Bulgaria’s Bregovo Remains under State of Emergency

The town of Bregovo remains under a state of emergency, after recent heavy rain added to the already flooded areas of the municipality. Photo by BGNES

The situation in the north western Bulgarian town of Bregovo remains critical, with further recent rainfall adding to the flooding experienced over several days.

In the past day alone, over 27 liters per sq m has fallen in the area, according to a statement by the town’s Mayor, Milcho Lalov, on Friday.

The protective riverbank dike is saturated with water from the flooded River Timok, and there is a possibility the dike may collapse in places, according to Lalov.

Several houses and over 20 yards in Bregovo are still flooded, although water levels have receded by about 1,5 meters over the past 24 hours.

Civil defense team are pumping floodwater back into the River Timok. Natural drainage remains slow, because the ground is saturated.

"The drainage of houses and yards in Bregovo will last a long time since groundwater will keep the water level high," said Anatoliy Tsanov, Head of Civil Protection - Vidin.

He added that is was likely that the water trapped between two dams at Bregovo will be released on Saturday, and that the emergency teams will also repair the breach in the dike deliberately made some days ago a protective measure.

The state of emergency declared on February 28 will, meantime, remain in force.

The rapid rise in level of the River Timok had threatened the homes of up to 90 families on March 1. Several homes were flooded out, along with some 1 500 decares of agricultural land.

The Bulgarian Agriculture Minister, Miroslav Naydenov, visited the stricken area, and called for a more coordinated approach to the official administration and maintenance of riverbanks and protective dikes.

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