site.bta61% of Water Lost in Transit - Regulator

In 2022, water losses for the whole country amounted to 61% of the total water supplied by nature, Ivaylo Kaschiev, Director of Water and Sewerage Services at the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (EWRC), told BTA. Kaschiev took part in a meeting of water and sewerage operators in Kyustendil to discuss the results of water operators. 

"In 2022 there was an increase in losses compared to the previous year. However, the reason for that was because some companies reported more realistic results than in previous years. The losses have been in the 60% range for years and the sector cannot reduce them," Kaschiev said.

The Bulgarian Water Association is working together with "IAWD - International Association of Water Service Companies in the Danube River Catchment Area" on a project that aims to encourage operators to exchange information and to find weak points that can be improved. Eight water and sewerage operators from Bulgaria, as well as the EWRC Chairman, Ivan Ivanov, participated in the meeting. The event was also attended by Kyustendil Regional Governor Alexander Pandursky and Kyustendil Mayor Ognyan Atanasov. 

Ivan Ivanov, Chairman of the Bulgarian Water Association, told BTA that the focus in this year's meeting is on collection, as water and sewerage operators are struggling to collect their outstanding bills. "Our aim is to discuss what can be done so that people are more motivated to pay." Ivanov specified that in terms of water supply connectivity Bulgaria is at the top, but in terms of water loss, this country is at the bottom of the table, competing with Albania for last place. If the commercial losses are reduced, it will increase the revenues of the water operators and they will have more opportunities to invest and improve, Ivanov added. 

According to Ivaylo Kaschiev, measures against non-paying users include filing lawsuits, which, however, do not yield the desired results in Bulgaria. "In the West, every consumer has to show a good credit history, part of which is paid bills for electricity, water, utilities. The sector has been calling for a similar measure in Bulgaria for years, but it has not been introduced." A national strategy is needed, operators cannot cope on their own, said Kaschiev. In his words, the State of the country's water and sewerage network is poor - the network is old and about three quarters of it are asbestos cement pipes whose service life has long passed.