site.btaLosses of Potable Water in Bulgaria Reach 60%, as Much as 90% in Some Places

Bulgarian Water Association (BWA) Chairman Ivan Ivanov told BTA that 60% of drinking water is lost before it reaches customers due to substandard supply systems. The BWA organized an international conference on Thursday on the eve of World Water Day, March 22.

Globally, drought is becoming a major challenge. Although this problem is not so obvious in Bulgaria, water resources must be saved, Ivanov said. World Water Day is an occasion to think about how precious water is and how to save it. The Association strives for dialogue with the institutions about solutions to the problems, he said. 

Outgoing Environment and Water Minister Julian Popov said water losses in the supply network are over 90% in some places. "We do not value water in Bulgaria, we treat it outrageously," he said. Tap water in many places is good, its carbon footprint is one hundred times smaller than that of plastic bottled water, Popov said.

The event focused on supporting innovations for water resource management and navigable river management. The outgoing Deputy Minister of Innovation and Growth, Georgi Angelov, commented on Bulgaria's aspiration to play a more prominent role in the European Space Agency (ESA). For nine years there have been calls for proposals and Bulgaria has submitted 127 projects, of which 47 have been successful. It is interesting that new opportunities related to ESA have come up in connection with NATO, Angelov said. These are projects linked to civilian space applications, which may be related to environmental protection.

ESA's Michele Iapaolo said space technology is helping to better understand processes on Earth. Weather satellites and river exploration are cases in point.

Bozhidar Yankov, Director of the EU Programs, Projects and PR Department at the Exploration and Maintenance of the Danube River Executive Agency, talked about river surveys. The Danube is an international river and a world treasure, so the Agency takes a very responsible approach to the management of the navigation route, he said. Referring to the motto of the conference, "Prosperity and peace rely on water", he said the European Commission has a solidarity corridors initiative in support of the transport of goods and raw materials from Ukraine along the Danube.

Referring to the situation in Ukraine, Julian Popov said there are up to 3,600 water conflicts. He mentioned the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, which took place at the beginning of his term as Environment Minister in 2023.

On the occasion of World Water Day, prizes of the Beauty of Water photo contest were given at the start of the event.