The main reasons for the shortage of valuable natural water resources are the huge water losses in the water supply network, which in some places amount to over 80%, and in the irrigation systems, where water losses reach 90%.

A meeting of the Supreme Advisory Council on Water (SACW) was held today at the Ministry of Environment and Water, chaired by the Minister of Environment and Water eng. Petar Dimitrov. The meeting was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Irrigation Systems EAD, the Ministry of Economy and Industry, the Executive Agency for Maritime Administration, the Ministry of Finance, the Directorate General for Fire Safety and Population Protection at the Ministry of Interior, the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, the University of Agricultural and Forestry, the four Basin Directorates at the Ministry of Environment and Water, the National Institute of Hydrology, the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria, and Ivelina Vasileva - advisor to the Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev.

"The aim of the meeting is to identify solutions in the face of the prospects for permanent drought due to the climate. Specific data from the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (NIMH) clearly show the lack of spring floodwaters – river runoff has decreased by 72% this year compared to the dry year of 2023. In the Danube region, it has even decreased by 82%,” said Minister Dimitrov at the opening of the meeting of the Advisory Council.

He emphasized that the Ministry of Environment and Water relies on Bulgarian and global science, therefore the observations and studies of the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (NIMH) are important in the analyses and decisions that are made to deal with water scarcity.

Experts from the NIMH presented detailed information with an assessment of precipitation, river runoff, and the state of groundwater for the period January-October this year (see the presentation here). According to the data so far, 2024 has precipitation below the climatic norm and is defined as a dry year. The precipitation deficit is most pronounced in the months of February (-63%) and October (-66%). The drought is most pronounced in Northwestern Bulgaria and along the Black Sea coast. It continued in August, with the western part of the Danube Plain and the Upper Thracian Lowland being most severely affected. With regard to groundwater, during the period of "prolonged drought" 2019-2022, a predominant trend of decreasing reserves was observed during the autumn-winter period, when their recharge mainly occurs.

The Water Management Directorate of the Ministry of Environment and Water made a presentation entitled "Water Management Policy - Water Scarcity Problems" with data on the status of complex and significant dams, the status of water resources in the country and water losses in the water transmission network. The dams for drinking and domestic water supply are currently 61% full.

According to the data in the National Report on the State and Protection of the Environment in the Republic of Bulgaria, in 2022, total water losses from the water supplied by the Water Supply and Sewerage System are estimated at 485.43 million cubic meters. This is about 18 times the annual amount of water supplied to the water supply system by "ViK" EOOD Pleven, or 1/4 of the total losses are sufficient to cover the needs for one year of "ViK" EAD Burgas, "ViK" EOOD Pleven, "ViK - Shumen" OOD, and "ViK" OOD Targovishte.

According to the Annual Report of the Water and Sewerage Regulatory Commission on the State of the Water and Sewerage Sector in the Republic of Bulgaria for 2023 (adopted by decision under protocol No. 314 of 07.11.2024), the total water losses in the water supply systems for the Water and Sewerage operators amount to 60.21%.

Losses over 70% have the Water and Sewerage operators of: Montana, Pleven, Targovishte, Razgrad, Yambol, Haskovo, Dobrich, Sofia region, and over 80% - "ViK - Sliven" OOD, "ViK - Shumen" OOD, and "ViK" OOD - city of Pernik.

During the meeting, Minister Petar Dimitrov focused the discussions on the main reasons for the shortage of the valuable natural resource, namely the huge water losses in the water and sewerage networks, which in places amount to over 80%, and in the irrigation systems, where water losses reach 90%. He reminded that in the past Bulgaria had a widely developed hydro-ameliorative, energy and water supply system, which had been designed to work in parallel, and pointed out the need for these systems to be reconstructed.

The Minister appealed to the municipalities, which own the water transmission networks in the cities, to take quick and decisive actions to rehabilitate the existing and build new water supply infrastructure, by conducting their own analyses and directing to this aim as a priority the funds in the amount of 7 billion and 100 million leva, which are provided by the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works’ program for the municipalities.

After a discussion in which a number of opinions, comments, and proposals were expressed, the participants in the meeting of the Supreme Advisory Council on Water united around the following recommendations for the purpose of implementing the policies in the water supply and irrigation sectors:

• Significant reduction of water losses - plan and schedule for benchmarks;
• Provision of reserve water sources for drinking and domestic water supply to the settlements supplied with water from the Kamchia dam (Burgas and the Southern Black Sea coast, which were indicated as problematic);
• The Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works’ website should maintain up-to-date information on drinking and domestic water supply to the population, including the presence of a water supply regime and the reasons for this;
• Rehabilitation of existing reserve water sources or inclusion of new ones, when the inventory of the Water Supply and Irrigation network and the analysis of the population's needs has proven the need for additional water sources;
• Encouragement of municipalities and priority implementation of projects related to solving problems in the water supply of settlements;
• Coordination of the policy in the field of fisheries and aquaculture, implemented through NAFA, and the policy on irrigation of agricultural crops, implemented by "Irrigation Systems" EAD, for dams, the waters of which are used both for fish farming and for irrigation;
• Inventory of the existing hydro-ameliorative network and its facilities and presentation of the information on the website of "Irrigation Systems" EAD;
• Integrated development and rehabilitation of irrigation systems, in order to achieve maximum provision of water supplies for agricultural holdings through the network of "Irrigation Systems" EAD, while reducing the amount of water withdrawn.
• Achieving efficiency in the use of irrigation infrastructure and reducing unused water masses.

Presentation of the Directorate "Water Management" at the Ministry of Environment and Water: "Water Management Policy - Problems with Water Scarcity"

Presentation of the National Institute of Hydrology: "Assessment of Precipitation, River Runoff and the State of Groundwater"