Tundzha

The southern Bulgarian municipality of Smolyan is in a state of emergency over heavy rain and strong wind.

The Cherna River overflowed its banks in several places in the town of Smolyan.

Scores of basements and buildings have been flooded.

The situation in the regions along the rivers Tundzha and Maritsa in southern Bulgaria slowly returns to normal as the river waters are receding, reports the bTV national channel.

Some villages and towns, are still flooded or are in a state of disaster, while the authorities are dealing with the aftermath of the floods.

Emergency due to overflowing dams and high waters was declared in the towns of Saedinenie and Peshtera, reports the bTV national channel.

Homes in Saedinenie and the surrounding areas are partially flooded by overflowing dams and rivers.

The critical situation in the town of Elhovo because of the rising levels of Tundzha river also remains.

The Mayor of the southeastern Bulgarian town of Elhovo, Petar Kirov, has urged locals to prepare for evacuation as the water level of the Tundzha River nears the critical level.

The water column exceeds 3.9 meters, the critical level being 4 meters, according to reports of the BGNES news agency.

Bulgaria's Environment Ministry warns of expected rise of water levels in the rivers, reports Dnevnik.bg.

Due to expected heavy rains, starting on Tuesday evening in western Bulgaria and moving to eastern Bulgaria on Wednesday, the ministry warns that water levels in the rivers of Danube, Black Sea and western and eastern catchment areas are expected to rise.

Bulgaria's Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology issued a code yellow warning for heavy rains and thunderstorms for the entire territory of the country.

Local  hailstorms are not excluded either. 

At the same the Ministry of Environment and Waters warns of expected rise of water levels in the major rivers in the country, due to the heavy rains. 

Bulgaria's Ministry of Environment and Waters has warned on Monday of possible sudden local floods in the next few days.

Based on the current meteorological situation, the levels of the rivers Arda, Maritsa and Tundzha are expected to go up on Monday and Tuesday.

Waters may rise due to the controlled drainage of micro-dams, the press center of the Environment Ministry informs.