Moldova needs three consecutive seasons with higher-than-usual amounts of precipitations to compensate for the water shortage that exists today as a result of a drought that started in the summer of 2011, State Weather Service director Ilie Boian told Info-Prim Neo. Ilie Boian says that the shortage is too great to expect a fast recovery, especially since long-term forecasts are not very optimistic. Boian noted in particular that a British weather laboratory found that solar activity in 2012 and 2013 will peak and this translates to extreme temperatures and low amounts of rainfall globally. “We can't say for sure, but it is likely that next year, too, we will see high temperatures and low levels of precipitations”, said Boian. He added that the recent showers that fell in Moldova, though quite abundant, didn't improve the situation: it was due to their strength that the rainwater accumulated into fast streams and ran off, without penetrating the soil. Some showers are also expected today, after which scorching temperatures around 38 degrees Celsius will return and stay for quite a while, said Boian. Insufficient soil moisture in this period caused many wells and springs to run dry, in particular in rural areas, said Ion Cucenic, department head at the Water Agency. At first, only weaker springs and wells were affected, but an extended drought, compounded by irrigation, dried out even well-supplied aquifers. Ion Cucenic remarked that the precipitations that fell last autumn and winter weren't enough to normalize soil moisture. “The recent rains, even the one that fell overnight, ran off and very little got into the soil”, confirmed Cuceniuc. Concerning the situation with Moldova's two largest rivers, Prut and Nistru, Ion Cucenic said that “everything is under control” and no problems should appear with the water supply provided by these rivers to both households and businesses.