Sofia Municipality gives BGN 2 million for cleaning over 200 parts of riverbeds

Sofia Municipality will clean more than 200 parts of riverbeds with its own funds by the end of the year, said Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev, who on September 10 inspected the cleaning of the Slatinska River at the bridge on "Botevgradsko shose" and "Vitinya" street.

Sofia Municipality has a budget of BGN 2 million for the riverbed cleaning. Another BGN 900,000 is earmarked for the activity under the Interdepartmental Commission for Restoration and Assistance with the Council of Ministers. However, as of 2019 there are no funds under this line, everything is only on paper, said Vasil Terziev.

This is one of the many sections that are being actively cleaned before the beginning of autumn, when more heavy rains are expected, Terziev said during the inspection today.

So far, 85 km of riverbeds have been cleaned, with 18 more sections left to complete, he added. He said the aim of the initiative is to bring all riverbeds in very good condition to reduce the risk of flooding.

Images by BTA

Vasil Terziev said that currently the most problematic river to clean, which is constantly filling up with waste, is the Sukhodolska River. A solution is being sought there on how to solve the problem in a more sustainable way, the mayor stressed and urged citizens to protect the rivers and not pollute them.