The water supply company "VIK - Sliven" Ltd. is implementing a large-scale investment project worth 1,150,000 leva without value-added tax, which covers a complete replacement of measuring devices in the serviced municipal territories. The project, implemented jointly with "Bulgarian VIK Holding" EAD, includes the replacement of a total of 4,569 water meters.
The geographical scope of the initiative unites five administrative districts - Sliven, Nova Zagora, Tvardica, Kotel, and their adjacent settlements. The experts from the holding define this approach as an extremely effective preventive strategy for reducing unauthorized water consumption.
Statistical data confirm the success of the undertaken actions. In the last six months, there has been a significant increase of 20 percent in water consumption in the affected areas, which indirectly proves the effectiveness of the new measuring devices.
Since the beginning of 2025, the company has conducted over 100 inspections, leading to official sanctions against users with unauthorized use. One of the most indicative cases was registered in the village of Chintulovo, where a pre-trial proceeding was initiated, and the materials were handed over to the economic police and the prosecution.
Parallel to the technical measures, the management of "VIK - Sliven" is also taking administrative actions to reduce available water supplies. In early July, official proposals were sent to the mayors of municipalities to introduce a ban on using drinking water for non-drinking purposes.
On July 31, 2025, the Mayor of Sliven issued an order that restricts water use throughout the entire municipality. Similar administrative acts have been introduced in the municipalities of Tvardica and Nova Zagora.
The management of "Bulgarian VIK Holding" EAD announced that it will conduct systematic checks on its subsidiary companies to identify illegally connected users and optimize water resource management.
As part of this strategy, an initial inspection was carried out on July 28 at the regional company "Water Supply and Sewerage" EOOD - Haskovo, which marks the beginning of a large-scale internal departmental control.