site.btaHuman-Consumption Water Dearth "Not Critical," Environment Minister Says

"A critical shortage of water for human consumption is out of the question," Bulgarian Environment and Water Minister Manol Genov said here on Thursday. "We have imposed severe restriction on the use of water for irrigation," he added, assuring his audience that "water for human consumption is the paramount priority".

Genov spoke here on Thursday at an extraordinary meeting of the National Assembly Committee on Environment and Water, which will consider a draft resolution on addressing the current water shortage in the country. 

Genov said that the 52 dams which his Ministry is monitoring and for which it issues water use permits are in a good condition in terms of water reserves despite the dry summer and spring and the climate challenges.

At 65.48% of capacity, the drinking-water dams are fuller than last year, "but this is still no reason to rest assured," the Minister said. The second highest priority is irrigation water, and dams can provide 31% of the necessary quantities. The volume of power-generation dams is 68-69% of capacity, which is a good condition, Genov reported to the MPs.

Regarding the situation in Pleven (North Central Bulgaria), Genov said that the problems there have persisted for years. His Ministry has informed the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works about the sufficiently full water bodies that can be drilled as prospective sources. In his words, the Cherni Osam Dam will take a long time and a lot of financial resources to build.

Pleven (pop. 100,000) is the largest of the cities hit by a water crisis, and people there are running out of patience with the drastic water rationing that has been in place since early July. The local government in Pleven is considering declaring a partial state of disaster emergency.

The Regional Development and Public Works Ministry put the number of people subject to rationed water supply at 243,181 by August 11, 2025, up from 162,000 in late July. According to the non-governmental Green Movement, officially declared water rationing in August affects 430,000 people in 470 settlements, not counting another 80,000-plus in 130 settlements where water supply is restricted, too.

For 2024, the 500,000-plus residents of a total of more than 639 settlements told the Green Movement that they experienced water rationing.

Regional Development and Public Works Minister Ivan Ivanov has identified the lack of rainfall, leaking infrastructure and polluted water sources as the main reasons for the water shortage.