Save Sofia requests data on the country's dams from the Ministry of Education, following a report from residents of Shumen

The Chairman of the PP "Save Sofia" Boris Bonev reported that he received a signal from a group of citizens in Shumen who are deeply worried about the growing risk of a water crisis in the country. They sent a request to him to publicize the problem and to insist on specific actions by the institutions.
"My team has reviewed the dam capacity data provided by the Department of Environment and Water and it is extremely worrying – only 55% of the useful volume of the main drinking water dams is filled," said Bonev, noting that for comparison in 2022 this percentage was 66%, and in 2021 – 75% According to him, it is even more worrying that the reserve dams intended for drinking and household needs are only 18% filled – the lowest level for the past five years. Last year, this indicator was 55%.
"The picture becomes even more startling when we look at the data for all 52 significant dams in the country, including those for irrigation and power generation. This year, overall occupancy is just 49%, which is a drastic drop from 63% in 2021 and 60% in 2022," claims Bonev.
He added that, according to experts from Meteo Bulgaria, significant rainfall is not expected until the end of the month, which further complicates the situation and increases the risk of a water crisis in a number of regions of the country. "If this continues, the danger of drought for many places in Bulgaria is very real," warned Bonev.
Boris Bonev appealed to the Ministry of Environment and Water and "Irrigation Systems" to publicly inform which dams are most at risk and to present a plan to deal with the crisis before the situation deteriorates critically. "Many people in Sofia still remember the water regime from the beginning of the 90s, but for some cities in the country, the lack of water remains a daily occurrence. In the 21st century and as part of a European country, this is unacceptable," said Bonev.