site.btaExperts Discuss Climate Change, Warn Drought Has Become Regularity in Bulgaria

Prof. Emil Gachev, head of the Water division at the Climate, Atmosphere and Water Research Institute with the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences said here om Tuesday that Bulgaria is entering a new period where drought is not an anomaly but a regularity. Gachev was speaking at a BTA-hosted news conference that presented data on the effect of climate change on rainfall frequency and drought duration, which is leading to water resource constraints in Bulgaria.

The event, organized by the Climateka platform, was also attended by Borislav Sandov, former deputy prime minister for climate policies and minister of environment and water between 2021 and 2022.

Gachev reported: " We have the same or close to the same amount of rainfall, but poorly distributed - a few showers, and then months of drought. This is a problem especially for small settlements with limited resources and no alternative sources."

Climateka presented data showing that as of July 1, the country's reservoirs are 63% full on average, with levels in the Northwest and Northeast falling below 50%, and in some places even below 25%. Since 2022, there has been a consistent decline in the level of reservoirs across the country.

Spring precipitation over the past 4 years has been well below average. In June 2025, it was only 30% of the average for the season. Gachev added that rising temperatures increase evaporation, which means that even if the same amount of precipitation is maintained, the end result is less water in rivers and reservoirs.

Sandov reported that some 500 settlements are not served by a water operator at all. About half of the water sources do not have valid sanitary protection zones, and 34% of them do not have metering of the amount of water used.

According to data from the Zeleno Dvizhenie organization presented at the press conference, nearly 100,000 people spread across 60 municipalities are affected by water regimes.

Experts called for a systematic rather than reactive approach. Immediate investment is needed in replacing the outdated water supply network, introducing effective leak detection methods, and coordination between institutions, they concluded.