1. Water/wastewater infrastructure in the Romanian rural area
Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development
Water/wastewater infrastructure in the Romanian rural area
Ana Drapa, seniour counselor
High-Level Policy Dialogue on “EU Sanitation Policies and Practices in the 2008
International Year of Sanitation”
Brussels, 29th January 2008

2. Content Present status Long terms objectives
Rural infrastructure – investments
Conclusions

3. Romania – Administrative aspects
Total area: km2
41 counties & Bucharest municipality
319 towns and municipalities, 2851 communes and villages
inhabitants (July 1, 2005) inhabitants in urban area (54.9%) inhabitants in rural area (45.1 %)
Source: NSI Romanian Statistical Yearbook 2006

4. Water resources (1)
97.8% of Romania is part of the Danube River Basin (30.0% of the DRB)
Total volume: mill. cm/year of which - surface waters:
and groundwaters: 6 592
Total lenght of watercourses: 78, 905 km

5. Sources of pollution for rural area:
Water resources (2)
Sources of pollution for rural area:
punctiform and diffuse
discharges of waste water from the human settlements and the livestock sector
agricultural activities (pollutants difficult for identification)
contamination with nitrates (pollution has a cumulative character), with phosphates, chemicals used for soil fertilization.

6. Water/Wastewater Infrastructure
1398 Drinking Water Treatment Plants
~ km of water distribution network
1 310 Waste Water Treatment Plants
~ km of sewage network

7. Romania’s obligations after the EU-accession
Gradual fulfillment of the EU Directives requirements
EU Directive
Transition period
Associated costs
(billions EURO)
Drinking water 98/83
2015
compliance for quality parameters for drinking water
5.6
Urban Wastewater
91/271
2018
By 2015 – 263 agglomerations with more than p.e.
By 2018 – agglomerations between p.e.
9.5
Nitrates 91/676
2007
3.1

8. Status of drinking water infrastructure in the rural area
Drinking water supply: 87.6 % in urban area and % in rural area
In 2003: 56.4% of total lenght of drinking water distribution network in the urban area, and 43.6% in the rural area
33% of rural inhabitants (3.4 million inhabitants) – access to the public water networks
70% of the rural households get their water from wells
National Rural Development Programme 2007 – 2013
2007 December 20th consolidated version

9. Status of infrastructure for public sewage network in the rural area
At the end of 2004: 373 communes (10% of the total rural population) had sewage networks
Sewage network (2003): 93,2 % of the pipes length in urban area and 6.8 % in rural area.
Total lenght of the sewage network is km, of which
km in the urban area and in rural area
Source: National Rural Development Programme 2007 – 2013
– 2007 December 20th consolidated version

10. Investments in water/waste water infrastructure
Financial Strategy - Development of water/waste water infrastructure by environmental impact of waste water from agglomerations:
- big cities - >150,000 p.e.
- towns - 10,000 p.e.- 100,000 p.e.
- localities (communes) – 2,000 –10,000 p.e.

11. Investments in water/waste water infrastructure Long term objectives
Population access to the water supply
Sewage and WW treatment

12. Evolution of EU pre-accession funds for Romania

13. EU pre-accession funds
Phare
Instrument for Structural Policies for Pre-Accession - ISPA
SAPARD (as basis for implementation: National Plan for Agriculture and Rural Development) includes 11 measures
Total allocation 2000 – 2006: 1,522 million Euro of which:
33,85% for Measure 2.1 on Development and improvement of rural infrastructure: 780 applications (of which: 273 projects on centralized drinking water distribution network , 87 projects for centralized sewerage network).

14. Proposal for phasing investments on Water and Sewerage

15. National Rural Development Programme 2007 – 2013 (1)
Development of rural areas will be achieve with the support of European Community through NRDP (9.970 bill. Euro)
NPDR financed by European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development – EAFRD: billions Euro
- NRDP will finance the investments for localities with less than 10,000 e.p.
Axis 1 “Improving the competitiveness of the agricultural and forestry sector” 3.17 bill. Euro - 45 %
Axis 2 “Improving the environment and the countryside 1.8 bill. Euro %
Axis 3 “The quality of life in rural area and the diversification of the rural economy – 1.97 bill. Euro - 27,5 %
Axis 4 “LEADER” – 188 millions Euro - 2,5 %

16. National Rural Development Programme 2007 – 2013 (2)
Axis 3 “The quality of life in rural area and the diversification of the rural economy”
Measures 322 – Village renewal and development, improving basic services for the rural economy and population and upgrating of rural heritage
(i) basic physical infrastructure - road infrastructure, water supply and wastewater treatment, energy and gas/heating supply/waste
(ii) Community services
(iii) Maintaining and preserving the rural heritage and the cultural identity
Financial allocation 2007 – 2013: 1,579,217,870 euro of which Public expenditure 1,546,087,425 euro
Investments: km water supply pipelines (new works – km; extension and/or upgrading – 1 579) and km sewage pipelines (new works – km, extention and /or upgrading – km)

17. Project “Control of pollution in agriculture’’
Global Objective: Reduction on long term of nutrients discharges (nitrogen and phosphorus)
and other Pollutants from agricultural origin from Danube and Black Sea using integrated soil
and water management
Implementation period:
Project Components: Manure Management; Tests/Demonstration of ecologic agricultural
practices; Ecologic restoration; Monitoring of soil and water quality;Strengthening of building
regulatory capacity on environmental policies; Public information campaign at local, regional
(other countries from Black Sea) and national level
Pilot Project: Calarasi county
Total amount : USD 10.8 millions of which: 5.15 mil.$ from World Bank (GEF), 1.86 mil. $
from Romanian Government, mil.$ from Calarasi County Council, 1 mil. $ from
Governmental Project “Support for Agricultural servicies” and 2.5 mil. $ for direct beneficiaries,
investments in equipments
Project Replication at national level (USD 50 Mil.) - support for Ministry of Environment and
Water Management for implementation of relevant UE Directives( Nitrates Directives and Water
Framework Directive) taking into account the nutrients content of surface and ground waters.

18. Rural Development Programme
Financed by World
Bank
Total investment value : 100 mil. US $
Starting date : 2005
Pilot phase: 5 counties

19. Project on Integrated Nitrates Pollution Control
Total amount: 59,1 mill. Euro , of which 50 mill. Euro (BIRD) and 4.2 mill. Euro (grant GEF), local authorities budget: 4.9 mill. Euro
Implementation period: 2007 – 2013
Objectives: reduction of watercourses pollution, strentehning of the institutional capacities, demonstrative actions at commune level
Investments: 34 counties (10 hydrographic basins)
11 communes from 11 counties: establishment of Centres of testing/demonstration

20. Governmental initiatives on rural investments
Two programmes on water supply in the rural area (1st – 1997: 260 mill. USD – 750 projects and 2nd – on-going: 340 mill. USD+90 mill.USD approved in 2004)
Rural Infrastructure Development Programme 2006 – 2009 (200 mill. Euro – 452 communes – water supply and sewerage)

21. Conclusions
Current situation of water services and infrastructure has a negative impact on quality of life in rural areas and on economic development of these areas.
Development and improvement of rural infrastructure are needed (basic physical infrastructure – especially streets/rural roads, water supply and sewage/waste water treatment, energy and gas/heating supply)
Need to reduce disparities between rural and urban areas
Specific conditions of rural areas require different solutions
Potential to improve water quality through investments in water infrastructure for rural settlements
Direct positive impact of rural water infrastructure on the population’s health condition and development of the area
Development and improvement of infrastructure for water/wastewater treatment require a large amount of civil works – huge investments
Larger investments are needed for small agglomerations due to the particular technical solutions required
Technical solutions – low costs of maintenance of works
Gradual implementation – rural population affordability (a fast implementation would lead to a sharp increase of the water service price)
Diversification of financing source: state and local budget, EU funds, credit and PPP, other sources

22. Thank you for your attention ! International Year of Sanitation”
ROMANIA
Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development
Thank you for your attention !
High-Level Policy Dialogue on “EU Sanitation Policies and Practices in the 2008
International Year of Sanitation”
Brussels, 29th January 2008