site.btaThree Major Dams Have Low-Water Problem,15 Others Brimming

October 23 (BTA) - Three major dams in Bulgaria have a low-water problem, while 15 others are on the verge of overflowing, Environment and Water Minister Emil Dimitrov said during Friday's question time in the National Assembly.

The dams in the first group are Yastrebino, Ticha and Kamchia, all in the northeast of the country.

Yastrebino Dam was initially designed for irrigation, but 15 years ago "it was connected to a town which would use 20,000 cubic metres of water per month," Dimitrov said, noting that if the facility is used only as a source of drinking water, its water reserves will be enough to use for 50 years. The region's problem is that farmers do not get enough water, he added.

The amount of water in Ticha Dam is enough to use for 20 months. Outflow has been limited, because it, too, is partly used for irrigation. Although Ticha is only a backup source of drinking water for Shoumen, the town is using it as if it was a principal source. Dimitrov urged the local water utility company to restore its wells so as to relieve the pressure on water supply from the dam. An allocation of 120 million leva has been provided under Operational Programme Environment to repair the water pipeline to Shoumen and the water treatment station. This will curb water losses, as a result of which available water will be enough to use for at least 24 months.

The situation with Kamchia Dam is most problematic due to continuous drought in the area which has gone into a fourth year, the minister reported. Kamchia Dam supplies drinking water to Varna and Bourgas, the two largest cities on the Bulgarian seacoast which are also the third and fourth largest in the country. After restrictions were imposed at the beginning of the year, the facility has enough water to use for 8 to 10 months. Various options are being considered to tackle the low-water problem with Kamchia, including by bringing water from two other dams to Bourgas.

Six out of 52 dams nationwide are between 76 and 98 per cent full. Maintenance crews have difficulty keeping five dams - Borovitsa, Stoudena, Dyakovo, Kalin and Karagyol - from overflowing. The problem is how to regulate the water flowing in, and thus avoid emergency discharge. LN/VE
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