site.btaPM Speaks of Emergency Measures to Deal with Water Supply Disruptions

Addressing the opening of his caretaker cabinet's weekly meeting, Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev said measures need to be taken as a matter of emergency to address water supply disruptions. "We need to take measures, urgently and swiftly, to address the problems with disrupted water supply," he said.

"We need to form a group to propose fast solutions. Obviously, we don't have time to make plans. We have four or five days. People want to live normal lives and have water," he said.

Speaking in Parliament as it was about to hold a hearing of four ministers of the problems caused by drought on August 15 - which hearing subsequently failed for lack of quorum - Deputy Chair Rossitsa Kirova said that over 300 population cetres have no water.

According to a map of water rationing prepared in the Right to Water project of Green Movement co-leader Toma Belev, 601 settlements have their water supply rationed and scores of them have declared a state of disaster. The authorities blame the rationing of drought, loss of water along the mains, insufficient local water resources on the backdrop of growing population and other causes.