There will be no water regime in Veliko Tarnovo and the region, said Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Zafirov, who is also the Chairman of the National Water Board. He and the Minister of Regional Development Ivan Ivanov, as well as the Minister of Environment and Water Manol Genov participated in a working meeting with the Mayor of Veliko Tarnovo Daniel Panov and the mayors of the municipalities of the Veliko Tarnovo region.
According to Zafirov, there are problems with water supply in individual settlements in the region, but at this stage there is no danger of a water regime similar to that in Pleven and Lovech.
He pointed out that on the topic of water shortages in the Veliko Tarnovo region there are numerous speculations that aim to instill fear and panic in people and serve political interests and stressed that every political attack must have some limits. When fear is senselessly instilled, where there is no reason for it, attention is diverted from the real problems that need to be solved, said Zafirov.
The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that preventive steps to find an alternative water source for the region are being taken in a timely manner. Here, they are working diligently on the project of the “Alexander Stamboliyski“ dam, which has good indicators such as water quality, to be an alternative source of water supply in the region, said Zafirov and added that this will be one of the topics in the upcoming board meeting.
Zafirov emphasized that the state will not allow illegal use of drinking water, regardless of the investor's name, and whether it is hydroelectric power plants, agricultural producers or industrial enterprises. This is within the scope of the board, which is working to identify all problem points, he added.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister, 200 million leva for this year and 350 million leva, including European funds for next year, are planned for the restoration of irrigation systems. He specified that the work of the board is in good synchrony with the local authorities, the legislative authority and the Council of Ministers, which makes the final decisions. The meeting in the Veliko Tarnovo Municipality building continues with the participation of the regional governor Yulia Likomanova Mutafchieva, the director of the Water and Sewerage Company “Yovkovtsi“, members of parliament from the region and other institutions.