Water, Waste and Sanitation as a catalyst for citizen’s participation
WECF starts 2,5 year cooperation with NGOs and municipalities in Bulgaria
31.03.2005 |Sascha Gabizon
WECF starts 2,5 year cooperation with NGOs and municipalities
The Municipalities of Stara Zagora and Varna will be the targets for a 2,5 year project by WECF and it’s NGO partners from Bulgaria and the Netherlands; the Earth Forever Foundation, the Institute of Ecological Modernization and WASTE Netherlands. The project receives financial support from the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs MATRA programme.
The project team visited the 2 project areas for the start-up meeting. 2 rural villages – Stara Zagora Spa and Sultisa – and 1 semi-urban village – Topoli – have been selected to develop demonstration projects in the area of eco-efficient water use, waste water treatment and waste management.
Village Stara Zagora Spa: A mineral-water spa, from a natural hot water spring already used by the Romans, provides drinking water of uncertain quality. The project team found acceptable levels of nitrates (20 mg/l) but the health inspection closed the spa 1 week later after having found micro-biological polution.
A family from the city - where regular water cuts occur - filling bottles of water at the Stara Zagora Mineral water spa.
The start-up visit included sampling drinking water on nitrate content, visiting illegal waste dumps and looking at overflowing sceptic reservoirs. The smaller villages have so far not benefited from the available EU structural funds for upgrading waste and water infrastructure.
Stara Zagora Spa village: many sceptic reservoirs overflow into the street, creating bad odours and attracting flies.
In Topoli village, overflow from sceptic reservoirs of neighbours living uphill, flood the gardens of downhill neighbours.
The project team visited with the mayors of the 3 villages, spoke to villagers and met with the mayors of the large neighbour cities of Stara Zagora and Varna. The project team also visited the Ministries of public works, environment and health. The ministries are very interesting in demonstration projects which can show the effectiveness of ecological waste-water treatment and examples were given of waste-water lagoons in villages in Greece which could be an example for Bulgaria.
The elected mayor of the village Stara Zagora Spa shaking hands on a fruitfull cooperation with Sascha Gabizon, Director of WECF.
The project team also visited the 2 schools which will participate in the project. The pupils in the schools will be involved in measuring their own waste and water flows and in investigating traditional rainwater harvesting methods formerly used in the villages.
Pupils of the school in Stara Zagora cooperating in the project
Furthermore, the project team gave a press conference and interviews for local television and radio on the need for affordable and environmentally sustainable solutions, particularly in the area of waste-water management.
Press conference in Stara Zagora Town Hall by the project team
