Moldova Declares 60-Day Energy and Water Emergency as Drought Bites

Moldova's parliament has approved a 60-day state of emergency covering its energy and water sectors, as the country confronts a severe drought and rising energy costs ahead of winter.

The measure passed the 101-seat legislature in a 54-20 vote, with 22 lawmakers abstaining. It takes effect on Saturday.

The environment ministry said Moldova faces a "severe hydrological deficit" on both the Dniester and Prut rivers, threatening water supplies in the European Union candidate country. The emergency powers will allow authorities to intervene faster and apply temporary measures where needed to keep supplies flowing.

"Particular attention is paid to the situation on the Dniester River, which is one of the main water sources of the Republic of Moldova," the ministry said.

The decision followed a National Security Council meeting chaired by President Maia Sandu on Monday, focused on the impact of the international energy crisis and steps to strengthen national energy resilience before winter.

Prime Minister Vasile Tofan described a "perfect storm" of drought, conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, and the destruction of refineries as drivers of higher energy costs and pressure on the energy sector. Moldova relies heavily on imported natural gas and electricity.

Similar states of alert in both sectors have been in place since July, when a severe drought began to grip Europe, and are due to expire on Friday.

"I'm not saying that tomorrow we'll run out of gas, diesel, electricity or water," Tofan said. "The problem is that we are entering the cold season with several major risks overlapping at the same time."

He said roughly 22 cubic metres of water per second were flowing into the Novodnistrovsk reservoir upstream in Ukraine, well below the minimum of 60 cubic metres per second he said was required.

Environment Minister Gheorghe Hajder said restrictions on non-essential water use may become necessary. "We must have all the tools required to intervene," he said.

Moldova declared an energy-sector state of emergency in March after Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy grid cut a key power line linking it to Romania. That same month, thousands of Moldovans were left without water after a Russian strike on the Novodnistrovsk hydropower plant caused pollution on the Dniester.