Chlorine to be removed from Chisinau tap water

The not-so-safe disinfectant chlorine is to be removed from Chisinau's tap water within a year, under a twinning agreement signed today between the municipal water utility Apa-Canal and the Romanian water utility RAJA Constanta. The agreement provides for cooperation, exchange of water treatment technology and training for staff. RAJA Constanta director Felix Stroe said at the agreement-signing event that the plan is to replace chlorine treatment with ultraviolet radiation, which, unlike chlorine, doesn't alter the taste and the smell of water and is completely safe for the human body. In Constanta this technology has already proved its effectiveness. Talking about costs, Felix Store said that in Constanta, a city with a population of around 380,000, the UV installations were set up at a cost of 500,000 euros. Another objective under the agreement is to cut energy-related costs, which will be done by modernizing equipment. Attending the event, Chisinau Mayor Dorin Chirtoaca suggested that the money saved on electricity would allow equipment to be bought in installments. The first major event under the agreement will be a workshop to be held in April in Chisinau, with the participation of the US Embassies in Romania and Moldova, dedicated to the water utility specialists.