Bulgaria’s Environment Ministry: No evidence of contamination of Bulgarian Black Sea from Kakhovka dam blast

There is is evidence of pollution in the Bulgarian waters of the Black Sea after the destruction of the dam wall of Nova Kakhovka in Ukraine, Bulgaria’s Environment Ministry said on June 14.

This is the second time that Bulgaria’s Environment Ministry has issued a statement on the topic, after it gave a similar assurance on June 10.

The ministry said that there were daily exchanges of information involving itself and the Ukrainian, Moldovan and Romanian authorities about potential pollution of the Black Sea.

The Black Sea Basin Directorate and the Environmental Executive Agency are also monitoring additional indicators of the potential impact after the incident.


“Satellite observations and mathematical modeling of water currents in the Black Sea currently do not give cause for concern, and if a potential risk is identified, preventive actions will be taken and the public will be informed,” the Environment Ministry said.

In a separate statement on June 14, the Tourism Ministry said that minister Zaritsa Dinkova had written to holders of concessions of beaches informing them of the actions taken after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam wall and called on them to react in any situation in which they consider that they need assistance.

The Tourism Ministry said that on June 9, Dinkova held a meeting at which arrangements were made for coordinated actions with the Environment Ministry in connection with the concerns expressed about the potential danger of pollution of the Bulgarian Black Sea.

The Tourism Ministry requested daily information from the Environment Ministry on the state of the waters of the Black Sea, as well as a weekly report from the Interior Ministry on beach safety on the Bulgarian coast.

Daily information on the state of the waters of the Black Sea is available at the website of the Varna regional health inspectorate and at the website of the Dobrich regional health inspectorate.

Ukraine’s military has accused Russia of the June 6 breaching the Nova Kakhovka dam on the Dnipro river in the southern Kherson region.

(Photo: Clive Leviev-Sawyer)

Please support The Sofia Globe’s independent journalism by becoming a subscriber to our page on Patreon:

Become a Patron!

The Sofia Globe staff

The Sofia Globe - the Sofia-based fully independent English-language news and features website, covering Bulgaria, the Balkans and the EU. Sign up to subscribe to sofiaglobe.com's daily bulletin through the form on our homepage. https://www.patreon.com/user?u=32709292