Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva sent to the Chairman of the Temporary Committee on Budget and Finance in the 52nd National Assembly Konstantin Prodanov and to the members of the committee an opinion in connection with the Draft Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Water Act, submitted on May 22, 2026.
In her opinion, the Ombudsman emphasizes the need for real protection of the rights of consumers of Water Supply and Sewerage services, fair pricing, effective control over Water Supply and Sewerage operators and immediate measures against the systematic deterioration of the quality of services.
Velislava Delcheva emphasizes that the recommendations are based on a thorough analysis of the complaints received by the Ombudsman institution in recent years, as well as the alarming data on the state of the Water Supply and Sewerage sector in country.
She also draws attention to the fact that water losses in the country continue to be extremely high - over 60%, without significant improvement, despite the significant financial resources invested in the water supply and sanitation infrastructure.
„Improvement and reduction in total losses from 2020 to date has not been registered, but there has been a permanent increase in prices - 2026 compared to 2020 the average increase for the country is over 72%. Here the question logically arises - why is there no effect from the investments, which according to the Annual Report of the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission are over 532 million leva for the country in total, writes the public defender.
In the opinion, Velislava Delcheva also emphasizes that citizens in a number of regions of the country continue to face severe water regimes and crises, including in Sliven, Omurtag, Shumen, Pleven, Breznik and settlements in the Sofia region.
According to the Ombudsman, it is necessary to adopt a completely new Law on Water Supply and Sewerage, which would guarantee the right to access quality water supply and sanitation services at an economically justified and socially acceptable price. In her position, Delcheva insists that the price of water be tied to the method of delivery - gravity, pumping or mixed, so that consumers do not pay unreasonably high costs.
She also insists on the introduction of a mechanism for applying a lower price or compensation for consumers in cases where the water does not meet the regulatory quality requirements. She also emphasizes that the institution receives numerous complaints from citizens who are forced to pay the full price for water prohibited by the regional health inspectorates for drinking purposes.
In her opinion, Velislava Delcheva also emphasizes the need to introduce sanctions and coercive administrative measures against water and sewerage operators for failure to fulfill their obligations under the general conditions. She supports the strengthening of the control functions of the EWRC, but warns that without effective sanctions, consumer protection will remain formal.
The Ombudsman also pays special attention to the problem of double payment for remote reading of water meters. The opinion states that currently consumers pay both fees to heat accountants for providing data to water and sewerage operators and reporting costs included in the price of water and sewerage services. According to the Ombudsman, it is necessary for the law to explicitly guarantee the free provision of this information to water and sewerage operators.
The Ombudsman again insists on the preparation of a comprehensive legal, economic, social and technical analysis of the implementation of the Strategy for Development and Management of the Water and Sewerage Sector for the period 2014-2023, since there is currently no public assessment of the effectiveness of the measures taken, the results of the single price of water and the implementation of the quality indicators.
In conclusion, Velislava Delcheva expresses confidence that the proposals made will be carefully discussed and will be taken into account by the members of parliament in order to guarantee the rights and interests of water and sewerage service users in Bulgaria.