50-60 tonnes of fish died due to the drying up of the Iskretska River

More than 12,000 people in the municipality of Svoge, Western Bulgaria, have remained without water after the flow of the Iskretska River decreased significantly over the past two days. The problem affects the town of Svoge, the village of Iskrets, Svidnya and part of the village of Tserovo.

Deputy Mayor of Svoge, Valentin Mihailov, summarized the water supply and assistance to the residents, saying that the Mayor of Sofia, Yordanka Fandakova, immediately sent three water tankers with drinking water. The mayor of Gotse Delchev sent 12 tonnes of drinking water to the villages of Iskrets and Svidnya, the mayor of Botevgrad also sent two water tankers. The mayors of Ihtiman and Dupnitsa also provided help.

Svoge declares state of emergency as water supply stopped due to dried up river

Mihailov said that the Council of Ministers today provided 99 tonnes of drinking water from the state reserve, and it has already been distributed in five lorrries and is travelling to Svoge.

Two water tankers from Sofiyska Voda company (Sofia water) and two water carriers from Iskar-2000 have also been provided. 18 stationary points have been established.

Additionally, 16 tonnes of water have been sent from Dolna Banya and 50 tonnes are to come from Devin.

An inspection of the water intake straucture has also been made, Mihailov added. A hydrogeologist will arrive in Svoge tomorrow to start work on opening two sondages in the Iskretska River to provide additional water.

At this stage, only guesses are being made as to the reasons for the decrease in the river level, said the deputy mayor of Svoge.

The mayor's office has contacted a rendering service company and they will start cleaning the tonnes of dead fish from the fish ponds.

Mihailov said it was about 50-60 tonnes and the municipality would bear the cost of the clean-up.

Water intake structure from Petrokhan will be diverted to the village of Iskrets, Fire Safety and Population Protection Directorate director, Nikolai Nikolov, said earlier today.