Mayors of several settlements in Southern Bulgaria are raising the alarm about the risk of flooding due to the uncleaned bed of the Stryama River. Residents of the Plovdiv villages of Kalekovets and Trilistnik fear that the river will flood their houses during the next heavy rains and the disaster from three years ago, the damage to which has not yet been completely repaired, will be repeated.
At the moment, there is no risk of flooding or overflow, but the mayors are worried. Over 800 people live in the village of Trilistnik, who keep the bitter memory of 2022, when the Stryama River flooded 120 houses. The Nova TV reporter spoke with the mayor of the village, Mircho Petrov.
“Unfortunately, the collective irresponsibility regarding the state of the Stryama River continues. Our people in the village are worried because the village could be flooded again. From here to the end of Kalekovets is 5 km, the river is full of vegetation and with a small rise, the water will come back to Trilistnik”, explained Petrov.
“During the last flood, we removed over 200 trucks of household utensils. There are people who have not yet recovered from the flood”, he said.
“I don't remember this area being cleaned. There are compromised dikes, and there are none above Kalekovets, which means that the water will come an hour later, but it will come”, he added.
The mayor of the village of Kalekovets, where over 250 people live, Georgi Valkov, believes that the commitment is the state.
“Let the institutions take action and clean up these 5 km, because on the eastern side of Kalekovets, if the dikes break, the village of Trilistnik will be flooded. On the northern side, there are no dikes, and the riverbed has not been cleaned for years, Kalekovets will be flooded”, he explained.
“I bear responsibility and I want the institutions to take measures and clean up these 5 km”, Valkov added.