Minister of Environment and Water Ivelina Vasileva signed an agreement with the Mayor of Bansko Georgi Ikonomov to complete the water cycle in the city. The project totaling 89 million Levs is the largest that the municipality acted with European funds in the previous programming period. He fell into the group risk projects with those of another 7 municipalities.
The new funding for the second phase is 26 million levs and is provided by the Ministry of Environment and Water (MEW) through the Operational Program “Environment 2014-2020”. “It was one of the riskiest projects from the first programming period and now signed a contract with some bitterness. The reasons for the delay are numerous. The project is extremely important for the region and good news is that we managed to save him” he said.
Upon inspection of the construction of the treatment plant representative of one of the companies in the consortium ” New Bansko ” – Jordan Kanazirev of ” Balkanstroy Sofia ” is committed that by the end of October, the object will be ready and running. Plumbing system in the western part of Bansko must also be completed within this period, and plumbing system in the eastern part of the city the deadline date is June 2017.
It was built and rehabilitated sewerage network length 32.3 km and 6.8 km water supply network. Population served by this infrastructure is more than 28 000 inhabitants. If the project is not completed, all funding of 83 million levs must be returned from the municipality to the EU.
The new funding became possible after the state agreed with the European Commission that the objects will be completed by the new Operational Program and the Ministry has allocated 234 million levs for advance payments. It is interesting that in this period and asphalting of streets after excavation for the construction of water and sewage will now assume as an expense under the operational program. Until now, it was at the expense of local budgets and that the words of Minister Vasileva were a serious problem for the mayors.
“The construction of 100 percent of the water cycle is our priority and if we will be the best we have done for all residents of the city” said Mayor Georgi Ikonomov. He said the eastern part of the city and the WWTP are ready at 95%, while in the west there are still 30-40%.
