Moldova declares environmental alert due to Dniester pollution after russian attack on HEPP

The Moldovan government has declared a 15-day state of emergency in the Dniester River basin due to oil spills. The cause of the environmental crisis was the damage to the Dniester Hydroelectric Power Plant (HEPP) in the Chernivtsi Region as a result of a russian attack on March 7. Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu spoke about the consequences of the incident, NewsMaker.md reports.

The head of government noted that the situation remains difficult.

"Unfortunately, the wave of oil pollution continues to follow the river, and in some areas in the north of the Dniester, the level of pollutants exceeds permissible standards," he said.

Environment Minister Gheorghe Hajder stressed that the volume of the leak exceeds 1.5 tons, and directly pointed to russia's responsibility.

"What we see today is a direct consequence of the war near our borders... We need to call things by their rightful names. The only culprit of the pollution is russia," Hajer stressed.

Moldova has now appealed to the European Union for help to eliminate the consequences. The authorities plan to install additional protective barriers on the river and, if necessary, limit water use in the most affected areas.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, oil products entered the Dniester due to the russian attack on the Dniester Hydroelectric Power Plant, and Moldova has deployed the army to clean it up.