In Bulgaria, for every litre of water that is pumped into the distribution system, often more than half is “lost” before it reaches the customer. In addition, once the water runs down the drain, it is frequently discharged untreated. Only 75% of the population is currently connected to a wastewater network and just 57% have access to a wastewater treatment plant.
To improve the situation the EIB and the Bulgarian Management Authority for Environment signed an advisory support agreement. Our advisory aims to kick-start water projects with a total volume of €1 billion. Close to 1.5 million people will benefit from improved wastewater treatment services and for 220 000 Bulgarians the quality of water supply will improve.
The EIB will provide technical assistance worth €4.9 million to monitor project implementation and help solve implementation issues over a five-year period. Our support will focus on the 16 newly established water operators covering almost the entire Bulgarian territory. The assignment will include regular site visits, analysis of the projects’ status and project management units’ performance, identifying issues and risks and helping to solve them.