Deputy regional development minister Pavleta Pelovska said Bulgaria must change the whole way it runs its water supply and sewerage sector. The ministry is preparing a "passport" for every water utility, plus a shared database and a platform of maps showing water risk and how well the sector can cope.
Pelovska spoke at the annual BULAQUA conference in Starosel, which runs today and tomorrow. The Bulgarian Water Association organises it, and this year's motto is "Smart Water: An Investment in the Future". Bulgarian and international experts, officials, municipalities and water utilities are attending. The focus is on international experience, digitalisation and specific steps for better water management and fewer losses.
The deputy minister said worn-out pipes and plants cause more breakdowns and water losses. That means more water has to be drawn, treated and pumped, costs rise, investment shrinks and technical problems get worse. There is also a big shortage of skilled staff.
Today the effort goes into reacting after a problem appears, she explained: a breakdown, a cut in supply, an emergency repair. Information about the systems is scattered between institutions and operators, so a full assessment is hard. She said the sector should be seen as one connected system, not a sum of separate problems.
The first step is a full analysis of each operator's condition, with every company getting a passport. Figures will be tracked over the past 5 years and, in some cases, back to the 1980s. The aim is an objective profile of each company that shows its real risks and the management and investment steps it needs.
The second step is to set specific investments, organisational changes and rule changes to move from the forecast state to the desired one. The ministry plans a method for comparison using six indicators: technical condition, operating risk, availability of resources, population affected, how well the company spends its money, and how ready its projects are.
The platform should show which sections of the network are critical, which towns and villages are at risk and where investment is needed. It will also forecast and compare scenarios. "We want to be able to model what will happen in 5, 10 or 20 years if we keep the current trend," Pelovska said.
Today authorities record the value of projects, the money spent and the kilometres of network rebuilt. Pelovska said they should also study what happens after the work is finished. Have water losses fallen? Has the number of breakdowns changed? Have running and maintenance costs dropped? Are the quality and continuity of the service better? These figures will show whether an investment paid off.
There is very little money, so a clear method is needed to show where action is most needed and where spending will give the best result. Pelovska said the goal is for limited funds to go to real needs, for decisions to be better grounded and for the effect to be measured.
The ministry sees room for savings in managing operating costs, cutting water losses, using less energy and producing its own electricity. Part of the badly spent money could gradually be freed for investment, maintenance and keeping skilled staff. The regional development ministry says financial stability comes not only from revenue but also from a genuinely lower cost of the service.
A permanent way of working together is also proposed between the state, water utilities, professional bodies, the scientific community, designers and technology firms. Pelovska said experts should take part when solutions are being drawn up, not only when they are carried out, and that one institution cannot make the change alone. She called for constructive expert dialogue towards a common framework, specific solutions and wider use of practices that have proved they work.