Only one fifth of the water pipes in our country are in good condition. Instead of 1,500 kilometers per year, about 300 kilometers of pipes are replaced. This is shown by the data of one of the largest construction companies for water pipe repairs in our country, summarized BNT.
According to data from the Bulgarian Water and Sewerage Holding, in the last ten years, only 4.5 billion leva have been utilized to improve the water infrastructure, while 12 billion leva were initially allocated for World Bank projects.
Almost the entire country has a problem with the condition of the water pipe network, data from one of the largest repair companies in the sector show.
"More than 80% of the water pipes are in poor condition. There is a World Bank report that defines needs for the water supply and sanitation sector - not only for water supply, but also for sewage, in the amount of 32 billion leva", explained Blagoy Kozarev, General Director and Chairman of the Board of a construction company.
However, most water companies cannot afford full-scale investments and therefore the replacement of the network is seriously lagging behind.
"In Bulgaria, the World Bank's environmental protection program has allocated 12 billion leva for a ten-year period - from 2015 to 2025. 4.5 billion leva have been absorbed", said Prof. Dr. Eng. Gancho Dimitrov, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Bulgarian Water Supply and Sewerage Holding.
"The water supply network is about 75 thousand kilometers. We should replace about 1,500 km per year, instead of 1,500 km, we replace about 300 km. You understand that this leads to accelerated depreciation of the networks every year, because we are lagging behind", commented Blagoy Kozarev.
Thus, the situation, instead of improving, is getting worse, industry data shows. The case is similar in Pleven, where most of the network is in a deplorable condition.
"In Pleven, the water supply network is longer than that in other settlements and with larger diameters, comparable in population and territory. There are many steel pipes there that are rotten, with expired service life and Eternit water pipes", pointed out Prof. Gancho Dimitrov.
"Pleven implements its investment program every year. If it invests more costs, the price must increase. So there must be a balance between the funds invested and the cost to the population".
The quickest solution at the moment is to reduce losses in the most critical areas, to regulate the water pressure so that the regime is reduced to nighttime only, the expert explained. Alternative sources of water are also being sought, but the problem can only be permanently solved by building a new dam.
Most of the repairs to the water network so far have been carried out under European programs. Currently, the state is ready to invest more money in water projects, but there are also curious cases that also need to be considered, experts warn.
"The most elementary example, we have built a water treatment plant, it is right to provide it with security. However, this is an operational expense that weighs very heavily on the water and sewerage operator and cannot be covered by the environment program, because it is an operational expense after the completion of the project", commented Blagoy Kozarev.
And despite the drought, our country has good water resources, according to data from the executive agency for the environment.
"Bulgaria is estimated to have relatively significant fresh water resources, well above the average European level. Both as an absolute volume and per capita," explained Iliyana Angelova, an expert in "Monitoring and Water Quality" at the ExEa.
However, in parallel with the replacement of pipes, water quality must also be considered, as there are regions in the country such as Haskovo and Breznik where pollution is persistent. According to the Environmental Agency, however, the situation in this regard is improving overall.
"There is a continuing trend towards improving water quality, both in the long term and in the short term. However, there are still some water bodies at risk, for which measures have been prepared to achieve good ecological and chemical status," said Iliyana Angelova, an expert in "Monitoring and Water Quality" at the External Environmental Agency.
Thus, in practice, it turns out that the main cause of water problems in our country is delayed repairs, the delayed search for new water sources, and not so much the drought in the country.