The National Crisis Management Centre, in partnership with the European Union Delegation to the Republic of Moldova and the United Nations, presented on 16 October 2026 the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) Report, prepared following the Nistru River pollution crisis caused by petroleum products in the spring of 2026.

The assessment was developed through the joint efforts of the Government of the Republic of Moldova, the United Nations (UNDP, FAO, WHO, UNEP, UNICEF, UNDRR), the European Union, and other partners. The exercise brought together national authorities, sector specialists, and international experts to document the impact of the incident, response costs, and recovery needs. Led by the Government, the process was coordinated through the National Crisis Management Centre (NCMC).

NCMC and UNDP Moldova supported the coordination of the assessment and the application of the methodology, facilitating the collection, verification, and consolidation of sectoral data. A working group of approximately 40 members was involved, bringing together representatives of 18 authorities and specialized institutions, as well as 10 international experts.

Representatives of the authorities and institutions involved in managing the crisis, together with development partners, attended the presentation event and discussed the report’s findings and recommendations, action priorities, and the conditions required for their implementation.

The report examines the consequences of the pollution incident triggered by the attack on the Novodnestrovsk Hydropower Plant in Ukraine, its impact on the population and the continuity of essential services, including water supply, as well as losses and recovery needs in the sectors of environment, water supply and sanitation, health, agriculture, and disaster risk reduction. Immediately after the incident, the European Union activated the Union Civil Protection Mechanism to support response efforts. Assistance included specialized equipment, personal protective equipment, power generators, and absorbent materials. Satellite imagery services were also activated to support pollution monitoring.

During the event, Serghei Diaconu, Director General of the NCMC, emphasized the importance of using the assessment findings to strengthen the national crisis management system.

“For us, it is important that the lessons identified following a crisis are translated into concrete improvements in the way central authorities, local authorities, and essential service operators prepare, cooperate, and act. The results of this assessment provide a basis for better understanding existing vulnerabilities and strengthening the state’s capacity to anticipate and manage similar situations,” said Serghei Diaconu.

According to the assessment, the precautionary suspension of water abstraction at Cosăuți, which supplies the northern water system of the country, turned river pollution into a drinking and technical water supply crisis. Approximately 200,000 people were affected or at risk of water supply disruption, while around 100,000 people temporarily lost access to water from the centralized system. During the response, more than 620 tonnes of drinking and technical water were distributed. Some non-urgent medical services were postponed, and schools in the municipality of Bălți temporarily switched to online learning. The effects were felt most acutely by older persons, persons with disabilities, households without means of transportation, and low-income families.

Although no damage to infrastructure, buildings, or equipment was recorded, total losses are estimated at EUR 2.33 million. These stem from response operations, additional costs incurred to maintain public services, and environmental impacts.

The highest losses were recorded in the disaster risk reduction sector (EUR 1.18 million), followed by the environment sector (EUR 724,000), water supply and sanitation (EUR 329,000), and health (EUR 97,000). At the local level, Soroca district was the most affected. The assessment did not identify measurable macroeconomic effects.

Recovery needs for the period 2026-2031 are focusing primarily on prevention and preparedness measures. The largest share is allocated to the environment sector for monitoring, laboratory capacities, contaminated waste management, and justified ecological interventions, followed by disaster risk reduction measures, including replenishment of stocks, specialized equipment, training, and exercises.

The health sector requires investments in autonomous water and energy sources in medical institutions, while the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector – to ensure continuity of water supply.

The report proposes seven priority action packages:

1. Complete environmental monitoring and decontamination where justified;
2. Increase water supply resilience through backup sources and water safety plans;
3. Strengthen real-time monitoring and data exchange between institutions;
4. Enhance cross-border coordination and establish joint protocols with Ukraine;
5. Reinforce civil protection capacities;
6. Support communities and vulnerable populations;
7. Restore ecosystems and promote sustainable management of the Nistru River Basin.

The document also recommends a single, coordinated recovery programme with clearly defined institutional responsibilities and a shared investment registry. Proposals formulated during the event will be considered in the finalization of the report.

The assessment was conducted in accordance with Article 22 of Law No. 248/2025 on Crisis Management. It is the second assessment of this kind carried out in the Republic of Moldova, following the 2010 PDNA prepared after the severe floods.

The methodological basis is the international PDNA methodology, jointly developed by the European Union, the United Nations, and the World Bank. It enables a comparable assessment of damages, losses, and recovery needs while promoting the “Build Back Better” principle to strengthen societal resilience to future disasters.