Caretaker Economy Minister Found Multiple Violations during Inspection of Dams

Caretaker Economy Minister Kiril Petkov told reporters on Monday he would seek an explanation from the State Consolidation Company (SCC) why three dams were still not in operation six months after repairs. He talked of mismanagement and inflated prices after inspecting three of the ten dams whose repairs have been completed.

During an inspection, Petkov found that the dams - Pazar Dere in Lovech Region (Northern Bulgaria) and Zlati Voivoda 3 and 4,
both in Sliven Region (Southeastern Bulgaria) - were empty and overgrown with grass. The Montagi EAD state-owned company
transferred them to SCC at the end of 2020, which was supposed to turn them over to the State Dam Management and Stewardship Company. It was set up in 2019 as the owner responsible for the management, security and minor maintenance of potentially dangerous dams, while SCC is responsible for repairs.

Although the repairs of the three dams have been completed and paid for, they cannot be filled with water and used for irrigation and other purposes since the protocols of delivery have not been completed, said Petkov, adding that this is an instance of mismanagement.

Taking a question, the Economy Minister said that since the State Dam Management and Stewardship Company cannot use the
reservoirs, their sluices had to be opened after each heavy rainfall because the dams are still considered to be under repairs and cannot be filled with water.

Regarding Montagi EAD, Petkov said between six and eight companies hold over 82 per cent of the contracts for repairs of
more than 100 dams.

More than 400 small dams are due for repair since the Boyko Borissov government considered them a risk to the population
after heavy floods in 2018. At...