Waste Water Treatment Plant in Vulcăneşti
Republic of Moldova
Project name: Renewal of wastewater
management system in Vulcăneşti, Moldova
Financed by: Czech Development Agency
Implemented by: Ircon ltd, TopolWater ltd
Project partner: Ape-Canal Vulcanesti
Implementation period: 11/2010 – 08/2013
The project Renewal of wastewater management system in Vulcăneşti was launched in 2010 with the aim of contributing to the improvement of the South Moldova’s environment through the reconstruction and modernization of the Vulcăneşti wastewater treatment plant and wastewater management system. As part of the project, a reconstruction of the main and local wastewater pumping stations were designed, and a project for the reconstruction of the local wastewater treatment plant was prepared. It was planned to make maximum use of the existing building elements of the then completely non‑functional wastewater treatment plant when installing modern wastewater treatment technology in there. Along with this the fundamental objective of the project was to carry out a thorough analysis of all professional, administrative, financial and legal aspects of the operation of the system operator – the urban company Apa‑Canal Vulcăneşti.
As part of the project, a reconstruction of the main and local wastewater pumping station was designed, and a project for the reconstruction of the municipal wastewater treatment plant was prepared. The task was to make maximum use of the existing building elements of the then completely non‑functional wastewater treatment plant, to reconstruct them and to install modern waste water technology here. Another major objective of the project was to carry out a thorough analysis of all professional, administrative, financial and legal aspects of the operation of the system operator – the urban company Apa – Canal Vulcăneşti. In order to increase the professional knowledge of the employees, trainings on modern approaches to the management and operation of water companies, including their study trip to the Czech Republic, were organized.
Along with these major project activities, an extensive awareness campaign was implemented at local primary schools, focusing on ecology and environmental issues. According to the original plan, the city of Vulcăneşti was supposed to reconstruct the building part of the WWTP when using their own funds. Given the political pressure between the central government in Chisinau and the Gagauz Autonomous Region that is Vulcăneşti part of, the city has failed to secure the necessary funds. After negotiations with the project donor – the Czech Development Agency, it was decided that the renovation of the construction part of the WWTP would also be financed by the Czech Republic. The wastewater treatment plant with a total capacity of 10,000 equivalent inhabitants (1,500 m3 / day) was put into operation at the end of 2013, as well as both reconstructed wastewater pumping stations. In the framework of the project, analyses of financial, technical and administrative status of the company were prepared in cooperation with the municipal operating company. Based on these analyses, detailed guidance has been prepared for further development of the operating company in all these areas.
