Bulgaria is among the poorest countries in Europe in terms of water resources. This was stated by the former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Ecology and Water Borislav Sandov.
He refuted the claims that Bulgaria is one of the richest countries in water.
"We need to distinguish what kind of water we are talking about. If we include the Danube, we are more or less fine. However, we hardly use the Danube for anything, let alone for drinking needs. This is a big issue and we need to discuss how the Danube water can be used optimally, especially for strategically important purposes such as drinking purposes. In addition to not having so many drinking resources, we are in a region in Europe that is highly vulnerable and affected by climate change. Europe, as a continent, is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world," Sandov also pointed out to Bulgaria ON AIR.
In his words, in addition to climate factors, the management of water resources in Bulgaria is also to blame for the water shortage in our country. Sandov also gave various examples of such "negligence".
"Half of the water sources in Bulgaria that are used for water supply are practically without permits. If the basin directorates decide to implement the Water Act at this time, we will turn off the water to half of the settlements in Bulgaria," the specialist revealed.
He pointed out that responsibility for water resources is spread among many different institutions: "Many grandmothers - a weak baby". According to him, it is necessary to have a single or coordinating body that can monitor these issues.
"Since we have been members of the EU, this is what has basically happened - we persist before a given EU reform is adopted, then we accept it because it happened anyway, because we have lagged behind in its implementation. Then we pay for it by not being able to utilize European funds. We also pay with our health - things are connected, because the state of the environment is one of the main factors for the health of the population," Sandov summarized.