site.btaParliament Hears Four Cabinet Ministers on Water Crisis in Parts of Bulgaria

At its sitting on Thursday, the National Assembly held a hearing of four caretaker ministers – Finance Minister Lyudmila Petkova, Regional Development and Public Works Minister Violeta Koritarova, Environment and Water Minister Petar Dimitrov, and Energy Minister Vladimir Malinov, in connection with the water supply shortage in some parts the country and the measures the government has taken to tackle it, both in the short and long term.

According to caretaker Environment Minister Dimitrov, there is still enough natural resource that can be used to meet drinking water and irrigation needs, but the efficiency of use of these water quantities is extremely low. In some areas, the water losses are close to or above 90%.

Dimitrov cited data from a World Meteorological Organization report, revealing that 2023 was the driest year for global rivers in the last 33 years. 2024 was yet another of four consecutive dry years, and compared to 2023, the average runoff of rivers in Bulgaria has decreased significantly. The spring high tide that occurs in June is completely absent and compared to June 2023, the runoff has decreased by 72%, the minister said. The runoff decrease is the biggest in the Danube Plain, where the sharpest water supply shortage is. On average, the river runoff there decreased by 82%.

Dimitrov noted that there is also water wastage problem. The Environment Ministry and the Agriculture Ministry had initiated numerous meetings with mayors and regional governors. The ministries have recommended the local authorities that they redirect funds under the BGN 7.1 billion Regional Development and Public Works programme for funding municipal projects. It is striking that some municipalities that have suffered the most from water supply shortage and had the most water losses are not acknowledging these problems and are directing these funds allocated under the 2024-2026 programme to projects of a different nature. "We have strongly advised these municipalities to redirect these resources to meet the needs of the locals and ease the water cuts, he added.

Dimitrov refuted the widespread theory that Bulgaria is rich in water resources, "Bulgaria is very poor in water resources, which was proven by data of the [National] Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology," he said, adding that 83% of these resources come from the Danube River and are not exploited at this stage.

Commenting on the condition of Bulgaria's micro dams, Dimitrov said that, according to the State Agency for Metrological and Technical Surveillance, some 70% of the total number of micro dams in Bulgaria (6,845) are municipally owned and their waters are not used. "This is an important issue and we need to restore these facilities so that they can be effectively used for irrigation," Dimitrov explained.

Caretaker Regional Development Minister Koritarova said that between BGN 12 and 14 billion are needed to ensure normal water supply to all Bulgarian citizens. By end-June 2026, under Bulgaria's Recovery and Resilience Plan, a project for the construction and reconstruction of water supply and sewerage systems, including wastewater treatment plants for agglomerations with a population between 5,000 and 10,000 people, is to be implemented.

Caretaker Energy Minister Malinov cited an analysis of reservoir conditions that shows that, as of end-November 2024, as a result of the prolonged dry period, the water volume of dams operated by the National Electricity Company are lower than the seasonal averages in the last 10 years, both on an average basis and on a year-by-year basis.

In order to compensate for the lower water levels in the dams, the National Electricity Company applies a conservative and as water-saving as possible approach when generating electricity, Malinov said. He added that the operation of hydropower plants was mainly subordinated to the irrigation needs, and the electricity production during the past summer season was an additional effect of the complex use of the resource and did not consume water that was intended for irrigation needs. In the reservoirs managed by the Company, including those for drinking water, additional volume was provided to meet the needs of the population.

Caretaker Finance Minister Petkova said that her Ministry has sent a letter to the Regional Development Ministry and to the CEO of the Bulgarian Water and Sewerage Holding to obtain information on the use of funds amounting to BGN 1 billion provided by the state to the Holding. The letter had been prompted by the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission's public consultation on the proposal to increase tap water prices as of 2025. This proposal is a subject of serious public discontent, expressed by regional governors, mayors and citizens, who say that the water is of poor quality and that they suffer regular water shortages due to breakdowns. Such a situation calls into question the efficiency of water resources management in Bulgaria, Petkova underscored.