site.btaEnvironment Minister: Black Sea Clean, General Finding Shows

The general finding is that the Black Sea is clean, Minister of Environment and Water Julian Popov told bTV Saturday.

He explained that the Ministry of Environment and Water checks environmental pollution. "These checks have different results, in most cases the samples are good. In case of uncontrolled discharge of wastewater, sanctions are imposed on the municipality or hotel concerned," added Julian Popov. The penalties range from BGN 2,000 to BGN 10,000, he said.

"I am committed to fully develop a system not just for higher, but for more appropriate penalties, which would largely correspond to the relevant violation," the Minister noted.

"Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, we have been monitoring the state of the Black Sea, as this is a military situation. There was no need for concern after the blowing up of the Nova Kakhovka dam wall. It immediately became clear that it was very unlikely that any type of pollution would reach Bulgaria. We also monitored the risks of contamination, we kept people informed, the panic was inexplicable for us. The general finding is that the sea is clean", explained Popov. "In the last two months, I toured the Black Sea from Durankulak (in the North) to Sinemorets (in the South) twice. I didn't just drive trough it, I went through every beach, he noted.