A Swedish delegation visited North Regional Development Agency (North RDA) and then paid a visit to Duruitoarea Veche and Costesti localities in Rascani rayon, where North RDA, with the support of ‘Modernization of Local Public Services in Moldova’ project (MLPS), conducts a pilot project to improve water and sanitation services, financed by the German Government. The project covers Prut cluster, which includes nearly half of Rascani rayon.
The Swedish delegation consisted of Henrik Huitfeldt, reform cooperation counselor at the Embassy of Sweden in Chisinau; Christina Hartler, Deputy Director, Europe and Latin America Department of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida); Anna-Karin Municio, independent consultant at Municio Consulting in Sweden; and Andrei Darie, national programmes coordinator at the Swedish Embassy in Chisinau. Swedish delegation was accompanied by Igor Malai, deputy head of the General Directorate Regional Development at the Ministry of Regional Development and Construction (MRDC) of the Republic of Moldova, and Valentina Plesca, National Senior Advisor on Local Public Services, MLPS.
Inside the premises of North RDA, director of the institution, Ion Bodrug, thanked the guests for their interest in regional development projects undertaken in north region of the country, then presented details about the pilot project ‘Improving water and sanitation services in Rascani rayon’. ‘This project is unique, especially for activism of people in a small village as Duruitoarea Veche, the community contributed over 100 thousand MDL, money needed for the development of technical documentation of the project’, says the Director of North RDA.
Guests from Sweden were documented on the development stages of the pilot project from Rascani. So far, within the project was constructed 7.5 km of water supply network in the village of Duruitoarea Veche; 3.2 km of sewerage networks; the office of M.E. ‘Apa Canal Costesti’ was repaired and rehabilitated, and supplied with equipment and office mechanisms; M.E. ‘Apa Canal Costesti’ was equipped with vehicles and specialized equipment for operational needs. Currently, 118 (70%) of the total 170 households from the village of Duruitoarea Veche receive centralized drinking water supply services. However, the reconstruction and modernization of the treatment plant in the city of Costesti, construction of 4.5 km of sanitation networks in the village of Duruitoarea Veche, expansion of sanitation networks in the city of Costesti by 11.5 km are under implementation process.
We would like to mention, that so far, it has been developed a feasibility study of aggregation of water supply services for Prut cluster and 15 rayon local public administrations signed within the project, a memorandum of understanding for cooperation on water supply and sanitation (WSS) public service delivery. One of the next steps is the foundation of WSS regional operator for cluster Prut. The construction of sewerage networks in the village of Duruitoarea Veche and reconstruction of the treatment plant and extension of sewerage networks in Costesti is among several other important activities to be carried out under this project.
In the second half of the day, the Swedish delegation traveled to Riscani town, where met with rayon president, Ion Parea; afterwards they visited Costesti and Duruitoarea Veche localities.
The total estimated value of the project from Rascani is MDL 21 921 677 (EUR 1 210 079), including German investment through the German Development Cooperation through GIZ – MDL 21 699 677 (EUR 1 196 179), local contribution – EUR 13 900).
MLPS project, under which is implemented the pilot project of water supply and sanitation of 15 administrative-territorial units in 28 municipalities that are part of the Prut cluster, is implemented by GIZ and is financially supported by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania.
