Sofia

In two weeks time, Studena Dam, from which the town of Pernik gets its drinking water, will reach a dead volume. This was announced by Mayor of Pernik, Stanislav Vladimirov, during the meeting of the Standing Committee on Engineering Infrastructure and Energy Planning in the Sofia Municipality on January 20.

The organisers of the Lukov March, commemorating the memory of controversial Bulgarian general Hristo Lukov, said on their website last week that their 17th annual nationalist march will be held on February 22, the date on which Lukov was assassinated.

The announcement came despite the prosecution announcing on Friday that it will examine whether or not the march is legal.

Bulgaria's Minister of Regional Development Petya Avramova said on Tuesday that state-owned company Montaji will build a 13.5-kilometre water pipeline from the capital Sofia to Pernik in a bid to resolve the water crisis that has already sparked a minister's resignation.

It will be cloudy today before noon. In the afternoon, the clouds over western Bulgaria will disperse. There will be light northwest wind, in eastern Bulgaria - moderate north wind. Maximum temperatures mainly between 0C and 5C, in Sofia - about 2C. Atmospheric pressure is significantly higher than the monthly average and will continue to rise during the day.

The Bosnian capital of Sarajevo was shrowded in a thick layer of smog on January 17, 2020. Photo: EPA-EFE/Fehim Demir.

Serbian tennie star Novak Djokovic mid-swing during a practice session for the Australian Open at Melbourne Park in the Australian capital on January 16, 2020. Photo: EPA-EFE/Scott Barbour EDITORIAL USE ONLY AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT

A Code Yellow warning for fog has been issued for 20 Bulgarian regions today, 17 January, according to the website of the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (NIMH).

The prosecutor's office is launching an investigation of the Bulgarian National Union. The union is organizer of Lukov March which takes place on 22 February, an event banned by order of Sofia mayor Yordanka Fandakova.

Sofia is ranked 297th among the 4440 cities the list of the most expensive cities in the world. Our maritime capital Varna ranks 333rd, Plovdiv - 339th and Burgas - 358th.

Elevated levels of fine particulate matter have been registered in Sofia, airsofia.info reported. According to the map, the air is polluted in almost the entire city. 

Most polluted residential areas are Knyazhevo, Gorna Banya, Karpuzitsa, Boyana, Ovcha Kupel, Studentski grad, Krasna Polyana and parts of Mladost 2.

The map is provided by airsofia.info

Following the arrest of the previous Ecology Minister, Neno Dimov - and amid growing turmoil over alarming levels of pollution - Bulgaria on Wednesday appointed a new Ecology and Water Minister despite what critics say is his questionable reputation.