Heavy Rains Activate Landslides, Landslips across Bulgaria

Plovdiv, Southern Bulgaria, February 7 (BTA) - The recent heavy
rains have activated landslides and landslips along roads across
 the entire country, Regional Development and Public Works
Minister Lilyana Pavlova said here.

Pavlova said that landslides are expected to happen "daily" and
that the year may be one of serious problems in this respect.
She said a detailed analysis is being conducted of the critical
areas. The Minister said work is going on on two lines: to file
a big application form for funding under the Solidarity Fund of
the EU on account of all recent disasters, and to provide
funding for preventive and repair works under the Environment
operational programme.

In Smolyan, Southwestern Bulgaria, Pavlova said that more than
20 million leva will be needed to reinforce landslides and
landslips in the country. She said that the damage from the
latest spate of floods was huge. In Smolyan alone, more than six
 million leva will be needed to reinforce landslides.

Pavlova was in the city for the opening ceremony of a road
section between Chepelare, Rozhen and Sokolovtsi which was
rehabilitated in a project worth 10 million leva and funded by
the Bulgaria-Greece Programme for European regional cooperation.
 
Pavlova said also that 40 million leva will be invested in the
Smolyan Region for the rehabilitation of about 75 km of roads
until the end of the year.

Source: Plovdiv, Southern Bulgaria