site.btaKeeping Water Infrastructure in Good State Is Priority amid Climate Change - Environment Minister
Keeping water infrastructure in good condition is a priority in light of climate change, particularly given that part of water distribution networks in Bulgaria register losses of over 90%, caretaker Minister of Environment and Water Petar Dimitrov said here on Wednesday. He was speaking at a conference titled Beyond H2O – Israel’s Innovative Model for Water Management, organized by the Israeli Embassy in Bulgaria.
Dimitrov said that water losses are big. Old installations need to be modernized. The valuable water resource needs to be used effectively, because Bulgaria is poor in water resources, he noted. Urgent measures have to be taken, he underscored.
In Dimitrov's words, there is no analysis on water losses and a serious monitoring should begin. Bulgaria is a far behind in the field of water management and use, when it used to be a leader in that field. Research in the field has stagnated in the last 30 years, Dimitrov also said. According to him, investment should be directed to research.
In his speech, Minister Dimitrov explained that climate change is affecting water resources. The river runoff for 2023 has been greatly reduced globally, he said. According to the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology, last year was the warmest year for Bulgaria. The average monthly runoff of rivers was down by 72%, with a peak registered in June, the minister explained.
/RY/
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