Nistru river Day

Every year, on the last Sunday of May Moldova celebrates the Nistru river Day. This day recognizes the great importance of the Nistru river for the economic sector of the country, ecological balance, as well as for the social sector, cultural history, including tourism.
The Nistru River is an important waterway flowing in the north-west area near the Black Sea coast. The river represents a focal point of human activities of all times and ages, both its sides being always densely populated.
Famous past travelers have often described in their travel journals the unique nature of this area. A lot of cultural, historical, ethnographic and archaeological objects are related Nistru river. This river has many names – Tyras, Danastris (Danastrus), Nistru. Its quiet and treacherous, cold and warm, friendly and hostile waters have seen many events and human beings.
The Nistru River is one of the largest rivers of southeastern Europe. Beginning its course in the western Ukraine, it rushes through the northern slopes of the Carpathian Mountains, and falls into the Dniester Liman of the Black Sea (southwest of Odessa).
The Dniester River is 1362 km long with a drainage area of 72 100 km2. The long and narrow drainage area is pressed between two adjacent rivers—Prut and Southern Bug (only about 50 km wide). The river network in the upper-mountain region of the drainage is particularly developed; the river crosses the Volyno-Podolskoye Plateau and receives only small tributaries in the lower regions.
Nistru Basin is located in the territory of two countries, Ukraine and Moldova. It crosses Moldova over a length of 700 km, the average width is 120 km.
The depth on the sand banks is 0.5-1.5 m, and on the stretches of water between islands – 0 to 2.5 m, the maximum being- 7.7 m. The speed of the river course varies between 0,3- 0.7 m /s and up to 2.0-2.5 m /s between islands.
The river bed is opened, in some places covered by trees, and lower course banks are covered with vegetation. The riverbed is mostly rocky – gravel and pebbles is getting into Nistru from the Carpathian tributaries, and in the southern part – sandy-muddy, and in the area wehere Nistru flows into liman there is a significant layer of mud. The banks are steep, with a height of 3-6 m, beaches are sandy and gravel, covered with grass, trees and shrubs, the predeltaic area is low, covered with sedges, reeds and bushes.
Nistru is one the 9 most important rivers of Europe and is one of the most interesting river in the region. Many cultures, peoples, traditions and customs have developed on its shores in the past.
In Moldova, SHS, an institution under the Ministry of Environment, is actively involved in the regional and international cooperation projects, that directly or indirectly promote the objectives of UN specialized agencies such as the World Meteorological Organization, or FAO (Food and Agriculture). An example is the active participation in the implementation of the project “Transition to high Value Agriculture” within the Moldova Compact, funded by the Millennium Challenge Corporation of the United States Government. The objective of the Transition to High Value Agriculture Project is to increase agricultural incomes by stimulating the production and improved marketing of high value fruit and vegetables. Under the project, Moldova’s MCC Compact funding will repair up to 11 large irrigation systems servicing 15,500 hectares, providing water for high value fruits and vegetables as well as higher yielding grain production. The project mentioned above provided installation of 10 real-time automated stations on the Nistru river and its tributaries.
Currently, hydrological observations network includes measurements on water level, flow, suspended sediments, temperature etc. The hydrological data obtained after a thorough analysis are included in “Hydrological Yearbook” and ,,State Water Cadastre “, which are used for planning and implementing measures to prevent dangerous phenomena, risks and environmental protection.