OSCE-funded inspection boat and water-sampling platform launched to protect Dniester/Nistru River

A boat for fisheries inspectors and a water sampling platform on the Dniester/Nistru River were formally handed over to authorities in Moldova by representatives of the OSCE and its partner organizations, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), at a ceremony on 8 June 2012.

The motorboat “AMUR-M” will allow the Fisheries Service of Ministry of Environment to protect the rich fish population, including a number of valuable species, from poaching in the river.

The purchase of the motorboat and installation of the water sampling platform are a part of the Dniester-III project on transboundary co-operation and sustainable management, implemented as part of the Environment and Security Initiative (ENVSEC) by the OSCE, the UNECE and the UNEP, along with local partners.

A recent report, funded by the Dniester-III project, concluded that the number of fish species in the river had declined by 50 per cent over the past 10 years. The boat will make it possible to undertake much-needed conservation measures in co-ordinated action with Ukrainian partners.

The water sampling platform installed in Palanca will be used by both Moldovan and Ukrainian health and environmental monitoring authorities to monitor the quality of drinking water. The Centre of Public Health of the Stefan Voda district in Moldova is responsible for maintaining the installation.