The local residents oppose the opening of a marble quarry near Asenovgrad.

The residents of several villages near Asenovgrad have united in protest against plans to open a new marble quarry. Today, the Municipal Council of Asenovgrad is expected to vote on whether to allow a change in the status of the land, which falls within the "Chervena stena" bioreserve, so that a quarry can be opened there.

The local people express concerns that the quarry may pollute the drinking water in the region, as it is located less than 2 km from the only water source that supplies 6 villages. "The entire mountain massif in the region is karst, and we believe that with the first explosion, the underground flows will be blocked, and we will be left without water," explained Maya Hristozova from the Initiative Committee.

For his part, the investor Georgi Zapryanov categorically rejects the claims that the quarry threatens the region. He pointed out that the concession is for 60 decares, and his right to dig is for 44 decares, with the rest being an accompanying area. Zapryanov claims that the investment intention has been in place for the last 14-15 years and has passed through all the necessary institutions without receiving a single negative opinion.

"The ones who are riding the wave in recent years are the same. They went around all the parties. They are looking for popularity to find their realization, political career, and so on," Zapryanov added, accusing the protesters of political motives.

Nevertheless, the Municipal Council in Asenovgrad refused to allow the modification of the development plan necessary for the opening of the quarry. With 15 votes "in favor", 14 "against" and one "abstained", the councilors rejected the proposal of the company "Zapryanov-03" Ltd., which has a signed contract for the construction of the quarry.

The residents of the six affected villages attended the meeting and called on the municipal councilors to reject the item. They pointed out that in addition to water pollution, the quarry will also lead to noise, soil pollution, destruction of agriculture and livestock, as well as the spread of dust.

Protests against the construction of the quarry have been ongoing for the past three years. At two general meetings in Gornosl last year, the residents unanimously voted against the quarry. They emphasized that they are not politically affiliated and recalled that during the 2023 election campaign, all political parties have stated that they support them, but nothing depended on them.