site.btaEnvironment Minister Warns of Impending Water Crisis for Major Black Sea City and Farmers Across Country

November 27 (BTA) - Minister of Environment and Water Emil Dimitrov warned on Friday that Bourgas could be left without water and that a water crisis is threatening the seaside city in six months. He also warned of a water crisis in agriculture. Dimitrov spoke about this in Parliament after asking to take the floor as it was a matter of emergency.

Dimitrov explained that the danger for Bourgas comes from the low level of water in Kamchia Dam.

"Since January, the Ministry of Environment and Water has been writing reports, schedules, sending information 10 times over to the Council of Ministers, held two consultative councils on water issues. Everybody agreed that if the drought persists for a third year and water consumption remains in the usual scale and volumes, Bourgas will be left without drinking water," the Minister said. He added that nothing has followed all the reports and communications coming out of his Ministry.

He said that a solution has been found but it is not being implemented due to a conflict between the ministries of agriculture and of regional development.

The Minister also said that farmers across the country are in danger of shortage of water for irrigation and blamed that on a combination of dry weather and the destruction of the irrigation systems. Dimitrov mentioned Plovdiv region as an example and said that ten years ago all pumping stations and irrigation pipelines there were cut and scrapped. "Irrigation systems have been destroyed, what has not been scrapped does not work and the losses are colossal'', he added.

"We are in an extreme crisis due to criminal inaction and failure to repair irrigation dams, and criminal acts of destroying the national irrigation system," commented Emil Dimitrov.

He argued that the irrigation system, despite everything done to it, can still be salvaged easily and this must be done fast. The Minister also proposed that the water from the reservoirs used for energy production be redirected to the irrigation reservoirs. He warned that if no action is taken, there will be water riots next year.

Turning to the deputies, he asked that each party send two representatives to the Ministry of Environment, to be shown "the whole picture, blueprints, photos, everything". "Come and see whether it is worth an effort to help the farmers to survive next year,'' the Minister told the MPs.

Dimitrov's statement provoked resignation demands from the Bulgarian Socialist Party and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF). Socialist leader Kornelia Ninova said the minister's account of the situation showed clearly how the entire government works, and demanded its resignation. MRF leader Mustafa Karadayi demanded that either Prime Minister Boyko Borissov come to parliament to refute what his Environment Minister said, or resign.

The Volya party's parliamentary group said that the BSP and MRF had heard only what they wanted to hear, but missed their own role in the devastation, and that the ruling GERB party did not react at all to the Minister's statement. Volya MPs said that they themselves were the only ones not to blame because they have had no power so far, and that they are ready to immediately go to the Ministry of Environment to see what the Minister has to show.

Regional Development Minister: Chaotic reflections and theatrics

Regional Development and Public Works Minister Petya Avramova took the floor in Parliament's debating chamber to reject Dimitrov's criticism and called it "chaotic reflections" and "theatrics". She called on Dimitrov to submit a proposal to the Council of Ministers to declare a state of emergency in Bourgas if he thinks things are that bad, and said he was causing panic among the people of Bourgas.

Avramova explained that her Ministry has an idea how to provide water for Bourgas, "although this is the job of the Ministry of Environment and Water (MEW)'', she added. The plan is to reduce water supply to Varna, and to compensate the Varna water company for the higher costs for pumped water (instead of gravitational water supply) so they don't have to raise the price of water for users.

Avramova also explained that her Ministry has proposed that the Poroy and Aheloy reservoirs be set aside as reserve sources for drinking water supply for Bourgas, which will cost 60 million leva, but for this purpose the Environment Ministry has to prepare a report with reasoning, and that his has not yet been done.

Agriculture Minister Desislava Taneva dismissed the attacks against her ministry as baseless and said it was the first time she had heard of a war with the Ministry of Regional Development. She said that the mayor of Bourgas called 3-4 weeks ago with a request for archival project documentation for another dam to be used for drinking water, and everything available in the Ministry of Agriculture was provided to him.

Taneva also said that "in principle, the Ministry of Agriculture has differences with the Environment Ministry - not with the Regional Development Ministry". Furthermore, she said that as part of the preparation of the National Recovery Plan, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, with the support of the branch organizations, has proposed to the government a complete rehabilitation of the state irrigation systems.

Water crisis cloud clears after meeting with Prime Minister

The threat of a water crisis did not look as imminent after the Environment Minister met with Prime Minister Boyko Borissov later in the day. The government press office quoted Dimitrov as telling Borissov that "there will be no water crisis''. According to the press centre, Dimitrov "reported to the Prime Minister the situation with the water supply in Bourgas and the measures that will be taken in the coming months so that there are no problems if the drought continues. The goal is for farmers to receive equal amounts of water next year, as they did this year ".

The Prime Minister pointed out that his only reproach to Minister Dimitrov was that he did not report to him on the topic at the government meeting on Wednesday.

At the meeting, the Minister proposed that one of his deputies, Atanaska Nikolova, be relieved of her post and two new deputy ministers for water and waste be appointed, and his proposal was approved. Prime Ministers Borissov said that he was waiting to see the new deputy ministers' proposals.

This was followed by a meeting between the three ministers in question, Environment and Water Minister Dimitrov, Regional Development and Public Works Minister Avramova and Agriculture Minister Taneva, in which they reported to the Prime Minister on the situation of dams and irrigation systems, and the measures that are being taken. According to the press centre of the Council of Ministers, Borissov told them that 850 million leva are available for a project under the Recovery Plan, which can rehabilitate and complete the irrigation system in the country. Borissov demanded full coordination between the competent ministries.

On Friday evening, Deputy Environment and Water Minister Atanaska Nikolova was dismissed from office by order of the Prime Minister. Borissov also ordered the appointment of Slaveya Stoyanova and Iliana Todorova as Deputy Environment and Water Ministers. Stoyanova is a long-serving employee of the Ministry and has held various high offices. Up until now, Todorova has headed the Ministry's Water Management Directorate. LN/DT/VE
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