Moldovan citizens to receive alerts about emergencies and disasters via mobile phone

Chisinau, Dec. 18 /MOLDPRES/- Citizens will receive warnings about emergencies and disasters via mobile phone. The members of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Policy and European Integration approved today the consultative opinion on the signing of the loan agreement with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development for implementation of the disaster risk management and resilience support project of Moldova. The document involves a loan of 40 million US dollars.

For the development of the public warning system, 5 million US dollars are earmarked. It will allow immediate dissemination of emergency warnings and will result in saving lives and reducing material losses.

In addition, 22.5 million US dollars will be used to purchase emergency response vehicles and other equipment, such as search, rescue and logistics containers, to be used by the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations. Another 1.5 million US dollars are earmarked for community emergency preparedness.

Another 6 million US dollars will be invested in improving hydrometeorological services.

The project also includes a component to support policies, regulatory measures and technical studies to better assess and manage natural hazards and climate-related risks.

The duration of the loan is 30 years, including a grace period of five years. The loan is to be repaid semi-annually and the interest rate is variable. The project implementation period will be five years.

After signature, the loan agreement will be proposed for ratification in parliament.