The Ministry of Environment and Water and the regional administrations will take joint actions to ensure the conductivity of riverbeds in order to prevent and protect against floods. This became clear at an online meeting attended by the Minister of Environment and Water Rositsa Karamfilova, the Deputy Minister Petar Dimitrov, regional governors, deputy regional governors, and experts from the MOEW and regional administrations.

“The topic is of serious public importance, so let’s work to overcome the challenges before us responsibly and in partnership. The consequences from the floods at the beginning of September made us, as the leadership of the ministry, look for a different action algorithm so as to be more effective in prevention,” said Minister Rositsa Karamfilova.

She clarified that until now no comprehensive check of rivers has been undertaken to identify impaired conductivity and the need for cleaning, and the actions taken by the official leadership of the MOEW aim to coordinate with local governments. Thus, it will be possible to identify problematic river sections and, where necessary, higher priority will be given to urgent ones.

“We need to start cleaning and securing these obstructed sections of riverbeds step by step. To achieve a final resolution, it is necessary to define the task correctly. The issue is not only with provision of funds”, said Minister Karamfilova.

She clarified that talks are also planned with local authorities, and under the leadership of Deputy Minister Petar Dimitrov a meeting will be held in each Basin Directorate with the municipalities within its territorial scope.

“We want preventive measures to be taken in each individual case, and for identical cases on the territories of the basin directorates, to draw on good practices and apply them to the territory of the entire country,” explained Minister Karamfilova.

Deputy Minister Dimitrov said that the activities to be carried out in the relevant sections of riverbeds will be presented in detail at the upcoming meetings.

“We have made a very serious analysis of the information received in the basin directorates from the regional administrations and municipalities. Based on this analysis, the degree of risk of obstructed conductivity was determined,” he explained.

The data is to be used by an interdepartmental commission, which will be taksed with examining the applications by regional governors for funding to ensure conductivity in their regions.

District governors were united in the view that a change in approach was needed, noting that they welcome the ministry’s efforts for prevention.

The regulatory framework on the provision of conductivity of riverbeds outside populated areas was presented at the meeting.