The World Bank has announced that it will provide advisory services to support the preparation and implementation of plans for river basin and flood management in Bulgaria. A contract for the provision of Reimbursable Advisory Services was signed by Bulgarian Minister of Environment and Waters (MoEW) Neno Dimov, and World Bank Country Manager for Bulgaria, Czech Republic and Slovakia Tony Thompson.
Under the contract, the World Bank will provide support for the preparation of draft River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) and draft Flood Risk Management Plans (FRMPs), in line with the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) and Floods Directive (FD) requirements.
This engagement will occur in two phases:. The first includes data collection, analysis, and updates for existing data and plans, and the second support to the MoEW in carrying out related activities. The World Bank will assist in the assessment of the current condition of Bulgaria’s bodies of water (surface and ground water) in the Danube, the Black Sea, and the East and West Aegean River Basin Districts in Bulgaria. The river-based management plans will propose measures to improve the status of the country’s bodies of water, which will contribute to greater compliance with European and National Environmental Legislation requirements. The Bank will also support the MoEW in preparing Flood Risk Management Plans, which will define risk areas and identify measures for protecting against harmful effects of water.
“Preserving the environment and protecting Bulgaria’s natural assets is a key objective in the Country Partnership Framework for Bulgaria,” said Mr Thompson. “We are glad to be able to support Bulgaria with the World Bank’s global knowledge and to provide ideas on how to manage the country’s water resources in a sustainable manner for the benefit of all Bulgarians.”
The agreement signed now needs parliamentary ratification to take effect.
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