The Ministry of Environment and Water has received the report by the Black Sea Region Basin Directorate (BSRBD) - Varna from the inspection ordered by the Minister of Environment and Water Manol Genov after the flood that occurred on October 3 in the Elenite holiday village on the territory of Sveti Vlas, Nessebar Municipality.

The monitoring of the physicochemical condition of the Drashtela River conducted since 2013 shows a clear trend of the river drying up in the summer months. This has necessitated the monitoring to be carried out in the winter and spring months. The Drashtela River is a left tributary of the Kozluka River, flowing into it before entering the Elenite resort.

According to the report by the BSRBD, back in 2009, a case was opened for illegal construction at the Kozluka ravine, which was forwarded by competence to the Municipality of Nessebar, the Regional Directorate of National Construction Control, the Regional Prosecutor's Office of Burgas, and the Regional Governor of Burgas to establish legality. The case was terminated by a resolution of the Regional Prosecutor's Office of Nessebar.

With regard to control activities, the Directorate received two signals on the Drashtela River near the Elenite village, on which inspections were carried out.

In 2015, the Basin Directorate received a signal for construction on the Drashtela River near the Elenite village. The on-site inspection established that the river passes through the entire territory of the villa settlement, with the riverbed almost completely covered. The ravine was covered in the lower part, at the mouth, in the period 2006-2007. The covering is from a bridge from a dormitory in the complex to the confluence with the Black Sea. One hotel and several attractions have been built. The Regional Directorate for the Protection of Natural Resources and Environment was notified immediately after the inspection to carry out control over the legality of the constructed sites.

In 2019, the BSRBD carried out an inspection together with the Regional Inspectorate for Water Resources - Burgas, the Municipality of Nessebar and the National Association "Bulgarian Black Sea Coast", which at that time filed a report with the Ministry of Environment and Water about pollution of the banks and bed of the Drashtela River in the Western part of the Elenite village. During the on-site inspection, it was again found that the river was covered and built up almost 2 kilometers from the bridge at the hostel to the beach. Criminal proceedings were initiated by the District Prosecutor's Office-Nessebar for the presence of waste in the inspected area.

No information was found in the BSRBD’s case management system for coordination of investment proposals related to covering the river bed of the Drashtela River and the construction of buildings on it.

The report also provides a full review of the investment proposals (IPs) agreed upon by the BSRBD in the vicinity of the Drashtela/Kozluka River. The opinions expressed on admissibility, in accordance with the requirements of Art. 155, para. 1, item 23 of the Water Act, are as follows:

• For the IP "Local wastewater treatment plant in the area ‘Kozluka’, land ‘Sveti Vlas’“- admissibility, 27.06.2011
• For the IP for the construction of residential buildings, the procedure was terminated by a Decision of the Director of the Regional Inspectorate for Environment and Water - Burgas, 11.06.2012
• For the IP “Change of purpose of an existing water intake facility from ‘own needs’ to ‘economic purposes’ in the area ‘Kozluka’" - admissibility, 15.02.2013
• For the IP "Water intake from groundwater through a new water intake facility - a borehole in the area of the town of Sv. Vlas" - admissibility, 18.07.2013
• For the IP "Construction of a residential building in the area ‘Kozluka’, land ‘Sveti Vlas’" - inadmissibility, 06.2014
• For the IP "Construction of three residential buildings with apartments for seasonal use in a land plot in the ‘Kozluka’ area” - inadmissibility, 03.2015

When coordinating a Detailed Development Plan (DDP) for a sports and recreational park in land plots in the town of Sveti Vlas, the BSRBD expressed an opinion that "a ravine with a separate water catchment and permanent outflow passes through the land plots, which are municipal property. In the sense of the Water Act, this is a water body and it is necessary, in accordance with Art. 155, para. 1, item 23 of the Water Act and para. 2, item 1, b. "b" of the same law, to issue an opinion on the admissibility of the IP for compliance with the RBMP and RNMP ... The draft DDP must provide for actions and measures to ensure the conductivity of the ravine and to prevent flooding of the above-described properties, as well as those located nearby”.

According to the Flood Risk Management Plan (FRMP) 2022-2027 for the Black Sea Basin Region, the Sveti Vlas area, including the Drashtela River, falls within an Area with a significant potential flood risk, for which a number of measures are envisaged at the national level and at the basin management region level.