Water Crisis in Pleven: Environment and Water Committee Has Identified Measures

Pleven remains without approved projects to address its long-running water crisis, it emerged during an extraordinary meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Environment and Water on August 21. At the meeting, MPs agreed to establish a new supervisory body for water management and to adopt urgent measures to alleviate the crisis. The Ministry of Regional Development will send staff from the Bulgarian Water Supply and Sewerage Holding to Pleven to oversee the work of the local utility.

The Water Shortage Crisis: Extraordinary Meeting of the Parliament's Environment and Water Committee Has Been Called

According to ministry data, more than 260,000 people across 16 towns and 283 villages are currently under water restrictions. Many municipalities have sought funding for urban improvements while neglecting water infrastructure projects – including Pleven.

Regional Development Minister Ivan Ivanov urged local authorities to revise their project proposals:
"Our main appeal to municipal administrations is to reconsider their projects wherever possible. They should, if they can, give up some of the initiatives not related to water infrastructure and prioritise those addressing urgent supply issues. Pleven is a prime example," he said.

Hydro-engineer and adviser to the committee, Prof. Galya Bŭrdarska, countered that some projects had been developed in the past but were left incomplete due to a lack of funds:

"There are two absolutely urgent measures for Pleven: new deep boreholes in the Bivolare water catchment area, and reconstruction of the transmission pipeline along the Cherni Osam. Both were included as measures with European funding, yet to date not a single lev has been allocated. We are losing EU money," she stressed.

The committee adopted eleven steps to address the crisis, including establishing a new oversight body, urgent cleaning of water facilities, drilling of new water sources, and checks against illegal water use.

Environment Minister Manol Genov welcomed the work of the ad hoc committee, but warned of the costs:
"The proposals are excellent, with significant expertise behind them. But someone must take the time to cost them properly, because the recommendations are ambitious and expensive," he noted.

The National Association of Municipalities called on MPs to support local authorities, especially smaller municipalities that lack the financial capacity to replace outdated water networks.

"The pressure in municipalities under water rationing is immense," said Madlena Boyadzhieva, mayor of Teteven. "As mayors, we must fully coordinate our actions with local authorities and all responsible institutions. Small municipalities like ours simply do not have the resources to replace the water infrastructure."

Farmers also voiced alarm about the lack of irrigation.
"We farmers are not allowed to irrigate. From Vidin to Silistra not a single farmer has access to water for irrigation," said Pavel Stoilov of the Sustainable Agriculture Association.

The draft resolution is expected to be put to a vote in Parliament at the beginning of September.