Bulgaria: Drought, rising temperatures main causes of drinking water supply problems – officials

Severe drought and rising temperatures are among the main causes of Bulgaria’s drinking water shortages, top officials said on August 22 at meeting held at the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works, according to a media statement by the ministry.

The meeting was attended by the caretaker ministers of regional development and public works, environment and water, energy, and economy and industry, as well as the managements of the National Electricity Company, Electricity System Operation, the Bulgarian water utility, deputy ministers and officials from the ministries.

It followed a call on August 21 by caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev for urgent measures to deal with the water shortage.

“There are problems that have been accumulating for years, but we have shown that we can solve them too,” Glavchev said.

“One of these problems is related to the lack of water in some regions of the country. We need to do something again as a matter of urgency,” he said.

The meeting discussed the water restrictions imposed in several parts of Bulgaria.

It noted that according to national weather bureau data, 2024 was the third dry and hot year in a row in Bulgaria.

The month of June was the hottest since 1930, and this year’s drought was also the longest, lasting more than three months.

As a result, there is a drop in water quantities by 87 per cent in Northern Bulgaria compared to last year.

A decrease in the volumes is also reported for the other water sources.

Another reason for the aridity was the loss of drinking water through the old water supply networks in certain settlements, as well as the irrigation losses through the amortized irrigation systems.

“In order to deal with the problems and to minimize the negatives for the population, the work in emergency mode of all state structures continues in coordination with the local authorities,” the ministry statement said.

A working group with experts from all line ministries is being set up, which will serve as a coordination centre in order to achieve greater effectiveness of the institutions’ joint efforts, the statement said.

It will outline both short-term and long-term measures as part of a national policy to solve the problem of water supply to the population and irrigation of agricultural crops.

The task force will aim to propose concrete solutions to improve efficiency and control, ensure back-up water sources and prioritize strategic dams to be built or rehabilitated to ensure the country’s water supplies to cope with climate change in the coming years.

Necessary legal changes will also be analysed, as water supply is a strategic sector and part of national security.

The preparation of a complete hydromelioration analysis will be discussed, which will show both the options for improving the water supply and the need for repair and construction of new artificial reservoirs, the statement said.

(Photo of the Tsonevo reservoir in the Varna district in August 2024: Clive Leviev-Sawyer)

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