On 6 September 2017, in Cahul, the draft Capacity Development Plan for Joint Stock Company (JSC) Apa-Canal Cahul was presented in a workshop. The event was attended by local public authorities, representatives of Regional Development Agency (RDA) South, JSC Apa-Canal Cahul employees, representatives of the German Investment Bank KfW, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and advisors of ‘Modernization of Local Public Services in the Republic of Moldova’ project implemented by German Development Cooperation through GIZ.
The workshop aimed at presenting the main findings of needs assessment and proposals for capacity development of the municipal operator Joint Stock Company (JSC) Apa-Canal Cahul, identified by the experts contracted by MLPS/GIZ. In the course of group discussions, the aforementioned findings and proposals were put for debate and development priorities for the operator were mapped out for the next period.
Nicolae Dandis, mayor of Cahul town: ‘This is a very important document for the future development of the municipal water supply operator. Its drafting was possible only with the help of donors, who invest a lot in our region… To have water supply services we need an operator with capacities to provide these services’.
Petru Veverita, MLPS/GIZ senior national advisor: ‘We are at a very important stage. Cahul rayon is probably one of, if not the only one to benefit from the support of all MLPS project donors. During the last years, via MLPS several activities were implemented. The most important step made in this respect was the creation of the municipal operator JSC ‘Apa-Canal’.
Simon Boehler, MLPS/GIZ international advisor on capacity building: ‘The municipal operator JSC ‘Apa-Canal’ Cahul is one of the most important actors in providing water supply and sanitation services. That is why, we have to focus on the operator and on how to improve the services it provides. Besides the successes achieved, there are also several challenges to overcome and namely the appointment of the Governing Board of the operator and election of the director of JSC ‘Apa-Canal’, two important elements for an efficient and sustainable institution’.
Sergiu Guțu, head of KfW office in Chisinau: ‘In Cahul rayon, KfW is going to implement a project, with a EUR 23.5 million budget in the first phase, provided as a grant. As a result, the drinking water supply system will be completely rehabilitated, water networks will be rehabilitated, a new wastewater treatment plant will be built… In addition, the donor community have strengthened and joined efforts to develop a technical assistance program for JSC ‘Apa-Canal’ Cahul operator. We would much appreciate if this document – Action Plan – is agreed on and supported by the beneficiary’.
Andrei Cantemir, SDC national program coordinator: ‘Besides the investments made into physical infrastructure, for every donor it is very important that the infrastructure is sustainable or how long it will function. So, finally, what matters is who manages these systems. That is why, we, the development partners put a great emphasis on the operator managing these systems, i.e. JSC ‘Apa-Canal’ Cahul operator, who must be capable of and efficient in providing qualitative water supply and sanitation services’.
Gheorghe Ghețivu, interim director JSC ‘Apa-Canal’ Cahul: ‘The document prepared by the experts will help us, firstly, see our strengths and, especially our weaknesses. Only in this way we will see where we are now and what steps need to be taken in the future’.
After the workshop, in the second part of the day the development partners had a working meeting with the Local Citizen Committee members from Lebedenco commune. During the meeting the next steps in implementing the first phase of ‘Main water pipeline Cahul – Lebedenco – Pelinei – Gavanoasa – Vulcanesti (villages) – Alexandru Ioan Cuza and internal networks of villages Lebedenco, Hutulu, Ursoaia, Pelinei, Satuc, Gavanoasa, Vladimirovca and Nicolaevca’ project were discussed. It is financed from SDC sources and is in its design stage.
The project ‘Modernization of Local Public Services in the Republic of Moldova’ (MLPS) is implemented by the German Development Cooperation through GIZ in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment and is financially supported by the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the European Union, the Romanian Government, the Swedish Government and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
