site.btaDams, Riverbeds Under Watch as Ministry Coordinates Nationwide Flood Readiness

The Environment and Water Ministry is taking measures at both national and regional levels due to heavy rainfall, the Ministry’s press centre said. The measures follow weather warnings issued by the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology for Friday. Minister Manol Genov has instructed the Basin Directorate to verify whether investment intentions in the area of the Elenite resort village have been coordinated, the Ministry added.

On Thursday, the Ministry alerted all ministries, regional governors, and the National Association of Municipalities about the expected rainfall. Additional information on at-risk areas with reduced flow capacity - identified during inspections by interdepartmental commissions - was shared with the Interior Ministry, regional governors, and the Association of Municipalities.

The Environment and Water Ministry said all four basin directorates in the country have been notified to be ready to act if necessary. In the first half of 2025, the basin directorates carried out 833 inspections of river sections and channels downstream of dam walls. As of June 30, 507 sites with reduced flow capacity had been identified.

As of October 3, the available storage volumes in complex and significant dams show that dams supplying drinking and domestic water are 61.95% full, with rising levels reported for 30 of them. Irrigation reservoirs stand at 27.42%, with five of them maintaining stable levels. Energy reservoirs are at 63.87%. The Borovitsa, Pchelina, and Krichim reservoirs are more than 90% full. Pchelina is overflowing, though there is no danger to the population or infrastructure. Available free capacity is sufficient to absorb incoming water, the Ministry said.

The October water-use schedule for complex and significant dams includes preventive measures to ensure riverbeds maintain normal flows. The plan requires immediate notification of the Environment and Water Ministry and the East Aegean River Basin Directorate if water discharges from the Ivaylovgrad reservoir exceed 300 cubic metres per second, and mandates the use of all relief facilities nationwide. All releases must comply with the carrying capacity of the riverbeds, the Ministry added.