r7 ReportNq. 10142 Bulg:aria EnvironmentStrategy Study Public Disclosure Authorized March1 7199'2 .Country.lYJepartmentI turope andCentral Asia Region MICROFICHE COPY Report No. 10142-BUL Type: (SEC) FOROFFICIAL USE ONLY LOVEI, L. / X32772 / H3 129/ EM5IV Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~7b p _lc e tedby rei6Xm iW041 1, 4n Its i. ::t m1: ... * , 0' : CURRENCY EOUIVALEN1S Currency unit - lcv (plural leva), abbrev. Lv US$1 a 18 lmva (as of November 1991) WEIGHTS AND LMEQ BOD biological oxygen demand mcm million cubic meters rem roentgen equivalentman - the bem billion cubic meters mg miligram a.mount of loninizing radiation dl deciliter MW Mepwatt(s) equivalent to biological effect of ha hebtare(s) pmlO particulate matter of 10 microns or one roentgen of x or gamma rays kg kilogram less ug microgram km2 square kilometer ppm parts per million m3 cubic meter r correlation coefficient CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS AlP3 Aluminum fluoride CS2 Copper sulfide Mn Manganese 03 Ozone As Arsenic Fe Iron N Nitrogen P Phosphorus Br Bromine GcO2 Germanium dioxide Na3 SiF6 Sodium sUicon P2 05 Phosphorus pentoxide Ca Calcium fluoride HCN Hydrocyanic acid fluoride Pb Lead Cd Cadmium Hg Mercury NaF Sodium fluoride Se Selenium C2 Chlorine HF Hydrogen fluoride NH3 Ammonium S02 Sulphur dioxide CO Carbon monoxide H2 As Arsenic hydrogen NH4 NO3 Ammonium nitrate TeO2 Tellurium dioxide CO2 Carbon dioxide H2 S Hydrogen sulfide Ni Nickel Wa4 Tungsten oxide Cr Chromium H2 S04 Sulphuric acid NO Nitrogen monoxide Y 0 5 Vanadium pentoxide CrO3 Chromium trioxide K Potassium No° Nitrogen oxide Zn Zinc Cu Copper KCI Potassium chloride NO2 Nitrogen dioxide CuuO Copper oxide K20 Potassium oxide NO3 Nitrogen trioxide ABBREVIATIONS AAQS Ambient Air Quality Standards CAC Command and Control COD Chemical Oxygen Demand COP Committee of Forests COG Committee of Geology CRD Center for Regional Development and Architecture CZM Coastal Zone Management ECU European Currency Unit EPA Environmental Protection Agency ESP Electrostatic Precipitators FAO Food and Agriculture Organization PEV Spirometry test measuring respiratory function IMH Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology IRG International Resources Group LAEA Intemational Atomic Energy Agency IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature & Natural Resources MAC Maximum Allowable Corcentration MB Market Based MOA Ministry of Agriculture MORHC Ministry of Regional Development, Housing and Construction MOE Ministry of Environment MOSE Ministry of Science and Education MOP Ministry of Finance MOH Mitistry of Health MOI Ministry of Industry MOINT Ministry of Interior MOT Ministry of Transportation NGO Non-Govemmental Organization NPA Nature Protection Agency O&M Operations & Maintenance OECD Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development PAH Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon WHO World Health Organization USAID United States Agency for International Development USIA United States Information Agency FISCAL YEAR January 1 - December 31 FOR OFFICIALUSE ONLY BULGARIA ENVIRONMENTSTRATEGY STUDY Tablg of Contents i. Executive Summary .................. Page i I. Introduction................. Page 1 II. Guiding Principles..... Page 3 III. EnvironmentalProblems ................................ ,,.,.,, Page 7 A. Human Health Effects................................ ,.Page 7 B. EcologicalEffects .Page 15 IV. Responses .. Page 30 A. Economic Policy and StructuralAdjustment ................ Page 30 B. EnvironmentalLegislation ................................ Page 34 C. Standards......................................... Page 38 D. Enforcement......................................... Page 44 E. Monitoring......................................... Page 54 F. Institutions......................................... Page 61 G. Public Education/Participationand NGOs.................. Page 71 H. Investmentsand TechnicalAssistance ..................... Page 73 V. Action Plan......... Page 82 Annexes Al. Tables and Figures A2. Summaries of Human Health Data in Hot Spot Areas A3. The Condition of Major Rivers in Bulgaria A4. Kozloduy - Radiation Effects and Nuclear Safety A5. The Coastal Zone of Bulgaria and EnvironmentalProblems of the Black Sea A6. The Impact of Coal Mining Operationson Land Resources A7. The Impact of Economic Reform on Emissions A8. EnvironmentalAudits and Services in Bulgaria A9. Nature ConservationStrategy of the Ministry of Environment AlO. Risk Assessment All. Air PollutionAlert and Warning A12. Water Use for Irrigation A13. Air Quality MonitoringMethods A14. EnvironmentalNon-Governmental Organizations in Bulgaria This document has a restricteddistribution and may be used by recipientsonly in the performance of their officialduties. Its contents may not otherwisebe disclosedwithout WorldBank authorization. Charts A. Ministry of Environment- ManagementStructure B. Structureof the Committeeof Forests C. Structure of the District Forestry Departments D. Structure of the Management of State Forestry Enterprises Maps A. Bulgaria - EnvironmentalProblems B. Nature ProtectionAreas in Southern Bulgaria and NeighboringCountries FOREWORD The study is the result of a cooperativeeffort by the Governmentof Bulgaria, the United States Governmentand the World Bank. The World Bank and two agencies of the United States Government,the EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA) and the Agency for InternationalDevelopment (A.I.D.) developed extensivecontacts with Bulgariangovernment agencies responsiblefor environmentalprotection during 1990-91. The idea of preparing a joint environmentstrategy study, replicatingthe approachwhich was successfully applied in Czechoslovakia,was discussedand agreed with the Governmentof Bulgaria in April, 1991. The study was expected to help the government in developing its environmentalpolicies and the donors in targetingassistance u-.ida-voiding duplication of efrort. The main mission was launched in June 1991 and was the basis for preparing the first draft of the study during the summer of 1991. A follow-up mission was carried out in September1991, which discussedthe draft with the Bulgarian study team and prepared a short and medium term environmentalaction plan. A public seminar to discuss the proposed environmentstrategy was held in Sofia in January 1992 with representationfrom domestic and foreign governmentaland non-governmentalorganizations. Based on recommendationsat the seminar and comments from the newly elected Governmentof Bulgaria, the study was finalizedin March 1992. Bulgarianparticipation in the study was coordinatedby the Ministry of Environment. Dr. Valentin Bossevski,Deputy Minister of Environment,was the head of the Bulgarianstudy team. The environmentstrategy seminar was chaired by Valentin Vassilev, the Minister of Environment. Fifteen government agencies and severalnon-governmental organizations (NGOs) contributedto the work of the two missions. The missions were coordinatedby Laszlo Lovei from the World Bank. Other members of the World Bank team were James Harrington, Clyde Hertzman,Gordon Hughes, SiiezanaMitrovic, James Moose, Donald Theiler and Peter Whitford. The A.I.D. team was led by Ronald Greenbergand included Lori Freer, Samuel Hale, Richard Liroff, Rom Michalek, Gary R. Redman and James Wolf. The EPA team was headed by Dan Beardsleyand includedJay Benforado,Debra Dobkowski,Maryann Froehlich,Jonathan Lash, James Marshall, William Muszynski and Anna Phillips. The study drew extensivelyon earlier World Bank environmentalreports on Czechoslovakia,Poland, and Yugoslavia (these countriesface environmentalproblems similar to some of Bulgaria's) and on the findings of a World Bank infrastructuremission which visited Bulgaria in June 1990; we wish to thank the authors of these reports for allowing us to use some of their findings. Two unpublishedWorld Bank reports prepared by Charles Weiss and David Wheeler were also used. BLGARIA ENVIRONMENTSTRATEGY STUDY ExecutiveSummary (i) The environmentalmovement in Bulgariawas in the vanguard of the politicalmovement that resulted in the change of governmentin November 1989. The monopolisticposition of the CommunistParty was abolished and the country held its first free, multi-partyelections in June 1990. Political changes have led to a fundamentalreorientation of economic policy. The coalition government formed in December 1990 has embarked on a comprehensiveeconomic reform program aimed at establishinga market economy. (ii) Until this year, practicallyall segments of economic activity were controlledby the state. A strongly centralizedeconomic system was used to promote the expansionof industry at the cost of agriculturalactivities. Massive price distortionsand state control over resource allocations characterizedthe economic system. The economywas insulatedfrom direct internationalcompetition via a complex mix of subsidies,taxes and foreign exchange rationing. (iii) Systematicunder-pricing of energy and raw materials led to usage per unit of output substantiallyhigher than in market economiesand consequentlyhigh levels of pollution exacerbatedby the emphasis on heavy industry and relianceon indigeniousfuels, largely low quality lignite. Prevailing technologies,often out-of-dateand inappropriate,promoted excessiveuse of natural resourcesand produced high volumes of waste. Price distortionsand subsidiescreated a bias against investmentsin pollution abatement,adequate maintenanceof existingplants and recycling. Despite the fact that environmentallegislation in Bulgaria had a relativelylong