A total of nearly BGN 40 M under operational program “Environment” 2014-2020 will go to the creation of six regional centers for crisis and disaster management, according to Bulgaria’s Environment Minister Ivelina Vasileva.

Vasileva presented the 2014-2020 version of the operational program on the day after it was officially approved by the European Commission.

She explained that the money would go to the Fire Safety and Civil Protection Chief Directorate of the Interior Ministry.

Vasileva, as cited by the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency, noted that the six regional centers would provide training to municipal officials and teams of volunteers.

Bulgaria’s Environment Minister assured that both the Fire Safety unit of the Interior and the Environment Ministry were ready to start the implementation of the project quickly.

She made clear that the resources would be spent on the reconstruction and rehabilitation of buildings to accommodate the centers and on the establishment of adequately equipped training grounds for the training of municipal officials and volunteers.

Vasileva said that the total amount of funding under the priority axis for the prevention of flood and landslide risk amounted to BGN 160 M, adding that BGN 120 M of the total had been earmarked for flood prevention and the remainder for anti-landslide measures.

She informed that the funding under this priority axis would also be used to create a national system for managing and monitoring water levels real time.

Bulgaria’s Environment Minister specified that the beneficiaries of the funding for anti-landslide measures would be Bulgarian municipalities and the Road Infrastructure Agency.

She said that the money would also be used to support the implementation of projects related to the fortification of landslides where municipal or road infrastructure had been affected.