No Water from Morning till Dusk: Sevlievo Introduces Strict Water Rationing Amid Record Low Supply

A strict water supply schedule has been introduced in Sevlievo municipality (Northern Bulgaria). Villages will receive water every two days, while in the town, water will not be supplied for four days a week from 8:00 to 17:00.

The new restrictions are necessary due to a record drop in the flow rates of sources for drinking and domestic use.

All settlements supplied by the “Stokite” reservoir are unable to maintain a normal water supply.

Residents have expressed difficulties:

“It’s hard for everything – cooking, washing dishes, using the toilet.”
“It’s difficult. With buckets… How do you get used to needing water for everything?”
“Not suitable for drinking. Yesterday it was cloudy – yellowish.”

Miroslav Bankov, chief expert in Sevlievo municipality, stated that the required water flow of 240 litres per person has fallen to 140 litres, prompting the stricter rationing. He added that backup water sources have been secured for both the town and surrounding villages.

“In the more populated villages in the direction of Bure and Dobromirka, there are no kindergartens, only schools and a nursing home in Dobromirka, which has its own supplementary reservoir with enough water. In every other settlement, water trucks supply fresh water daily. All educational institutions and hospitals, including the hospital itself, have independent reservoirs that have always been protected. These facilities are not affected by the rationing.”