Water Crisis in Bulgaria: Delyan Peevski Calls for Emergency Meeting
The progressing water crisis in the country has reached critical levels, now affecting more than half a million Bulgarian citizens. In response to the escalating situation, the leader of "DPS-New Beginning," Delyan Peevski, has sent an urgent appeal to the Speaker of Parliament, Natalia Kiselova, to convene an emergency meeting. The goal of the urgent forum is for the Committee on Environment and Water to draft and adopt a decision that will offer an immediate, effective, and categorical resolution to the water problem.
In an official statement distributed to the media by the party's press center, Peevski expressed deep concern, emphasizing that the state's inaction could lead to even more serious consequences. He warned that if the procrastination and passing of the problem between institutions continue, there is a risk that the crisis could affect all Bulgarian citizens. The leader of "DPS-New Beginning" likened this institutional inertia to
"passing a hot potato"which, in his opinion, is one of the main causes of the current situation.
According to Delyan Peevski's analysis, the lack of a unified and centralized system for managing water resources is at the root of the systemic problem. Currently, the responsibility for water is distributed among four ministries, numerous secondary spending units, municipalities, and commercial companies, leading to chaos and inefficiency. As a result, a critical mass of the population is deprived of unimpeded access to drinking water.
In his appeal, Peevski outlined several urgent measures that need to be taken. Among them are:
- conducting boreholes and water quality tests;
- building new water sources;
- cleaning existing water sources and supply pipelines to populated areas;
- complete replacement, repair, and construction of the water supply and sewerage network and irrigation systems serving agricultural lands and industrial needs.
To ensure the successful implementation of these measures, the leader of "DPS-New Beginning" proposed the creation of a national water board. This coordinating body should include representatives from all institutions and departments involved in water resource management, which would ensure a unified approach and effective distribution of responsibilities. Peevski also stressed that the board could guarantee the financial security of all projects, using funds from the state budget, European funding, as well as capital from the Bulgarian Development Bank (BDB).
The demands for immediate action come against a backdrop of growing public dissatisfaction. On August 17, residents of Pleven expressed their anger and despair over the city's water regime through a mass protest. With empty canisters and bottles, they took to the streets, chanting
"We want water!"and
"Resignation!", throwing the containers at the entrance of the Municipality as a sign of disagreement.
The situation in Pleven was also described as
"critical"by the city's mayor, Valentin Hristov. He announced that due to the lack of water, declaring a state of disaster would be discussed. In a statement to the media, Hristov emphasized that the drastic water supply regime has exhausted the patience of the people, who can no longer
"endure this regime and this water shortage".
The water supply crisis is turning into one of the most serious social and economic problems in the country, and the actions of the government and local authorities will be subject to strict public scrutiny in the coming days. /BI/