February 4 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria's Montazhi has launched the construction of a new water mains system of the city of Pernik suffering a severe water crisis - an emergency project worth an estimated 27 million levs ($15.2 million/13.8 million euro), VAT included, the Pernik District administration said.
The company has started excavation works and the laying of pipes on the route between the village of Malo Buchino located in Sofia municipality, and Pernik situated some 30 km south of Sofia, the Pernik District administration said in a press release over the weekend.
"I believe that all the stages of the construction of the new water mains will be completed as soon as possible. In this way we will send water from Belmeken catchment area to Pernik via Sofia's water supply network," economy minister Emil Karanikolov said in the press release
Pipes are already being delivered, Karanikolov noted, adding that 130 trucks carrying pipes are expected to arrive at the construction site in the following 25 days.
When the new water supply pipeline is commissioned, Pernik will stop receiving water from its Studena reservoir, which is now almost empty, Pernik mayor Stanislav Vladimirov said, adding that in this way the dam can be refilled faster before becoming operational again.
The new pipeline will feed up to 300 litres of water per second to Pernik.
The water level at Studena dam, from which Pernik receives its drinking water, has dropped drastically over the past month.
Pernik is gripped by a severe water crisis due to dry weather in 2019 and the dilapidared water supply infrastructure in the region.The poor condition of the water supply network in Pernik municipality, which has not been rehabilitated for more than 50 years, leads to water losses of 76% on the territory of the municipality.
The water crisis in Pernik has led to the resignation of environment and water Neno Dimov.
(1 euro = 1.95583 levs)