“The groundwater crisis, which particularly affects people in UW Moldova (a region in eastern Romania), did not emerge out of the blue,” says journalist Adina Florea, the author of the recent investigation published by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) Fellowship program.
“Researchers have been warning for years about falling groundwater levels. But what I’ve seen is that this water crisis is also a crisis of social inequality—the most affected are people in rural areas.”
Drawing on interviews with residents and scientific experts, and supported by a comprehensive analysis of official data, Florea’s investigation presents a sobering reality: climate change is compounding the long-term effects of poor groundwater management and a broader societal failure to recognize water as a finite, vulnerable resource.
Last summer, Florea spent several weeks in over a dozen rural communities across Western Moldavia, documenting the challenges faced by locals.
Her findings reveal stark regional disparities. Nearly half the region’s population is not connected to a centralized water distribution system, relying solely on private wells or springs – more than double the national average of 23 percent. Furthermore, nearly 10 percent of the region’s rural population that relied on aquifers was facing disruptions to supply because their wells were close to drying up.
Strikingly, many of the villages hardest hit by water shortages are located just kilometers away from urban centers where water access is stable, underscoring the deepening social inequality tied to infrastructure and public investment.
Florea presented her findings during a public debate in Bucharest last week, hosted by Fundatia 9, a Romanian nonprofit that supports youth through cultural and educational programs. The event drew significant interest, particularly from attendees eager to understand what solutions might be implemented to combat water insecurity – an issue many rural residents are already trying to adapt to on their own.
In response, Florea emphasized that both central and local authorities must take the lead in developing long-term strategies for more efficient use of existing water resources. These could include rainwater harvesting systems and improved soil protection measures, aimed at enhancing natural groundwater recharge.
Citing expert insights, she also warned that “if extreme climate change causes groundwater levels to drop too far, reversing that trend may become impossible.”
Another critical challenge is water loss through deteriorating infrastructure. Official figures show that around 40 percent of water is lost through leaks and inefficiencies in Romania’s distribution networks – a figure that climbs above 50 percent in Western Moldavia. The causes, Florea noted, include aging pipes in urgent need of replacement and a system originally built for a smaller, less water-dependent population.