The quality of the atmospheric air in Bulgaria, and in particular Sofia, has improved significantly over the years and this trend is permanent and stable. This was stated to bTV by the Minister of Environment and Water, Petar Dimitrov. According to him, there are no indicators that are outside the permissible norms.
"The system is linked to the European Environment Agency system, it gives results online and anyone can check them," he said.
Recently from the eco-organization "For the Earth" reported that the Ministry of Environment and Water had been hiding from the public for years that the air measurement system in Sofia had been compromised and was not reporting pollution correctly. This information is also claimed by the German environmental organization Deutsche Umwelthilfe
Dimitrov says that the stations are calibrated and it is impossible to distort results and manipulate them. They are placed in certain places based on a report from a working group.
He points out that there are two stations measuring air quality in the middle of traffic in Sofia, which are placed in places that do not meet the requirements, but this is due to the impossibility of placing them elsewhere.
The point from Orlov Most has been moved to the quarter “Mladost“ because of the construction of the subway, and now there is no way to return it, as there is currently a parking lot on the site. At the beginning of next year, a working group will be formed to find a new suitable location for the monitoring station.
On the occasion of the drought, the minister says that 2024 is the fourth year in a row in which the flow of the rivers has been greatly reduced. The lack of spring runoff was particularly noticeable, as well as that in June, which decreased by 72% on average for the entire country. This is most pronounced in the Danube region, where it decreased by 82%. It indicates that there is no populated place supplied with water from the 12 dams for which the Ministry of Education and Culture is responsible, which is in operation.
In his words, climate change is not the only thing to blame for the drought, but it is a serious process for which measures must be taken quickly.
„The most serious factor is the efficiency of the water supply. I.e. the incredibly large losses on the water transmission network," said Minister Dimitrov. The smallest water losses are at “Sofia water“ – below 50%, but in Sliven and Pernik they reach 84-85%.
When asked if he would stay in the next possible official cabinet, Dimitrov said that he hopes for a regular cabinet, in which if he is invited and is useful to the country, he would participate.