Staff Shortage in the Water and Sewerage Sector: Challenges Facing Water Supply in Lovech Region

The shortage of qualified professionals in the water supply sector is becoming a serious challenge for regional development. According to the management of the Water Supply and Sewerage Company in Lovech, the labor market urgently needs narrow specialists with a technical orientation.

Engineer Danail Sabevski, who leads the local water supply enterprise, emphasizes the critical lack of key experts. Emergency response teams, water technicians, electricians, and engineers are among the most sought-after professionals, whose scarcity threatens the normal functioning of the water supply system.

Demographic trends further aggravate the situation. The aging of personnel and population decline in villages create serious prerequisites for future staffing difficulties. "In the near future, we will need excavator operators, turners, welders, accountants, and drivers," Sabevski is categorical.

The lack of adequate compensation is a major demotivating factor for young specialists. Low wages and the absence of vocational high schools in the region further deepen the problem of staffing.

The Water Supply and Sewerage Company in Lovech serves a vast territory, including 103 settlements in the area. The enterprise manages an extremely complex infrastructure, covering 1,780 km of water supply network, 87 km of sewerage, and over 335 water sources.

The specifics of water supply in the region pose additional technical challenges. Water sources, mainly based on karst springs and mountain river intakes, create serious difficulties due to seasonal variability of flow.

Strategic water supply systems "Cherni Osam", "Glozhene", "Zlatna Panega" and others cover the needs of cities and their adjacent settlements. However, the lack of equalization volumes and modern water treatment plants generates risks of shortage and deteriorated drinking water quality.

The long-standing idea of building a dam on the Cherni Osam River remains unrealized, despite multiple attempts at design and planning. This infrastructure project could solve the water supply problems of a significant part of the region, including Troyan, Lovech, and Pleven.

Parallel to local challenges, the state is taking steps to encourage employment through the "I Choose Bulgaria" program. The measure aims to attract Bulgarian citizens who have lived abroad and stimulate internal migration to smaller settlements.

Deputy Minister of Labor Natalia Efremova presented details of the program, which is implemented in two components – supporting returning compatriots and encouraging internal mobility of the workforce.

The future of the water supply sector in Lovech region directly depends on the ability to attract and retain young, qualified specialists capable of managing the complex technical infrastructure.