About 150 dams in the country are in a bad condition. This was announced by the Minister of Economy Emil Karanikolov to journalists today. With the transfer of ownership of the dams, which can not be managed by the municipalities and the establishment of a commercial company for their maintenance, work will immediately start to eliminate the irregularities of these facilities.
 
The Minister said that estimates of the funds needed for their maintenance will become known after it becomes clear how many dams will be transferred to the state, and that about 30-60 million leva is needed just for the Beli Iskar Dam.

Karanikolov said that the proposals for legal changes related to the prevention and maintenance of dams in critical situations are expected to be discussed at the regular session of the Council of Ministers tomorrow. He informed that yesterday there was a meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister Valeriy Simeonov, with all the ministers responsible on this issue giving their opinions.
 
Among the proposed amendments to the Water Act are those related to the categorization of the dams, with the obligation for the owners and operators of the facilities to prepare emergency plans. A state-owned enterprise is set up to transfer the ownership of all municipal dams, which can not be managed by them due to lack of money.

On Wednesday, there will be the possibility of setting up a trading company, which, while transferring the ownership of the dams, will deal with the maintenance of the dam walls and the sanitary protection zones. So far, the proposal is to be either under the economic ministry, or the structure that deals with disasters and accidents, the minister said. It is also discussed the possibility of having such a company that maintains the conductivity of the riverbeds.