The water restrictions in Pleven remain in place despite measures already undertaken. Test drillings so far have not provided sufficient water to meet the city’s needs.
To overcome the crisis, Environment Minister Manol Genov, who attended the latest meeting of the regional crisis headquarters in Pleven, instructed the basin directorates in Plovdiv, Varna, Blagoevgrad, and Pleven to supply the local water utility with information about alternative water sources within their territories.
Seventy-five per cent of the water is lost through Pleven’s ageing supply network, a fact for which the head of the local utility company and the municipal leadership came under criticism from Minister Genov.
Lozko Lozov, Chair of the Water Supply and Sewerage Holding:
“This is something that has been neglected for years, not maintained as a responsible steward would. Many facilities have deteriorated in recent years – the situation is critical. I would really like to call on the people of Pleven to be patient, because from today’s meeting of the task force I am confident that the measures outlined will deliver results.”
Work continues on drilling in various parts of the region to compensate for the water deficit, but at present this provides only about 60 litres per second.
Lozov added:
“We already see results from draining the trenches at Dolna Mitropolia. This channel, which had been cleaned for long periods of time, is now delivering some effect. The borehole at the Kozhuharska fountain, the second one, has shown good parameters and has been connected to the Pleven network. For now, this compensates for declining water quantities from the Cherni Osam system.”
Even so, the daily lives of Pleven residents, particularly those living in higher parts of the city, continue to depend on when water flows from their taps.
Eng. Kliment Todorov, Director of the Pleven Water Utility:
“At present we supply water to the critical areas for three hours in the morning and three hours in the evening.”
To resolve the crisis once and for all, residents of Pleven are demanding the construction of the Cherni Osam Dam.
Minister Manol Genov explained:
“Pleven residents insist on this, while people in Troyan say they do not want it. This is a matter of assessment, requiring a cost–benefit analysis of whether the project is viable and to what extent it complies with environmental legislation.”
Meanwhile, emergency repairs continue on the internal water supply network. Today alone, six villages experienced disrupted water supply due to breakdowns. The 45,000 litres of water released from the State Reserve will be distributed in the coming days to schools, nurseries, and social institutions. Installation of hydrophore systems in these facilities is also ongoing.
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