PM Zhelyazkov Sets Goal to End Pleven Water Rationing by Next Summer

Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov on September 29 personally inspected the measures taken to address Pleven’s ongoing water crisis, setting a clear goal: by next summer, the city should no longer face water rationing.

Despite temporary improvements in supply — including doubling water from the Dolna Mitropoliya shaft wells, building a new pipeline near the Yasenski canal, and increasing operating pumping stations from 5 to 15 — the PM stressed that the real solution lies in a large-scale overhaul of the city’s water infrastructure. Losses along the water supply network currently exceed 70%.

Zhelyazkov ordered "Napoĭtelni sistemi" to analyze potential alternative water sources in the region and made it clear that responsibility rests on local authorities:

Nearly 40 litres of water per second are entering Pleven after water quantities from the Dolna Mitropolia wells were doubled in a week and another pipeline was built in the Yassenski Kanal area. The number of working pumping stations has also been increased from 5 to 15.

Rossen Zhelyazkov, Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria:
“Water is now flowing in places where it never flowed before, because canals have been rehabilitated, because riverbeds have been cleared, because works have been carried out that had never been undertaken – simply because there had been no initiative. By next year there must be no water rationing, and that is our responsibility. Here we are staking the authority of the government on ensuring that this issue is resolved.”

Seventy per cent of Pleven’s water supply and sewerage network must be replaced, and the municipality must assume the risk of carrying out the necessary repairs, which will inevitably provoke discontent among residents.

Rossen Zhelyazkov, Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria:
“If the municipality lacks the political capacity and will to carry this out, it should say so. If it cannot, the Water Supply and Sewerage Company will do it; and if it too cannot, we will seek emergency measures.”

Dr Valentin Hristov, Mayor of Pleven Municipality:
“At present, our shared problem is solely the main supply pipeline… And the view of the board is that efforts must focus on replacing the pipeline and, accordingly, on constructing a reservoir.”

It has emerged that of Pleven’s municipal development programme, worth BGN 50 million, only BGN 1 million had been allocated for water supply. This programme will be reviewed, and all funds will be redirected towards water and sewerage projects, Prime Minister Zhelyazkov stated.

Atanas Zafirov, Chair of the National Water Board:
“We are suffering the consequences of decades of political negligence and unfinished work. This is not the time to look for blame; it is the time for action…”

Ivan Ivanov, Minister of Regional Development and Public Works:
“There must be civic oversight of all activities carried out here—particularly regarding expenditure—in order to prevent speculation.”

The Minister of Regional Development, Ivan Ivanov, expressed expectations that by the New Year the daytime water rationing in Pleven will be lifted, with only night-time restrictions possibly remaining, should the water volumes from the Cherni Osam pipeline remain low.