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

The report was prepared using an international methodology developed by the European Union, the United Nations and the World Bank. This methodology enables the assessment of a crisis’s impact on the population, the economy and public services, as well as the identification of measures required for recovery. This approach aims to restore conditions to their pre-crisis state while identifying solutions to strengthen the preparedness and resilience of communities and institutions in the face of similar situations in the future.

The assessment was conducted by teams from the Government of the Republic of Moldova, the United Nations (UNDP, FAO, WHO, UNEP, UNICEF and UNDRR), the European Union and other partners. The CNMC and UNDP Moldova supported the coordination of the assessment and the application of the methodology, facilitating the collection, verification and consolidation of sectoral data. In total, the exercise brought together approximately 40 representatives from 18 national authorities and institutions, as well as around 10 international experts.

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

The report analyses the consequences of the Dniester River pollution following the Russian attack on the Novodnistrovsk Hydroelectric Power Plant in Ukraine. The assessment examines the impact on the population, particularly the temporary disruption of water supplies, as well as the consequences for the environment, public health and agriculture. It also estimates the losses caused by the crisis and identifies the measures needed to restore affected services, reduce risks and improve preparedness for similar situations.

Immediately after the incident, the Republic of Moldova, as a participating state in the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism, requested support from European partners to address the consequences of the Dniester River pollution. Following this request, specialised equipment, personal protective equipment, electric generators and absorbent materials were rapidly mobilised. European satellite imagery services were also activated to monitor the spread of pollution and support the authorities’ response efforts.

According to the assessment, the precautionary suspension of water abstraction at Cosăuți, which supplies the water distribution system in the northern part of the country, created a situation that required the rapid mobilisation of authorities to ensure the continuity of drinking and technical water supplies to the population. Approximately 200,000 people were affected or exposed to the risk of water supply disruptions, while around 100,000 temporarily lost access to the centralised water supply system.

During the response, joint efforts by central and local authorities, development partners and businesses resulted in the distribution of more than 620 tonnes of drinking and technical water. Emergency medical services were prioritised and maintained without interruption, while some non-urgent medical services were temporarily rescheduled. In the municipality of Bălți, local authorities decided to temporarily move educational activities online as a measure to adapt to the situation.

At the same time, the crisis highlighted the additional difficulties faced by older people, persons with disabilities, households without access to transport and low-income families. Authorities and social services sought to provide support based on identified needs and available resources.

The incident did not cause damage to infrastructure, buildings or equipment, but generated losses estimated at EUR 2.33 million. These losses primarily reflect response expenditure, additional costs associated with maintaining public services and the impact on the environment.

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

According to the report, the recovery needs identified for the 2026–2031 period primarily concern measures that would enable the Republic of Moldova to prevent and manage similar incidents more effectively. The greatest needs relate to the environmental sector, including improving water quality monitoring, strengthening laboratory capacity, managing contaminated waste and carrying out the interventions necessary to protect the environment. Other needs concern the preparedness and response capacity of the authorities, including replenishing material reserves, equipping response teams with specialised equipment, training personnel and conducting practical exercises.

The report proposes seven priority action packages:
1. Completing environmental monitoring and decontamination where justified.
2. Strengthening the resilience of water supplies through alternative sources and water safety plans.
3. Enabling real-time monitoring and data exchange between institutions.
4. Strengthening cross-border coordination and establishing joint protocols with Ukraine.
5. Enhancing civil protection capacities.
6. Supporting communities and vulnerable people.
7. Restoring ecosystems and ensuring the sustainable management of the Dniester River basin.
The report also recommends establishing a single, coordinated recovery programme, with clearly defined responsibilities for each institution and a common investment register.
The proposals and recommendations put forward during the event will be reviewed and taken into account in finalising the report, which will subsequently be published on the websites of the CNMC and UNDP Moldova.

Going forward, the National Crisis Management Centre will seek to incorporate the assessment findings into national crisis management mechanisms through the following actions:
1. Integrating the findings of the PDNA into the national risk assessment to improve the identification and analysis of vulnerabilities, including cross-border risks, cascading effects and interdependencies between essential services.
2. Using the findings to develop the National Register of Lessons Identified from Crisis Management, documenting the experience gained during the Dniester River crisis and identifying both effective practices and areas requiring improvement.
3. Applying the lessons identified to strengthen institutional preparedness, including through the development of national legislation on business continuity and continuity of government, the identification of alternative solutions for maintaining essential services, and the organisation of inter-institutional exercises.

The CNMC will also continue its dialogue with the responsible institutions and development partners to support the prioritisation of the report’s recommendations and identify opportunities for their implementation, in line with institutional mandates and available resources.

The results of this assessment provide a clearer picture of the vulnerabilities exposed by the Dniester River crisis and the measures that can be improved. The next step is to build on the experience gained and ensure that the lessons identified are reflected in how we prepare, cooperate and respond to crises.

Speech by the Director General of the National Crisis Management Center at the Moldova Security Forum 2026:

Distinguished guests, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, 

We no longer operate in an era of isolated crises. Today's disruptions do not respect borders, institutional jurisdictions, or bureaucratic timelines.

While policy analysts often categorize crises as energy, cyber, environmental, or natural disasters, citizens experience them holistically. They experience them when critical infrastructure fails, schools close, or essential services collapse. Because vulnerabilities are deeply interconnected, our strategic response must be equally integrated.

True national resilience, is not measured by the total prevention of shocks, but by the systemic capacity of our institutions and communities to maintain core functions when multiple cascading failures occur simultaneously.

Throughout 2026, Moldova served as a live testing ground for managing interconnected, transboundary risks:

• Infrastructure Dependencies: In March, kinetic attacks on neighboring Ukrainian energy infrastructure instantly compromised the Isaccea-Vulcănești line, threatening our domestic power grid and proving that extra-territorial assets directly impact our national security.

• Cross-Sectoral Escalation: Simultaneously, contamination of the Nistru River threatened drinking water across multiple municipalities, requiring immediate, synchronized action across public health, environment, emergency services, and local governments.

These events confirmed a vital structural truth: a crisis is not a technical problem for a single agency; it is a complex governance and resource-allocation challenge. Institutional silos must not dictate the boundaries of our crisis preparedness.

To address this reality, Moldova has fundamentally restructured its governance framework by establishing the National Crisis Management Center (NCMC). Operating under the direct authority of the Prime Minister, the NCMC supports the National Crisis Management Commission. It serves as a strategic integrator rather than a replacement for sectoral agencies, ensuring a unified situational picture and synchronized executive decisions.

Today, this national platform connects over 70 institutions. It bridges the gap between top-tier decision-makers, technical specialists, and local territorial hubs ubs to to ensure centralized policy translates to immediate coordinated action.

A vital pillar of this architecture is enhanced civil-military cooperation. By bridging civilian agility with military logistics, conducting joint operational exercises, and pooling capabilities, we ensure faster decision-making cycles and more efficient resource deployment when time is the most critical variable.

We are anchor-building our system on three core capacities:

• Common Situational Awareness: Replacing fragmented institutional assessments with a single, verified, and real- time data stream.

• Coordinated Decision-Making: Setting clear strategic priorities and resource mapping across sectors when multiple essential services are compromised at once.

• Operational Continuity: Guaranteeing that the state maintains its core functions and continuity of government even under extreme operational disruption.

State capability represents only half of the resilience equation. During large-scale disruptions, central governments cannot act alone. True resilience requires an active ecosystem consisting of local authorities, private critical infrastructure operators, utility providers, and civil society networks.

Our strategy directly aligns with the EU Preparedness Union Strategy, embedding a whole-of- government and whole-of-society methodology into our national fabric. This framework shifts focus heavily toward population readiness, specifically cultivating the capacity of citizens to remain self-sufficient for a minimum of 72 hours during a major breakdown.

To institutionalize this shift from reactive management to proactive societal readiness, I am pleased to announce the launch of "Moldova Prepared". This is a targeted, three- year national program designed to build practical civil preparedness and societal resilience across the country.

This initiative will systematically:

• Empower households with clear, actionable operational protocols for temporary utility or service outages.

• Strengthen localized governance by tailoring emergency capacities to specific regional vulnerabilities.

• Build cross-sector partnerships spanning academic institutions, private enterprises, media, and volunteer networks.

As a foundational milestone of this initiative, we will execute Moldova's national 72-hour preparedness campaign from November 2026.

The first 72 hours of an emergency are the most critical for public infrastructure stabilization. When households possess basic contingencies and verified information, it mitigates panic and frees up emergency services to focus their high- value assets on the most acute, life-saving priorities. This is not an admission of institutional limitation; it is a optimization strategy that makes state and society stronger together.

Resilience is not defined by the absence of crises, but by the systemic capability to anticipate risk, absorb shocks, maintain continuity of service, and recover rapidly.

Through the NCMC and the Moldova Prepared framework, we are transitioning from a system of reactive crisis response to a culture of permanent, proactive national readiness. We are investing not in fear, but in the institutional confidence, stability, and enduring security of our nation. Thank you.

The National Crisis Management Commission approved the allocation, from the state reserves, of three high-capacity motor pumps for S. A. "Apă-Canal Chișinău", to support the continuity of the population's water supply in the conditions of the reduced flows of the Dniester.

The measure comes next the work previously started on the National Crisis Management Platform , where the central authorities, local public authorities and water operators analyzed together the situation and the needs on the ground and the solutions that can be applied.

during the discussions, it was decided that the operators and the local public authority should present the adapted needs and the concrete scenarios in the field, and the central institutions of the state promptly identified the resources that can be mobilized to respond quickly where needed.

Thus, the capacities available at central and local level have complemented each other as we pursue a common goal of people continuing to have water and basic services running without interruption.

in the context of the state of emergency in the hydrological sector and the latest developments regarding the flows of the Dniester, we brought together on the platform of the National Crisis Management Center (CNMC) - central and local public authorities, water operators and responsible institutions.

The evolution of the flow of the Dniester is mainly determined by the water input formed in the upper basin of the river, especially in the Carpathian area of ​​Ukraine. The precipitation recorded in the Republic of Moldova has a limited impact on this intake. Under these conditions, we continue to work on common contingency plans at the local and central level, including in situations of maintaining flows at low levels or their further decrease.

The shared priority is for people to continue to have water and for essential services to function. For this, the central and local authorities, together with the operators, will work on the same operational picture of the situation, with updated data and a permanent exchange of information.

We have established some concrete actions at the central and local level for the next period:
• water operators will assess the catchment capacity including in scenarios of further decrease in flow and present the technical solutions, resources and support they need;
• we will correlate the contingency plans at the local level with the measures prepared at the central level and we will analyze together where the available resources can be mobilized additionally;
• we will work in a joint task force, with representatives of central and local authorities and operators, to identify needs in real time, agree on solutions and quickly mobilize available resources at local and central level for their implementation;
• we will continue the dialogue with the Ukrainian side, including for the further development of cooperation and the operational exchange of data on flows and the discharge regime, so that developments can be anticipated and integrated in time into the planning of measures.


at this stage, it is important to use the time we have for preparation: to have the same data, to work on the same scenarios and to know in advance what resources need to be mobilized and where.

At the central and local level we will work as a single mechanism, starting from the needs of the people and what needs to be done concretely to maintain the water supply.

Starting on 26 September, the Republic of Moldova enters a state of emergency in the energy and hydrological sectors.

At present, the country has sufficient electricity, fuel and water supplies. However, the risks affecting their availability have increased, and the authorities need to be able to act more quickly to prevent disruptions and protect the population should the situation deteriorate.

In the region, Ukraine’s energy infrastructure continues to be affected, electricity import capacity is limited, and international gas and fuel markets remain unstable. At the same time, drought and very low water levels in the Nistru and Prut rivers are putting increasing pressure on water reserves. With the cold season approaching, energy consumption is also expected to rise.

Through Decisions No. 8 and No. 9 of 25 September, the National Crisis Management Commission approved measures focused on three basic objectives: ensuring sufficient electricity supply, maintaining adequate fuel stocks in the country, and protecting water reserves for the population and essential services.

The purpose of these measures is to prevent problems rather than wait for them to occur. The state will prioritize available electricity for domestic consumption during peak hours, protect the supply of hospitals and essential services, accelerate fuel deliveries into the country, maintain safety stocks, and restrict the use of water for non-essential purposes.

At the same time, contingency solutions are being prepared in case conditions deteriorate, including emergency electricity from neighbouring systems, additional domestic generation, alternative water sources, artesian wells, high-capacity pumps, and the delivery of water to communities that may be affected.

Electricity

When the energy system is under pressure, hospitals, emergency services, water intake and pumping stations, and other essential facilities will receive priority in electricity supply.

During peak consumption hours, between 18:00 and 22:00, available electricity will be prioritized for domestic needs, with exports being restricted. If a deficit arises that cannot be covered through regular purchases, the authorities will be able to request emergency electricity from neighbouring countries’ power systems.

At the same time, combined heat and power plants will be able to increase electricity generation when required by the system, while new energy generation and storage projects will benefit from accelerated procedures. The objective is to have as many domestic sources available as possible and greater reserve capacity when consumption increases.

The state will also reduce its own consumption. Public authorities and institutions will decrease their use of electricity and fuel, while public lighting will be reduced where this can be done safely. Public buildings and commercial premises will reduce unnecessary lighting, while decorative and advertising lighting will be switched off. High-energy-consuming businesses will be encouraged, wherever possible, to shift energy-intensive activities outside peak hours. The aim is to reduce consumption that can be postponed or avoided so that available electricity reaches those who need it most.

Fuel

To ensure that filling stations can continue to be supplied, a number of measures are aimed directly at protecting fuel stocks in the Republic of Moldova and accelerating the delivery of new supplies into the country.

At the Giurgiulești International Free Port, the export and re-export of petrol and diesel will only be permitted if at least 2,500 tonnes of petrol and 7,500 tonnes of diesel remain in storage, subject to certain exceptions provided for in the decision.

At the same time, vehicles transporting fuel into the Republic of Moldova will have dedicated lanes at border crossing points, while trains carrying fuel will be given priority on the railway network. This will help reduce delays in fuel deliveries.

To prevent the purchase of unusually large quantities of fuel in containers and the creation of artificial shortages, diesel purchased in containers at filling stations will be limited to 40 litres. For specialized containers used to refuel agricultural machinery, the limit will be 100 litres.

To protect consumers, as long as a filling station has standard diesel in stock, it must remain available for sale at the regulated price and cannot be replaced by more expensive types of diesel. Only once the standard diesel stock has been exhausted may the station sell other available types, allowing fuel supply to continue.

Water

Ensuring access to drinking water is a priority for the population and essential services, including hospitals and social institutions, schools, emergency services and critical infrastructure. At the same time, before the beginning of the cold season, the necessary water supply will be secured for the operation of centralized district heating systems.

For the duration of the state of emergency, water abstraction from the Nistru and Prut rivers for irrigation is suspended. Drinking water from public supply systems and water abstracted from surface sources may not be used for activities that can be postponed, including watering lawns and decorative green spaces, washing streets, courtyards or building façades, filling swimming pools and recreational pools, or other similar activities. These restrictions apply throughout the day.

In parallel, water operators must prepare in advance for a situation in which water levels in the Nistru or Prut continue to fall. They will assess how long they can operate using existing reserves, what alternative sources are available, and what measures must be taken if water availability decreases by 10%, 20% or 30%.

If water can no longer be supplied through the network in a particular locality, mobile water supply will be organized. Priority will be given to hospitals, social institutions, schools, emergency services and residents of the affected communities.

Contingency solutions are also being prepared, including high-capacity pumps, while verified artesian wells and other groundwater sources may be brought into operation if surface water levels continue to decline.

The measures provided for under Decisions No. 8 and No. 9 enter into force on 26 September 2026. The Ministry of Energy coordinates the response in the energy sector, the Ministry of Environment coordinates the response in the hydrological sector, while the National Crisis Management Center coordinates and monitors the situation at the national level and oversees the implementation of the measures.

The National Crisis Management Commission will continue to monitor developments and adjust the measures whenever necessary.