Harmanli just joined Haskovo on the no-drinking-water list after uranium levels spiked in the region's supply. The local water company is rolling through neighborhoods with excavators to shut off service for people who owe more than three months of bills, and the total debt sits above 2 million leva. One resident named Münyübe racked up 3,000 leva over several years, and she insists her meter is busted, but the company says water waste is driving up the charges.
The whole mess gets worse because Haskovo loses around 80 percent of its extracted water through beat-up pipes before it even reaches homes. Mayor Stanislav Dechev and the water department are starting construction on over 50 kilometers of new pipe to stop the bleeding, and contractors are expanding the intake area near Maritsa to pull more clean water. The region hopes the upgrades will prevent summer shortages and cut down on the constant pipe bursts.
The whole mess gets worse because Haskovo loses around 80 percent of its extracted water through beat-up pipes before it even reaches homes. Mayor Stanislav Dechev and the water department are starting construction on over 50 kilometers of new pipe to stop the bleeding, and contractors are expanding the intake area near Maritsa to pull more clean water. The region hopes the upgrades will prevent summer shortages and cut down on the constant pipe bursts.
