site.btaWater Regulator: Reduced Source Capacity and Considerable Water Losses Are Key Causes of Water Supply Disruptions

The Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (EWRC) completed an analysis of the causes of disrupted access to drinking water in some Bulgarian regions, EWRC said on Thursday. The review also assessed whether water supply companies met their 2024 water loss reduction targets. According to the analysis, reduced source capacity and high water losses in supply networks are the key causes to water supply disruptions in affected settlements.

Since inspections began on August 14, EWRC reviewed large volumes of information and broadened its regular checks of company reports on business plan implementation for 2024. This was prompted by rising complaints from citizens and media about increasingly frequent water supply disruptions, EWRC noted.

EWRC requested and received detailed data from all 28 regional operators on settlements with more than 500 residents where water rationing was imposed in August. At the regulator’s insistence, companies submitted comprehensive technical information about water regimes, as well as actions taken to improve supply during 2023, 2024, and the first half of 2025.

EWRC compared reported water losses for 2024 against a 2020 baseline, both across operator service areas generally and specifically for their largest settlements.

The analysis found that, from 2020 to 2024, 12 regional companies recorded rises in total water losses, both across their service areas and in some of their largest localities. EWRC, therefore, requested further details clarifying how these companies manage their supply networks and coordinate with regional and national institutions.

EWRC shared its findings with the inspected water operators and issued specific recommendations for improvement.

The report summarizes the data collected and puts forward proposals to the Ministry of Environment and Water and the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works. These include calls for better mechanisms to manage water supply, the application of international best practice in handling physical and commercial losses, evaluation of source and system capacity, and assessment of drought risk. The regulator also noted the need to boost coordination among stakeholders in investment planning to maximize the impact of limited resources.

The 130-page document features individual sections for each of the 28 regional companies, detailing all the data submitted to the Commission.

A BTA review found that the Pleven operator reported the highest number of settlements (13) with more than 500 residents affected by water disruptions, impacting 107,000 people. Three regional firms (in Sliven, Lovech, and Blagoevgrad) cited between 12,000 and 18,000 affected residents each, across five to eight settlements.

The greatest overall water losses were recorded by Pernik company (83.25%), despite substantial government funding for pipeline renewal after the 2019 water crisis and additional support via the Operational Programme Environment 2014-2020. Next were Shumen (83.67%), Sliven (81.39%), Montana (77.63%), Dobrich (74.91%), Targovishte (73.61%), Razgrad (72.99%), Sofia (72.56%), Haskovo (72.41%), Pleven (71.31%), and Yambol (70.60%).

Eight regional companies serving Gabrovo, Smolyan, Vratsa, Lovech, Kardzhali, Ruse, Silistra, and Vidin reported losses of less than 60%. Kardzhali, Ruse, and Vidin recorded losses below 50%. The lowest losses were reported by Sofiyska Voda (37.40%) and Blagoevgrad (38.77%).

The analysis indicates that in 93 settlements, water rationing in August was mainly due to reduced water availability. Contributing factors in some areas included old pipelines, increased consumption, and network leaks. Only 39 affected settlements (42%) had reliable access to drinking water. Utilities deployed 115 water tankers to 19 settlements during rationing. In the remaining settlements, water supply was restored through scheduled rotations.

Collected data indicate that over the past three years, these 93 settlements experienced 388 distinct rationing periods, totaling 24,699 days. In eight settlements, 15 to 31 separate rationing periods occurred during this time frame. In 12 other settlements, the cumulative duration of rationing ranged from 590 to 970 days.

Data indicate that numerous companies did not implement all possible measures to monitor incoming water, segment networks, or optimize operational parameters in settlements with over 500 residents under rationing, despite frequent interruptions and rising loss rates.

As of October 15, 34,747 residents experienced supply disruptions, based on data from Bulgarian Water and Sanitation Holding for the week of October 6-13. This figure is 114,391 fewer than the previous week. The affected individuals account for 0.7% of the total population served by the Holding's 26 subsidiaries.

At the end of July, Bulgarian Water and Sewerage Holding announced the initiation of nationwide inspections to assess internal controls across its subsidiaries, prioritizing the identification of unauthorized connections and the enhancement of water resource efficiency.