Ten settlements in Montana region have been placed under a water regime due to dramatically reduced water levels. The situation is most severe in Georgi Damyanovo and Chiprovtsi. According to the Regional Health Inspectorate, five villages in Georgi Damyanovo municipality - Kopilovtsi, Kamena Riksa, Vidlitsa, Chemish, and Diva Slatina - are affected. In Chiprovtsi, the villages of Ravna, Gorna Luka, Mitrovtsi, and Zhelezna are facing restrictions. Gorna Verenitsa, the only settlement in Montana municipality on the regime, was the first in the district to experience water shortages, starting at the end of June. The affected villages rely on surface water sources, which have sharply declined due to prolonged drought conditions.

In Pleven, water supply has been increased following drilling and other measures, but the quantity remains insufficient, and the regime continues. Mayor Dr. Valentin Hristov noted, “We are jointly continuing the installation of the hydrophores with the Water and Sewerage Department. Yesterday we received a new quantity of water from the State Reserve, which will be distributed to schools, kindergartens, nurseries, and social institutions.” Eng. Lozko Lozev, Chairman of the Water and Sewerage Holding, explained that although the total water balance is about 50-60 liters per second, “we are supplying these liters to the citizens. We start to release a little earlier and stop a little later, but we still do not have a stable position to reduce the hours, to be sure that we will keep these three hours in the morning and three hours in the evening for the most critical zones. This is the difficulty with the regime.”

Breznik continues to face a severe water crisis, projected to last at least until next summer if current sources remain unreliable. Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Zafirov and Regional Minister Ivan Ivanov visited the city following criticism from GERB leader Boyko Borissov that the government had not been active in addressing the issue. Residents have been prohibited from using tap water due to high levels of manganese, arsenic, and Escherichia coli, making drinking, cooking, washing, and bathing unsafe. Protests by local citizens have highlighted the intolerable conditions.

Zafirov stressed, “A large part of the problems we see here are inherited, they have accumulated over the years. There was a lack of political will to solve them. Now the state is ready to solve these problems accumulated over the years. It is not the time to look for blame, it is not the time to look for responsibilities, it is time for solutions. There is a solution, many talks with the responsible institutions are ahead, but we will do it decisively enough to have positive solutions.”

Minister Ivanov added, “Breznik is one of the most affected by climate change, because here the main problem is the lack of water sources. The municipality of Breznik can be taken as an example in terms of how the funds under the so-called municipal investment program are used, because here over 90% of the municipality’s projects are specifically for replacing the water supply infrastructure, which is in critical condition. The Krasava Dam is the main water source for the city, and its waters have dropped dramatically. There is a saturation of manganese. In the coming days, this manganese will be isolated.”

Ivanov highlighted the measures being taken: new water sources are being developed, with the first already operational. The manganese-laden water from the dam will be isolated to ensure safe supply. “About 30 liters per second are needed to get out of the regime in the municipality of Breznik. We will make every effort, I will personally send the management of the Water Supply and Sewerage Holding here to support this activity,” he said.

On the duration of the Breznik water regime, Ivanov noted, “The water regime will cease the moment these 30 liters per second are provided. This can happen in two ways: either through new water sources, which are being investigated, or using state funds to supply the municipality via the Studena Dam with a new supply water pipe. This depends on the National Assembly and the Ministry of Finance. If they provide this resource within the next year, it can be built by the beginning of the summer season.”

The situation in Montana, Pleven, and Breznik underscores the combined impact of drought, aging infrastructure, and the urgent need for state intervention to ensure safe and reliable water supply across the affected regions.