site.btaTundja River Heavily Polluted at Yambol

The local water utility warned about heavy industrial pollution of the River Tundja at Yambol. Sewage with grease is poured directly into the urban sewerage system, and from there it reaches the river, BTA learnt from Tsvetan Saikov, Manager of the Yambol Water and Sewerage Company. He declined to name the polluter.

Because of the pollution, three cascade sewage pumping stations for wastewater treatment have failed, first the one in the industrial zone and then two others. "The pumps have jammed, causing a spill into the river. The grease proved a huge problem. These facilities are not designed to handle such waste," Saikov explained.

The entire urban water treatment plant is at risk of coming to a halt, he stressed. "This is the worst problem that can arise because the plant, too, is not designed to cope with this. No one has the right to discharge this type of wastewater into the sewer," he insisted.

Immediate measures have been taken to clean, repair and restore the facilities. The Stara Zagora Regional Environment and Water Inspectorate and Yambol Municipality, which owns the city's wastewater treatment plant and its facilities, have been alerted of the case, Saikov said.

The Yambol wastewater treatment plant was opened in 2021. Its construction is part of the city's water cycle project worth BGN 44 million, of which BGN 36.6 million came from the EU-co-funded Operational Programme Environment.