site.btaRegional Development Minister Highlights Water Theft as Main Issue in Water Sector

During a Wednesday parliamentary hearing on problems in the water sector and a controversial increase of water prices, the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works, Ivan Ivanov, said that one of the main issues is water theft in various forms.

Ivanov said that in this regard on January 22 he issued an order for a due diligence in water and sewerage (W&S) companies after the water price increases across much of the country. So-called commercial losses and unaccounted quantities are part of the pricing element, Ivanov said.

The Minister expects the inspection to be completed within a month and suggested that he might personally visit some locations for checks. He also mentioned that the Ministry of Interior, responsible for identifying water theft, should take action, and encouraged citizens to report such crimes when they have information.

Ivanov noted that most of the municipalities' proposals under investment programmes are not coordinated with W&S operators because they concern the municipal network. The Minister expressed hope that the new law will help resolve this issue. In 2024, the Water Supply and Sewerage bill was published on the website of the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works and on the Public Consultation Portal.

Ivanov also expressed hope that when considering the state budget for 2025 and investment programmes, the National Assembly would put "some additional conditions" on it, "so that it is clear that things are not being done in contravention of various other regulations", referring to the lack of coordination. 

Additionally, Ivanov mentioned that he had initiated a process to identify duplicate projects funded by different programmes, such as European or municipal ones, due to the significant budget resources involved. He noted that municipalities' preference for using state funds over European could negatively affect the implementation of certain EU programmes.

Taking part in the hearing were Bulgarian Water and Sewerage Holding Executive Director Irena Georgieva, and Energy and Water Regulatory Commission Chair Ivan Ivanov.