Abstract
Reason: The management of water resources in the Răut River Basin is of major strategic importance for the Republic of Moldova, taking into account that it includes the longest river flowing entirely within the country. The national legal context, through the Water Law, that partially transposes the EU Water Framework Directive and imposes the “Basin Principle” – makes it necessary to rigorously assess the use of water resources in order to ensure regional sustainability and alignment with the Sustainable Development Objectives and the Association Agreement with the EU.
Scope: The study aims to assess the use and management of water resources in the Răut River Basin, applying an interdisciplinary and integrated approach at the basin level. The central objective is to obtain a precise framework of the dynamics of water infrastructure and resources in the period 2016–2023, through analyzing key indicators: the length and density of the aqueduct network, the total volume of water supplied by consumer categories (population, budgetary institutions, economic agents). The methodology included descriptive statistical techniques, comparative analysis and cartographic methods (QGIS software) to identify trends and visualize spatial variations.
Results: The analysis has highlighted a deeply heterogeneous dynamics and a sharp polarization in the development of infrastructure. Although the total length of the aqueduct network increased by over 1320 km, the development was concentrated, with critical stagnation in certain areas. The total volume of water distributed almost tripled (from 9023.1 to 22,859.2 thousand m³), supported by major projects. The structure of consumption changed radically: the share of the population fell below 5%, while the consumption of economic agents increased by over 11 times, reaching 54.2% of the total in 2023, with 94% concentrated in the Bălți municipality. These results underline the need for a strategic approach to reduce structural disparities and ensure equity in the distribution of water resources within the Răut River Basin.