In the midst of the summer heat and prolonged drought, three villages in the Ruse region – Brestovitsa, Bosilkovtsi and Peychinovo – are facing the danger of introducing a water regime. Local authorities and the Water and Sewerage Company warn that if urgent measures are not taken, the water crisis will deepen.
The situation in Brestovitsa is among the most serious. According to data from the Water and Sewerage Company – Ruse, losses in the water transmission network there reach 84 percent. The reason is a combination of a prolonged drought and heavily depreciated infrastructure.
“The problem has been for years… supplied per thousand cubic meters of water, in reality three hundred cubic meters are used by the population, the rest is losses because the water supply network is very outdated. The mayor of the municipality issued an order that drinking water should not be used for non-potable purposes, such as filling swimming pools, washing cars, watering, so that the water can reach the water supply,“ commented to BNT Svetla Georgieva, mayor of the village of Brestovitsa.
Among the measures proposed by the Water and Sewerage Service are a ban on using drinking water for watering lawns, washing streets and cars, as well as filling swimming pools. At the same time, the municipalities and the water company are preparing the rehabilitation of part of the network to reduce losses.
Local residents express concerns that in the absence of sufficient rainfall and without timely replacement of pipes, the water regime may become inevitable as early as this month.