Arad County To Invest 139 Mio EUR In Water Distribution, Sewerage Infrastructure

Paula Bulzan,Arad

The Arad Intra-Community Development Association is planning to attract investments of some 139 million EUR in water distribution and sewerage infrastructure until 2013. According to the priority investment master plan, the investments would focus on ten urban communities.

Marius Toma, Director of the Arad County Water-Sewerage Intra-Community Development Association, explained: "One prerequisite for starting the investments in infrastructure was to establish this association. The master plan has been approved and we are now working on the feasibility study. Investments are the next step. The project to roll-out over 139 million EUR worth of water distribution and sewerage infrastructure will unfold in the communities of Fantanele, Curtici - Macea, Ineu, Lipova, Nadlac, Pancota, Pecica, Santana, Paulis - Ghioroc - Cuvin - Minis, Siria. The Operational Programme - Environment includes several objectives for each of these communities, including the rehabilitation, expansion and interconnection of existing networks." Toma added that, from the total budget for infrastructure, 85% was non-reimbursable funding, 13% was State funding and 2% was local funding.

The Arad County Water - Sewerage Intra-Community Development Association was formed to jointly regulate, establish, organize, finance, operate, monitor and manage the water distribution and sewerage services of the member communities, as well as to jointly implement public investment projects of local or regional span.

According to the priority investment master plan for Arad County, the water distribution network will be rehabilitated on a total length of 75,890 meters and extended by 70,782 meters by 2013. This is also de deadline for rehabilitating nine water wells, building five pressurization stations, a treatment station and 4,317 junctions. The sewerage system will be repaired on a length of 31,235 meters and expanded by 337,546 meters. The county will rehabilitate 27 waste water pumping stations, build seven treatment stations and 6,096 maintenance access points.