Yesterday, the MPs from “Vazrazhdane”, members of the Committee on Environment and Water - Konstantina Petrova, Daniel Petrov and Angel Slavchev called on all parliamentary groups not to carry out Peevski’s order, behind which lies yet another intention to plunder funds from the state budget.
“Back on July 3, at a meeting of the Temporary Committee for Establishing All Facts and Circumstances Regarding the Problems of Water Deficiency in the Country, we prepared a report in which there are specific measures to deal with the situation. They are in two directions: for the protection of water sources, which can be launched in the short term and for the effective use of the extracted resource, reducing water losses, indicated in the report on the Water and Sewerage sector, as urgent measures for the effective use of water resources. The report from the beginning of July is pending in the parliament's office. It has obviously not been considered important.”, commented Angel Slavchev, who is also a member of this committee.
According to the position of the parliamentary group, a water crisis is currently being created artificially, as a result of the struggle for supremacy between the two factions in GERB.
“There is a problem, but at the moment it is solvable if measures are implemented to deal with it. The problem may grow into a crisis if those in power continue to wonder how to steal a few more leva, use their media and create panic. There is a problem not only in Pleven, there is in Dobrudzha, there is in Omurtag and in other areas of the country and it requires adequate measures in time. There are also measures and they are adequate, therefore this meeting is unnecessary. Peevski's deputies were absent when we drafted these measures, and now we will not be present to make up for their absence. As often happens - Peevski most likely thought that money could be stolen from somewhere and there is a good reason for PR around this. We will not be accomplices and call on all MPs not to attend the meeting of the Commission.”, the position of “Vazrazhdane” also states.
We recall that the MPs of “Vazrazhdane” were active participants in the meetings of the Temporary Commission for establishing all facts and circumstances regarding the problems with water shortages in the country and regularly attend the meetings of the Commission on Environment and Water. They also proposed a package of measures to address the water crisis, which include:
- Creation of a single water management authority in Bulgaria. Currently, 7 ministries are responsible for this, which leads to a lack of synchronization and blurring of responsibilities.
- Taking action to recruit qualified personnel in the water supply and sanitation sector. There is currently a serious outflow of students studying in the specialty "Water supply and sanitation".
- Prohibition of felling of forests around water basins. Deforestation should not be allowed.
- Attention should be paid to the Sanitary Protection Zone (SOP), since in many places they have not been built, and in others they are unmaintained. This is a threat to drinking water.
- All water sources should be equipped with measuring devices. Currently, only about 50% of water sources are equipped with measuring devices.
- To conduct a study on the use of the terraces around the Danube basin, which have a huge unused resource.
- Replacement of the old water supply systems in Bulgaria. The majority of the pipelines are still made of Eternit material and have long expired service life.
- Taking measures to reduce the commercial losses of the water supply operators (inaccurate water meters, water theft, etc.), affecting the balance of water quantities in settlements. Each water supply company to prepare a program to reduce losses.
- Prioritizing water supply – projects in the investment program of the municipalities.
- Financing in 2025 of the sites of the municipalities that can immediately start the implementation of their water projects - Dalgopol, Dobrich and Gotse Delchev, according to the report submitted by the National Water Management Agency of the Republic of Bulgaria.
- Priority water supply to the settlements on a water regime due to a shortage of water resources or poor quality of drinking water according to the indicators of turbidity, manganese, arsenic, uranium, chromium, nitrates, microbiological indicators, etc.
- To exercise real control over the implementation of the various strategies in the Water and Sewerage sector, as well as over the effectiveness of the measures envisaged for their implementation.
- Enabling municipalities that can manage their own water resources to create a municipal water supply company, without state authorities interfering with them. Currently, both the MRDPW and the KEWR are deliberately delaying the transfer of assets and the approval of the business plans of municipal water supply companies, thus forcing them to join the water supply associations, where they will suffer losses instead of their previous profits. There are many examples in this regard.
Of these measures, only one was adopted to create a single water management body in Bulgaria. Currently, 7 ministries are responsible for this, which leads to a lack of synchronization and a blurring of responsibilities. This shows that the only solution to the problem of water scarcity is the resignation of the GERB, DPS, ITN and BSP government, new elections and more MPs from “Vazrazhdane” in the next parliament, so that effective measures and the resulting decisions can be implemented.