Romania could get EUR 48 mln IBRD loan for nutrient pollution prevention

Romania’s government has approved the papers necessary for our country to obtain a loan amounting to EUR 48 million from the World Bank’s IBRD (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development), Mediafax informs.

The agreement, which could be signed in April, aims at supporting Romania in the integrated control of nutrient pollution. The project seeks our country’s alignment with the EU Nitrates Directive, protecting water quality by preventing groundwater pollution.

The project on integrated control of pollution of soil nutrients in Romania will be conducted by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests and investment will include both local community level to reduce such pollution, and measures to strengthen institutional capacity.

The National Administration “Romanian waters” will receive support and training for monitoring and reporting on the quality of surface and underground waters. The project also includes technical assistance for the updating of the Code of good agricultural practice and guidance for farmers to adapt their activities to it.

”Within the local communities we look to the optimization of management of animal waste and household waste, planting windbreaks to protect against discharges of nutrients, tree planting and afforestation, sewage and waste water treatment, supply of equipment to improve existing facilities for manure storage manure and composting,” a statement by the Government read.

The project will be put into action over a period of 6 years, with the last tranche becoming available in March 2022.

On 21 December 1991 the Council of the European Communities issued the Nitrates Directive, a document that had an important impact on the way agriculture is practiced in Europe. The premise was that nitrates from agricultural sources are themain cause of pollution from diffuse sources affecting water and community.

The Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests is currently implementing the first phase of the Project on Integrated Control of Nutrient Pollution, financed by a loan from IBRD worth EUR 50 million, which was accompanied by a non-refundable financial assistance from the Global Environmental Fund worth USD 5.5 million.

Natalia Martian