The municipality of Iasi is providing assistance to Balti amid the ongoing water crisis. According to Mayor Alexandr Petkov, a humanitarian convoy carrying tankers of drinking water will soon arrive in the city to support residents.
“In these difficult days for Balti, marked by the exceptional situation regarding water supply, our city is not alone. After the appeal I launched for humanitarian assistance, I was contacted by the mayor of Iasi, Mihai Chirica. Shortly, a humanitarian convoy of drinking water tankers will arrive in Balti to support the city’s residents,” Petkov said.
The mayor also thanked Mihai Chirica and the community of Iasi for their solidarity and support.
“Such moments show how important solidarity between cities and people is. I am confident that we will overcome this difficult period with dignity,” the mayor added.
The support comes after the first traces of pollutants were detected on the territory of the Republic of Moldova starting on March 10. Laboratory analyses conducted by the Environmental Agency of the Republic of Moldova confirmed that pollutant concentrations exceeded the maximum permissible levels in the Dniester River.
As a result of the contamination, authorities suspended the supply of drinking water from the Dniester River to Balti and other localities. Fishing was also banned in the sector between Naslavcea and the Dubasari Reservoir.
Authorities have mobilized the National Army of the Republic of Moldova and requested the activation of the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism. On March 15, the government declared an environmental alert for the basin of the Dniester River for a period of 15 days.
Earlier, the Promo-LEX Association filed a criminal complaint with the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Moldova, claiming that the pollution was caused by a military attack carried out by Russia on the Dniester Hydropower Complex in Novodnistrovsk, Ukraine, on March 7, 2026.