Who is Responsible for the Water Hell in Bulgaria? Causes, Corruption, and Paths to Salvation

Bulgaria has repeatedly become the scene of water hell, with the tragedies in Varna (Asparuhovo) and along the Southern Black Sea coast occurring at least three times in the last five years. The increasing floods, such as the one that affected Neofit Rilski in 2020, are part of the climate problems where drought alternates with heavy rains. The question facing society is who bears responsibility for the destruction and the victims.

According to the analysis presented in the video by Ivelin Mihaylov, the main causes of these disasters are related to human negligence, corruption, and the systematic destruction of nature’s protective mechanisms.

Main Causes of Flooding

1. Lack of greenery and plowed fields: The biggest role in flooding is played by plowed fields where nothing is planted. When water comes, it cannot be absorbed by plants, as only greenery can stop and drink the water. In many places, including Neofit Rilski, where there was a poplar forest that acted as a band stopping the tidal wave, the forest was cut down. One poplar, for example, absorbs about 40 liters of water per day.
2. Neglect and destruction of streams and canals: Streams should act as channels that carry water to large basins, lakes, and reservoirs. Historically, people maintained these channels. Currently, however, they are in poor condition – filled with garbage or built over. In Sveti Vlas, for example, three canals that were supposed to carry water to the sea were built over with houses, which are now destroyed.
3. Corruption and embezzlement: Authorities, including mayors (mentioned are GERB and DPS, as well as a mayor from “Vazrazhdane”), do not want to manage the waste, but instead want to steal money. The funds allocated for the maintenance and cleaning of streams are misappropriated by the authorities. As a result, the end client or ordinary person pays the price, often with their life and property. When the state allocates money for damages, it will be stolen again.

Contrast: Actions in Neofit Rilski versus State Inaction

Measures have been taken in Neofit Rilski to address the problem, contrasting with state inaction:

• Afforestation as prevention: A poplar forest has been planted at the lowest watershed point to stop incoming waters. It is noted that land was purchased for the afforestation of poplars (at a price of 10,000 BGN per decare). Moreover, on state land, where in 2015 180,000 BGN was allocated for afforestation of 40 decares with zero trees, the organization planted 60 decares of lime trees, all of which took root and are healthy.
• Maintenance of canals: The canals (streams) in Neofit Rilski have been cleaned for free twice a year since 2020, saving millions of leva for the municipality and state. Cleaning is necessary because animals and plants accumulate in the beds, forming silt that blocks water flow.
• Green areas in the settlement: Even between the paving stones, grass is allowed to grow, which absorbs part of the water, preventing the formation of puddles that otherwise act as “accelerator basins” in cities. Green areas are the only way to reduce water accumulation.

Persecution of Workers and Political Responsibility

Despite proven positive results and efforts to save the settlements, the organization has been stopped and persecuted by the state. The spokesperson has been prosecuted and investigated for „illegal planting“ in an area designated to become a park. Even the installation of drip irrigation for the survival of tens of thousands of trees is treated as a „major scam“ and a „crime“.

According to the spokesperson, Boyko Borisov and Delyan Peevski are personally responsible for the deaths of people killed in floods, as they try to fix the damage caused by „the stupidity of these two idiots.“ Their goal is to prevent anything in Bulgaria from being in order so they can constantly demand money for „urgent needs“ in the Parliament and steal it.

If incompetents continue to govern, Bulgaria will alternate between „dry taps, flooded basements“.

The only chance for change is for people to stop waiting for the law to deliver justice (since the judicial system does not work) and to put an end to what is happening themselves.