Better Water, Better Health, Better Life

Water Supply and Sanitation Pilot Project

Just one short year ago, the 42,000 residents of the southern Moldovan town of Cahul suffered from a limited water supply, with service for less than 8 hours per day. But now, tap water is available for all but a few hours per day, a remarkable improvement.

Two water pumping stations renovated with support from the World Bank’s Water Supply and Sanitation Project have made the difference in Cahul as well as in other nearby towns. “Today, tap water is available 19 hours per day, and at the same time energy is being conserved at the pumping stations,” says Vasile Zagaevski, head of the municipal enterprise “Apa Canal Cahul”.

Improvements include plastic pipes that will substitute for the 20 kilometers of aqueducts that are already over 50 years old. Intensive repair works are underway at eleven artesian wells, and 20 kilometers of water main pipelines are being refurbished in the town of Stefan Voda, again with the financial support from the World Bank.

“The Project is in full swing. It will be finished in one year, and we hope to provide 99% of the population with high quality water upon its completion. And better water leads to better health for the people of Moldova,” says Nicolae Danila, head manager of the joint enterprise Apa Canal Stefan Voda, which operates in a small town in southern Moldova. “It’s a big step forward if we look at the present situation, in which the centralized water supply system covers less than 45% of the entire population.”

Water supply and sewer systems have deteriorated considerably in the Republic of Moldova during the last decade. Many of the 1,038 centralized water supply systems built between the 1970s and 1990s are currently in need of upgrading or replacement. Over 50% of the Moldovan population is consuming sub-standard drinking water because the quality of the water resources has worsened, the systems are in poor condition, and the water treatment technologies are outdated.

To help remedy this situation, Moldova solicited a credit from the World Bank in 2003 to implement a pilot project that would help to better the lives of some of its poorest citizens by improving the quality, efficiency and safety of water supply and sanitation services. The funds helped to rehabilitate water supply systems in the towns of Cahul, Orhei, Soroca, and Stefan Voda; to train the technical and financial personnel working in the Apa-Canal Unit in doing tests; and to provide the Apa-Canal Unit with technical assistance.

The institutional and financial consolidation of water supply and sewerage units was crucial to the success of the project. Electronic equipment and financial software for accounting was purchased, and is now fully automated. In addition, each enterprise now has a customer service center. The management of the enterprises has improved, and technical and financial services work more efficiently

Additionally, training of staff has been an important part of the project. Financial staff at the participating companies were trained in international accounting standards, as the water supply and sanitation enterprises covered by the project are subject to yearly independent international audits. And certified welders working at those enterprises have been trained in welding techniques for the polyethylene pipes.

“Everything we do is aimed at boosting the living conditions, and health, of the people of Moldova,” says Aurelia Samson, head of the Project Implementation Unit. “We’re succeeding in doing this through improving enterprise management and reliability of the water supply services.”

The Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy adopted by the Republic of Moldova aims at increasing the share of people with access to better water sources from 40% in 2001 to 70% in 2007. It is an objective Moldova will attain, partly due to the implementation of the Water Supply and Sanitation Project.