Association (ADI) in the Nirnova River Basin, and the EU4Environment Water and Data programme, provided support to this Association for the selection of an operator for the water and sanitation services operator, particularly in the southern sub-basin, which benefited from investment and support for the incubation of three implementation measures related to the Master Plan for the Development of Water and Sanitation Services.
EU4Environment Water and Data congratulates the mayors and organisations that supported the creation of the Intercommunal Development Association (ADI) and hopes that many projects will emerge with the aim of promoting shared, inclusive and solidarity-based governance of water resources at the scale of the Nirnova River Basin.
Read the press release: https://www.sie-see.org/en/article/moldovas-first-step-towards-intercommunity-the-first-ida-is-created/
Credit picture: International Secretariat for Water - Solidarity Water Europe.
A meeting on the implementation of the EU Directive 91/676/EC concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources was held on 14 December.
Ms Irina Punga, Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Moldova, participated in the meeting.
The meeting was organised with the support of the EU4Environment Water and Data Programme. Two French experts from the International Office for Water presented France's experience in implementing the EU Nitrates Directive.
The participants discussed the protection of water against nitrate pollution in rivers and groundwater through the implementation of specific measures and codes of good agricultural practice.
Irina Punga stressed that the efficient management of water resources is a priority for the country:
"Pollution of water resources is a serious problem in the Republic of Moldova, especially due to excessive use of nitrates and fertilizers in agricultural activities. Given the country's status as a candidate for EU accession, issues related to the harmonisation of EU directives are of paramount importance in the work of the Ministry of Environment and other central authorities".
Umweltbundesamt provides insights into water monitoring in Austria
How is water monitoring organized in the European Union and implemented in Austria? Which analytic procedures and reporting demands does the Water Framework Directive require? Which laboratory infrastructure is needed? Managers and laboratory experts from the Moldovan Environmental Agency get answers to these questions on a study visit to Austria from October 2 to 5. The visit is organized by the Umweltbundesamt, the Environment Agency Austria (EAA) in the framework of the EU4Environment Water Resources and Environmental data program and includes excursions to sampling locations in the south of Vienna, as well as a training session at the DWS Hydro-Ökologie GmbH.
The aim of the study visit is to strengthen the knowledge on correct implementation of European water monitoring policies, giving insights into Austrian routines and practices and to provide trainings on the biological laboratory work. The program includes meetings about national, local and international water data collection and reporting at the water management departments of the Federal Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry, Regions and Water Management and of the City of Vienna, as well as at the office of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River. In addition, Moldovan experts receive information on data handling, interpretation and storage.
“Our know-how transfer helps EU Eastern Partner countries, such as the Republic of Moldova or Ukraine, to step-wise upgrade their water management for the EU Candidate status. As our cooperation exists since 2016, we confirm clear progress at responsible institutions but also understand local challenges to achieve the reforms committed by each Government”, explains Alexander Zinke from EEA, the leader of this EU programme