"Vazrazhdane" insists on clear responsibility, compensation and sanctions for the flood in Gelemenovo

The MPs from “Vazrazhdane“ Stoyan Taslakov, from the Pazardzhik electoral district, and Petar Petrov, insist that the responsible institutions - “Irrigation Systems“ and the Pazardzhik Regional Administration to bear their responsibility for the uncleaned riverbeds and the poor condition of the dam, which caused the flooding of the village of Gelemenovo.

The two MPs were in Pazardzhik and held a working meeting at the Regional Administration with the Regional Governor, the Mayor of Pazardzhik Municipality and the Mayor of Gelemenovo in order to seek a sustainable solution for the restoration and strengthening of the broken dam without affecting the properties of local residents.

According to information from the institutions present, the cause of the flood was a compromised part of the dam, managed by “Irrigation Systems“. He pointed out that during a tour of the affected areas, carried out by Stoyan Taslakov together with the mayor of the village, it was found that the Elshishka River bed in the area had not been cleaned for years – a fact that, according to him, directly contributed to the disaster.

Petrov recalled that at the beginning of the month he had asked an official parliamentary question to the outgoing prime minister why the regional governors were not fulfilling their legal obligations to clean the riverbeds outside the urbanized territories. The answer received was unclear - funds were yet to be provided under national programs. “And the Commission for Disasters and Accidents does not finance such activities, although it is a responsible body“, Petrov pointed out.

“In this activity, “Irrigation Systems“ are also responsible, which are also obliged to maintain the riverbeds and protective facilities“, the MP said.

“Vazrazhdane“ will insist on the disclosure of what funds have been allocated to “Irrigation Systems“ for the maintenance of the riverbeds and how they were spent. The MPs will demand the restoration and strengthening of all compromised protective facilities. They have also requested urgent measures for the drainage of the affected properties.

“We will also demand a full report from the Ministry of Environment and Water on whether the Basin Directorate has carried out inspections and whether it has issued instructions for the cleaning of the two rivers that pass through the village's land, as well as the relevant documentation. If we establish non-compliance with certain instructions, we will insist on imposing financial sanctions on the responsible persons according to the law“, said Petar Petrov.

The MPs from “Vazrazhdane“ have also sought assistance from the Minister of Labor and Social Policy in order to compensate the affected households. They have received assurances from the local authorities that full support will be provided to people when submitting applications to the Social Assistance Agency.

After the Christmas flood, residents of Gelemenovo expressed their dissatisfaction with the actions of “Irrigation Systems“, blocking work on the restoration of the Telki Dere River dam. According to them, the problem is not in the height of the dam, but in the uncleaned beds of the Elshishka and Telki Dere rivers and in the large watershed formed by the two rivers.

Today, residents of the village protested in front of the Pazardzhik Municipality and in front of “Irrigation Systems“, demanding the preparation of a comprehensive reconstruction project, including putting the river in a concrete bed.