The drought in Europe has caused a sharp drop in water levels in the Dniester Reservoir
Due to the prolonged drought in Europe, the water level in the Dniester Reservoir has dropped significantly. In some areas, the body of water has lost its characteristic features as a reservoir and now more closely resembles a natural river channel.
To ensure the rational use of water resources, the State Agency for Water Resources restricted the rights to special water use for 92 water users in the Dniester basin in July 2026.
The agency notes that these measures are intended to conserve water resources amid prolonged low water levels.
The Khotyn water intake facility has also been affected by the drought and is operating under conditions of significantly reduced water levels.
The company has already adapted its water intake system to ensure an uninterrupted centralized water supply for residents of the Khotyn community.
According to experts, the water flow rate at the Zalishchyky city intake was only 38.8 m³/s.
At the same time, the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center forecasts that hot weather and abnormally low precipitation will persist throughout August, which could lead to a further deterioration of the water management situation.
Representatives of the Ministry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine held a meeting with their Moldovan counterparts, during which the parties assessed the situation firsthand on site.
Following the meeting, Ukraine and Moldova agreed to continue working together to address the consequences of low water levels and coordinate measures to conserve water resources.
This was reported by the Ministry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine.
Earlier, Ukraine expressed its readiness to provide support to Moldova and propose solutions should the hydrological situation on the Dniester River worsen. Moldova’s Minister of the Environment, Gheorghe Hazder, announced this following talks with his Ukrainian counterpart, Oleksandr Kravchenko.
Previously, Ukraine and Moldova agreed on joint actions in response to the critical drop in water levels in the Dniester. Over the next two weeks, water releases from the Dniester Reservoir will be reduced from 100 to 85 cubic meters per second.
As a reminder, the Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs has warned its citizens about heightened checks, interrogations lasting several hours, and instances of coercion to sign contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense when attempting to enter Russian territory.
