EU4Green Recovery East programme: Moldova frees its rivers, removing illegally built dams
Moldova has demolished 51 illegally built dams on its rivers, the EU-funded programme EU4Green Recovery East programme announced yesterday, on Dam Removal Day. This data was reported by the Ministry of Environment and the Environmental Protection Inspectorate.
Among the rivers freed from illegal dams are the Ciulucul Mare and Ciulucul Mijlociu, Ialpugel, Draghiște, Ciuhur, Ciorna in the Răut river basin, and Ichel river – all tributaries of the Dniester.
“In Moldova, many small, unlicensed dams are built by local residents to secure water for cattle, crops, and other needs,” the EU4Green Recovery East programme explained in a press release. “Yet many such constructions were not permitted, and when poorly designed, unregulated, or too numerous, they can alter the river flows, reducing water availability for other water users downstream, and degrading ecosystems.”
The ‘EU4Environment – Water andData (2021–2024)’ programme (the previous phase of the EU4Green Recovery East programme) helped to conduct a study, providing Moldova with its first inventory of dams – legal and illegal, active and abandoned. It revealed that many reservoirs were poorly maintained, silted, or even dried out, posing flood risks and cutting off communities and ecosystems from vital water flows.
In line with the EU Water Framework Directive and based on the findings of the pilot study, the Government of Moldova last year adopted a national methodology for identifying and monitoring hydromorphological changes in rivers – changes in rivers’ natural shape, flow, sediment transport, and connection with surrounding landscapes, caused by structures like dams, levees, or diversion channels.
Through the EU4Green Recovery East programme (2025-2028), efforts are now focused on establishing pilot councils at sub-basin and community levels – bringing together local authorities, farmers, and other stakeholders to discuss practical solutions.
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