This year, floods may be delayed, because due to the trend for a dry autumn, the danger of river overflows comes in winter and spring, Borislav Sandov, former Minister of Environment and Water, commented for Radio Bulgaria.

One natural disaster leads to another – large fires and the subsequent deforestation of large areas are often a prerequisite for future concerns related to drought and flooding:

"Undoubtedly, burned down areas pose a risk for new disasters. On the one hand, this is water scarcity, because with the loss of a forest, its important properties and functions for water protection and water retention are lost. So settlements that draw from water sources near these forests are likely to suffer the consequences. The other main problem, especially when the fires are large and on terrain covered with coniferous vegetation – then there is also a very serious risk of flooding, because the forest loses its main function of being a guard for intense rainfall and the descent of water faster, directly and unhindered to lower places, where inhabited settlements are usually located."

According to the former Minister of Environment and Water Borislav Sandov who is also a long-time eco-activist, the main problem is climate change, and the state, in turn, is not doing what is necessary to reduce carbon emissions - their reduction is happening more because of the introduction of new technologies, rather than because of a targeted policy. 

"Without a doubt, transport, energy, heavy industry continue to be a major factor in the increase of carbon emissions, temperature increases and serious climate changes. For the territory of the Bulgarian state, this means more intense and more frequent extreme weather phenomena. We still lack adequate coordination and prevention measures to prevent certain negative events related to extreme weather, and to prepare citizens and institutions. Early warning is also categorically lacking, as are actions taken before certain events occur, and in many cases they can be predicted. The National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology provides several different maps - for fires, for floods, for high temperatures, which also note moments of extreme events. This forecast is made 24 to 72 hours before a given phenomenon. This is precisely the time when the responsible institutions should convene the relevant headquarters and take certain preventive measures, but this does not happen," Borislav Sandov reminds. 

In addition, riverbed cleaning is often done not for the purpose of prevention, but in order to use the wood for other purposes, and in the end the effect is the opposite. Another main solution, Sandov emphasizes, would be the creation of artificial reservoirs near towns and villages to retain water, which would also help biodiversity and temperatures in the inhabited settlement.

Photos:  BGNES, BTA, Burgas Municipality