Balgarianovinite.com Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva has urged MPs to strengthen consumer protection and improve oversight of water utilities in comments on amendments to the Water Act submitted to Parliament’s Budget and Finance Committee.
Delcheva said her recommendations were based on an analysis of complaints received by the Ombudsman’s Office and data pointing to persistent problems in the water sector.
She pointed out that water losses remain above 60% nationwide despite significant investment in infrastructure.
“No improvement or reduction in overall losses has been seen since 2020, but water prices have continued to rise. The average increase across the country between 2020 and 2026 exceeds 72%,” Delcheva said.
She added that many regions continue to face severe water shortages and restrictions, including Sliven, Omurtag, Shumen, Pleven, Breznik and municipalities in Sofia Region.
The Ombudsman called for a new Water Supply and Sewerage Act to guarantee access to quality water services at economically justified and socially affordable prices. She also proposed linking water prices to the method of supply and introducing compensation for consumers when water quality fails to meet legal standards.
Delcheva further supported stronger regulatory oversight and sanctions against water operators that fail to meet their obligations. She also called for a comprehensive assessment of the implementation of Bulgaria’s 2014-2023 water sector development strategy, arguing that no public evaluation of its effectiveness has yet been made. Ombudsman Renews Call for Urgent Reforms in Water Sector 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-05-29 07:56:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law