Since Romania’s accession to the European Union in 2007, the country’s water services sector has made significant strides, including substantial investments, sector consolidation, and progress towards a more sustainable water tariff structure. Recent efforts have focused on expanding access to water supply and sanitation services, resulting in approximately 77.6% of the population being connected to public water systems by 2024.
However, critical challenges remain for the industry, including operational efficiency, remaining investment needs, and the financial sustainability of water utilities. Romania is on the brink of water scarcity, with annual per capita water availability just above the threshold for water scarcity. Additionally, there are major discrepancies in water availability between river basins, exacerbated by changes in rainfall patterns and an increased risk of water scarcity and droughts due to climate change.
One of the core problems in Romania’s water sector is the high level of non-revenue water, which includes physical water losses in the supply network. This issue is compounded by aged and outdated infrastructure, inadequate maintenance, and a lack of proper asset management plans. Inefficient maintenance and investment prioritisation have resulted in poor energy efficiency and high levels of non-revenue water.
Objectives
The project aims to enhance the institutional capacity of the National Regulatory Authority for Community Public Utilities Services (Autoritatea Națională de Reglementare pentru Serviciile Comunitare de Utilități Publice – ANRSC) and water service providers. By developing a unitary methodology for determining water losses, providing a clear picture of water loss levels, and creating a national plan to reduce these losses, the project seeks to improve service efficiencies and increase the sector’s resilience to climate change. The project also aims to support the development of a pilot utility loss reduction action plan with a selected provider, training sessions for ANRSC staff and provider personnel, and the development of a digital data collection and management platform to assess the performance of public water utilities.
Implementation
The project implementation means that ANRSC will elaborate and approved by President Order (tertiary legislation) a methodology for determining water losses unique for all the providers, and a national plan to reduce the losses.