DRINKING WATER QUALITY AS A DETERMINING FACTOR OF THE HEALTH OF THE POPULATION OF THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

Objectives. Ensuring the population with quality drinking water and in appropriate quantities, is one of the priority tasks of the state, aimed at improving health indicators and welfare of the population of the Republic of Moldova. The aim of the study was the assessment of quantitative and qualitative features of drinking water supply in the Republic of Moldova.

Materials and methods. In order to achieve the objectives of the current study, there were used hygienic, sanitary-chemical and statistical investigation methods. There were evaluated the results of laboratory investigations, performed during the audit monitoring of the quality of drinking water, used for drinking purposes, by the population of the Republic of Moldova, for the period 2015-2019.

Results and discussions. Currently, the population of the Republic of Moldova is supplied with water, for drinking purposes, from underground and surface sources. The share of water non-conformity in urban aqueducts, fed from surface and underground sources, is, respectively, on average, 8.6% and 40.1% (for microbiological parameters, corresponding to 6.3% and 5.6%). In aqueducts, in rural localities, fed mainly from underground sources, the average share of water non-compliance with chemical parameters is 52.0% (microbiological – 21.0%). The population that does not have access to centralized sources of drinking water, use water from mine wells, which, in 77.2 percent of cases, does not correspond according to chemical parameters and, in 47.6 percent of cases, according to microbiological parameters. Recently, there has been an improvement in the quality of water in children's and medical institutions.

Conclusions. In order to provide the population with safe, quality water, well-coordinated multisector interventions and a political will of national decision-makers are needed.