site.btaFour Caretaker Ministers Discuss Water Supply Disruptions after PM Calls for Urgent Measures

Four caretaker ministers Wednesday discussed the problem of water supply disruptions at a meeting at the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works, the Ministry told BTA on Thursday. Participating in the meeting were Regional Development Minister Violeta Koritarova, Environment and Water Minister Petar Dimitrov, Energy Minister Vladimir Malinov and Economy and Industry Minister Petko Nikolov. The meeting was held in implementation of caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev’s call for urgent measures to address the problem of disrupted water supply.

During the meeting, the imposed water rationing in settlements was discussed. 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.

Severe drought and rising temperatures are some of the main causes of the shortage of drinking water , the Ministry of Regional Development said. According to the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology, 2024 is the third dry and hot year in a row. The month of June was the hottest since 1930, and this year's dry spell was also the longest, lasting more than three months. As a result, Northern Bulgaria has seen an 87% drop in water levels compared with 2023. Drinking water losses in aging water systems in certain settlements and losses in irrigation systems were cited as causes of water supply disruptions.

To tackle the problems, all government structures continue to work in emergency mode in coordination with local authorities, the Ministry said. A working group of experts from all concerned ministries is being set up, which will also act as a coordination centre. The group's task will be to propose solutions for securing back-up water sources and prioritizing strategic reservoirs that need to be built or rehabilitated to secure the country's water reserves in the coming years. Necessary legal changes will also be analysed as water supply is a strategic sector and part of national security. The preparation of a comprehensive hydro-remediation analysis will also be discussed to show both the options for improving water supply and the need for repair and construction of new artificial reservoirs.