site.btaSvishtov Municipality Takes Emergency Measures Amid Water Crisis

Svishtov Municipality is taking emergency measures and beginning construction of an emergency water main due to prolonged drought and a dramatic decline in local water reserves, Mayor Gencho Genchev said on Tuesday.

The critically low level of the Danube and drying up of the river terraces, where water sources serving Svishtov and the villages of Vardim and Tsarevets are located, have caused water supply disruptions.

To prevent a further deterioration of the situation, the Regional Development and Public Works Ministry and the local water company in Yovkovtsi agreed to rehabilitate the water mains from reserve wells Raney 3 and 4 and connect them to the pumping station in Vardim. The reserve wells have never been used and draw water from greater depths, where larger underground reserves are expected to be available. Construction of the emergency mains linking the alternative wells with Raney 2 began Tuesday, Genchev said.

A state of emergency has been declared in Gorna Studena, where the shortage of water for household needs is most severe. Partial emergency measures are in place in Hadzhidimitrovo and Kozlovets, where residents have been subject to strict water rationing for days. Genchev said the supply problems in these villages will persist without funding to replace severely deteriorated water networks, where losses reach as much as 90%.

The City Hall urged residents to conserve water and use available supplies responsibly until the crisis is brought under control.