On initiative by Minister Rositsa Karamfilova, today the first of a series of planned online meetings with representatives of the regional and municipal administrations took place in respect to the issues that arise in the course of the campaign to register wells and the use of underground water for own needs until November 28.

“The use of water is free, no water meters will be installed, the registration is also free, quick, easy, and a singular act” - pointed out Minister Karamfilova to the participants in the meeting. She announced that today, in further simplification of the process, the basin directorates will send application forms to all municipalities. These form have been created for the convenience of citizens and will be accompanied by instructions.

The purpose of the registration is for the basin directorates to receive accurate information about the number of water catchment facilities in the respective area to ensure the use of the water resources. A campaign for the registration of wells began as early as 2000 and the legal deadline had been extended several times. However, “for these 22 years, no one can say how many wells exist in Bulgaria”, noted the Minister and clarified that the commitments to conduct a regisrtation derive from European and national legislation and the only thing that is required is that the country has a register of wells. “I believe that despite the remaining one month until the registration deadline, we will all recognize our obligations and through joint actions we will be able to fulfil this important commitment,” said Minister Karamfilova.

During the meeting, a number of issues related to the role of local and state institutions in the process of the registration of the facilities were clarified in response to questions by citizens. Minister Karamfilova explained that if the person does not have geographic coordinates, this does not pose a problem in any way, and for this purpose it is sufficient to describe the location of the well in their own words in the application.

Deputy Minister Petar Dimitrov explicitly emphasized that the registration of wells does not require a deed, a map of the property, an identity card, or any other document. The only document that is required is a completed application form for the registration of a well for own needs.

Each owner submits the application for registration to one of the four basin directorates depending on the location of the well – “West Aegean Region” - Blagoevgrad, “Black Sea Region” - Varna, “Danube Region” - Pleven, and “East Aegean Region” - Plovdiv.

The application for registration can also be submitted through the relevant municipal mayor, district mayor, mayor of a town, or the mayor deputy depending on the location of the well, whereby the mayors and mayor deputies issue a submission number for each application and forward the applications to the relevant basin directorate. By submitting the completed application to the mayor, the citizens have fulfilled their obligation.

At the meeting, the valid legal requirements were also recalled - the use of water up to 10 cubic meters per day for own needs is free of charge.

Every Thursday until the registration deadline of November 28, 2022, Deputy Minister Petar Dimitrov will organize regular online meetings to answer citizen questions. “Colleagues on the ground in the basin directorates will, if necessary, assist in filling out the applications,” assured Minister Karamfilova.