There is no exact statistics on the number of forested areas that will be burned by fires in Bulgaria this summer. According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), around 600 such incidents occur in Bulgaria every year. These fires affect an average of 10,000 hectares of land annually, resulting in direct economic losses of approximately EUR 2.5 million. According to reports from AFFIS, more than 100,000 hectares of Bulgarian forests were affected by fire in the early years of the 21st century.

The National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology reports that 2024 is the third consecutive dry and hot year, with June being the hottest since 1930. This year’s drought period has been the longest, lasting more than three months. There has been a significant drop in water levels, with some places in Northern Bulgaria experiencing up to an 87% decrease in water levels compared to 2023.

As a result, water rationing has been implemented in several settlements across the country. Waterlessness is turning the lives of thousands of people into a real ordeal. The residents of the Rhodope village of Pavelsko are forced to live under a water rationing that provides water for only 8 hours a day—sometimes during the day, sometimes at night. The problems are due to the worn-out 50-year-old water main.

‘’When water supply resumes, we have rust-coloured water. We had to replace the toilet tank because the inside got dirty and damaged. Our water is not suitable for drinking or washing because it is dirty", says a woman from the village.

The local residents see the only solution to the problem in replacing the water main that connects their homes to the nearby reservoir. The project for this has been in place for 10 years. It has now been updated and a construction permit has been issued. Funding amounting to BGN 7.5 million has also been secured from the state budget.

"Drought is gradually taking over Bulgaria, but this shouldn't come as a surprise to those in power. We have to be prepared", former Minister of Environment and Water Assen Lichev told the BNR.  – I read the seasonal forecast for the country for the summer-autumn period, issued by the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology in May. It said that in June, July and August, average temperatures will be above normal and seasonal precipitation will be below normal. In September, October, and November, the average seasonal temperatures will be around or above normal and precipitation will be around or below normal. Given this situation, the Prime Minister should have convened the Council of Ministers in May to discuss measures to address the expected drought and water shortage’’.

Asen Lichev cited data indicating that currently, the amount of available water volumes in the complex and major reservoirs in Bulgaria is at 54.5%, which is about 13% less compared to the same period last year. All rivers in the Danube region are near the low water level thresholds. The situation is similar in the Black Sea basin, where there are dried-up rivers, the expert warned.

Asen Lichev added that in 2001 the Council of Ministers adopted a National Program on Combating Desertification, which detailed all the measures that could prevent drought. However, none of these measures have been implemented to date. Some of the proposed measures provide for basin-based management of water resources, which allows for the most effective use and conservation of water resources while protecting national interests; conserving or eliminating boreholes; combating erosion; reducing the amounts of unused runoff water, etc.

Drought is also a problem in neighboring Greece. Authorities in Athens have urged citizens to use less water. Currently, 14 regions in Greece are under water restrictions, with the most serious problems being experienced by those living on the islands, where there are millions of tourists at the moment.

Compiled by Ioan Kolev (Interview by Snezhana Ivanova, BNR-Horizont)