The level of the “Yovkovtsi” dam continues to decrease, reaching an alarming 59.61% of its total volume as of March 26. According to information from the “Borba” newspaper, the useful volume of the reservoir is even smaller - only 55.24%. In a period of less than a month and a half, a decrease of over 2% was registered, which raises serious questions about the management of water resources in the region.
Despite the often repeated assurances that rainfall and snowfall will contribute to the rapid recovery of the level, this is not happening in practice. The question of where the water is disappearing remains unanswered, with the explanation of leaks in the depreciated water supply network proving insufficient to explain the significant deficit.
Especially worrying is the fact that out of 52 monitored complex and significant dams in the country, only 9 are in a downward trend, and “Yovkovtsi" is among them. The average daily water inflow into the facility continues to be significantly lower than the outflow, which exacerbates the problem.
While the water supply of the dam is decreasing, it continues to attract visitors for walks, fishing and picnics. The exposed dry areas around the reservoir create new opportunities - locals and tourists are already parking their caravans in the exposed areas, taking advantage of the ample space.
Grass has already sprouted in some of the newly formed dry areas, but the question remains when and if the waters will cover these areas again.