site.btaRemains of Underwater Village Appear at Ogosta Reservoir near Montana
The water level of the Ogosta Reservoir, the second largest artificial lake in Bulgaria, has been dropping by two centimetres per day, Montana Regional Governor Kalin Haitov told BTA on Sunday.
The receding water has allowed rarely seen islands to appear in the middle of the reservoir. Many water-loving migratory birds have settled on these islands to spend the winter at Ogosta. Large strips of land have appeared along the coasts as well, with local people and guests from other parts of Bulgaria parking their caravans and homemade shelters to spend the winter on the banks of the reservoir and enjoy fishing, hiking and outdoor picnics, despite the sub-zero temperatures in January.
Poles from a former power grid of the village of Zhivovtsi have also started to appear out of the reservoir. The village has been flooded and been underwater since the reservoir's construction 40 years ago, as is the case with the neighbouring village of Kalimanitsa, birthplace of Bulgarian writer Yordan Radichkov. The church of the village of Zhivovtsi and the chapel in front of it are also on dry land, which allows people to visit them, although they are partially destroyed from the long stay underwater.
The Ogosta Reservoir is the second largest artificial lake in Bulgaria (after the Iskar reservoir) with a maximum possible volume of 506 million cubic metres of water, which currently stands at only 164.2 million cubic metres of water. Haitov however noted that there is nothing to worry about, as there is still enough water to be released into the Ogosta River. He stated that even if it rains continuously for three months in the spring, it will not create a flood hazard, as the reservoir would absorb and hold the water.
Ogosta fulfills its role as an annual leveler, collecting rainwater from the slopes of Stara Planina and retaining it, before gradually releasing the water into the Ogosta River without creating any dangers of flooding. During the torrential and prolonged rains in the spring of 2023, the volume of the Ogosta Reservoir reached 466 million cubic metres of water. Due to the hot and dry summer of 2024 and the low rainfall in the autumn and winter months afterwards, the level of the reservoir remains low at the moment.
/MY/
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