The battle for water resources: between drought and electricity

Bulgaria is facing a serious water crisis. Tensions are particularly high in Northeastern and Eastern Bulgaria, and forecasts point to a possible worsening of the problems if urgent measures are not taken and infrastructure reforms are not accelerated.

As per data from MOWE, the total available volume in all 52 complex and significant dams is 3733.4 million m³, which is 57.12% of their total volume – a slight decrease compared to the previous day.

• Only 7 dams recorded an increase in volume, 37 decreased, and 5 showed no change.

Picture: Wix

According to environmental experts, around 320,000 people are already affected by water shortages, and over 105 municipalities are under water restrictions, with the number expected to exceed half a million people by the end of the year.та.

Dams below critical levels

• "Poroy" - only 6.94% of the total volume;

• "Pyasachnik" - 8.63% of the total volume;

• "Gorni Dabnik" - 22.38%;

• "Zhrebchevo" - 24.35%;

• "Koprinka" - 25.42%;

• "Ogosta" - 35.92%;

• "Georgi Traykov" (Tsonevo) - 33.39%;

• "Aheloy" - 36.51%.

For comparison, a better condition is noted by "Borovitsa" (95.13%), "Kardzhali" (89.07%), "Studen Kladenets" (82.42%), as well as the overflowing "Pchelina" (99.63%) and "Pancharevo" (85.22%).

Source: Right to Water, Toma Belev-Green Movement - this map indicates the settlements with water regime in 2024 and 2025 and the settlements where the water quality does not meet the standards. The map is free for use with reference to the source.

Causes: drought, infrastructure, management

• Climate change – longer droughts, high temperatures and falling river levels.

• Outdated water supply infrastructure – water losses in the network exceed 50–60%, and in some areas – 80%.

• Insufficient resource management – lack of timely adaptation and investment in new technologies.

The summer months of 2025 are characterized by drought, which lasted throughout the spring and summer, during which water volumes have dropped to alarming levels

Dams and water resources: on the brink

Key dams such as Ticha, Koprinka, Zhrebchevo and others are recording dangerously low volumes – between 20–35% of the useful volume.

One of the most significant – Kamchia, which provides drinking water for Burgas and parts of Varna, is at about 55% of its total and 32% of its useful volume, with no regime expected for the Southern Black Sea coast yet.

Picture: Wix

The figures also show an important contradiction:

• Irrigation: the available volumes are 32.51% of the total volume and only 24.87% of the useful volume – i.e. in the dams intended for agriculture, we actually have less than a quarter of the usable water. This is critical, especially for regions that are already suffering from drought and have no alternative sources.

• Energy: the available volumes are 72.23% of the total volume and 67.52% of the useful volume, with two cases even overflowing. That is, significantly larger water resources are currently used for electricity production than for irrigation - given that in times of drought and crisis in the food sector, it is agriculture that is more directly dependent on water.

Here, logic leads to a clear conclusion: in periods of water crisis, the priority should be to provide drinking water and irrigation, not electricity production from water sources, especially when we have access to other energy alternatives.

This does not mean a complete shutdown of hydropower plants, but a flexible redirection of the resource – reducing water costs for energy in critical seasons and compensating with other renewable sources (solar, wind, geothermal). This will allow us to use strategic dams for irrigation where there is no other alternative and reduce the risk of losses in agriculture and food security.

The vicious circle: less water – more pollutants

Picture: Wix

As the volume of water in dams and rivers decreases, the concentration of dissolved substances, heavy metals, pesticides, and organic pollutants increases. This makes sense – less water means less dilution.

The consequences are serious:

• Risk to ecosystems – higher concentrations of pollutants lead to loss of biodiversity, mass fish deaths, disruption of the natural balance in lakes and rivers.

• Danger to human health – with increased levels of nitrates, phosphates, microorganisms and toxic substances, safe drinking water cannot be guaranteed.

• Invisible threat – the media mainly monitor the quantity of water, but timely and detailed information on the chemical composition and biological parameters is rarely published.

This creates a vicious circle:

drought → volume decline → increased concentration of pollutants → poorer water quality → risk to people and nature → need for more dilution water, which is lacking.

The water crisis in Bulgaria is not an isolated case – it is part of the broader picture of climate change and water scarcity in Europe. The EU has already put in place a number of measures under the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC), the Drinking Water Directive (EU 2020/2184) and the European Green Deal, which require Member States to ensure not only the quantity but also the quality of water. Programmes such as the EU Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030” and the EU Climate Change Adaptation Strategy put an emphasis on sustainable water management, investments in infrastructure and the protection of ecosystems.

And while European directives and strategies outline the path to sustainable water management, the reality in Bulgaria is often different. The programmes are there, the funds – at least in theory – too, but implementation is lagging, infrastructure continues to lose half of its water along the way, and ecosystems are suffering. The water crisis is no longer a distant threat, but an everyday reality for hundreds of thousands of Bulgarians. If we want to change this reality, it is time to transform European policies from good-sounding documents into real, visible and measurable actions on the ground.

For Bulgaria, this means the need for rapid and coordinated action – from the modernization of water supply networks, through the implementation of innovations for water reuse, to active participation in European programs for the protection and restoration of water resources.