site.btaEnvironment Minister Dimitrov Orders Probe into Concealment of Information about Varna Lake Pollution

January 26 (BTA) - Environment and Water Minister Emil Dimitrov has ordered the Black Sea Region Basin Directorate and the Varna Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water (RIEW) to conduct a probe and report whether there was any concealment of information concerning damage of a pipeline in Lake Varna (near the eponymous coastal city), the Environment Ministry reported here on Tuesday.

The probe is ordered after the Varna local authorities reported on Monday that the underwater pipeline running through the lake has suffered a crack, leading to the partial release of waste water.

The probe has to establish the responsible employees of the Varna water and sewerage utility, who have failed to register the abnormal pressure in the nearby Asparuhovo waste water treatment plant and inform the authorities about the problem for ten days.

The company in charge of construction activities has expressed readiness to repair the pipeline at its own expense in two days.

Minister Dimitrov has ordered the control authorities to report back to him the probe's results by the end of this week, including the severity of pollution and water sample analyses, taken by RIEW Varna and the Basin Directorate on January 25, immediately after they were alerted by the problem by the local authorities. RI/MY

/МЙ/