site.btaSome Lv 500 Mln Needed for Landslide Consolidation

Some Lv 500 Mln Needed for Landslide Consolidation

Sofia, June 8 (BTA) - Regional Development Minister Liliyana
Pavlova presented data of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
showing that the consolidation of grade one landslides would
cost about 500 million leva, while her Ministry's appropriation
for the purpose is slightly over one million leva every year.

Pavlova attended a roundtable on minimizing the risk of
disasters and prospects for sustainable development.

Lack of sewerage steps up landslide movements in many places,
Pavlova said, recalling that there are 2,004 registered
landslides in Bulgaria. She expressed a hope that the budget of
the Natural Disasters and Industrial Accidents Commission would
increase from the current 70 million leva a year.

There are about 4,000 buildings in landslide areas for which the
 sites were not prepared in advance. Those buildings have not
been cleared by the Regional Development Ministry and have no 
construction documents. Some of them are summer houses with
swimming pools, and some have already collapsed. 

An amendment to the Spatial Development Act will seek to require
 the Ministry's approval for such building permits. Failure to
obtain approval will carry a fine ranging between 5,000 and
20,000 leva for the head architects.

Interior Minister Roumyana Buchvarova called for the formulation
 of prevention policies.

Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova said the capital had a team of 66
 volunteers.

Nikolai Nikolov, head of the National Fire Service, presented a
strategy for early disaster warning using social networks and
mobile applications.