The Active and Most Dangerous Landslides in Bulgaria Are 721. That

The active and most dangerous landslides in Bulgaria are 721. That is 40% of all recorded landslides, according to the geo-protection companies - Pernik, Varna and Pleven which monitor and keep a record of landslide areas. At the end of 2014 a total of 1786 landslides were registered in Bulgaria. Of those, 668 have been temporarily stabilized and 397 have subsided. Map of the landslides – geo-protection company Pernik. Map of the landslides – geo-protection company Varna. Map of the landslides – geo-protection company Pleven. Of all the 1786 landslides, 1132 are located in the settlements. 654 are distributed among the republican and municipal roads and partly in agricultural and forest areas. Newly active landslides last year were 51. Bulgaria’s geological, geomorphological and climate conditions pose a risk of landslides. All of the more than 1,700 landslides in the settlements are evenly distributed - a greater concentration of landslides is found along the Danube and the Black Sea coast, in mountain areas and in some of the valleys. Landslides are widely though unevenly distributed throughout the country. The causes for their occurrence can be divided into two main groups: natural and technogenic. Typically they operate simultaneously on several factors whose distinction is difficult (geological structure, intensity of rainfall, sea abrasion and storm events, failures in water supply and sewerage networks, improper drainage runoff, illegal construction, etc.). This is why it is very difficult to predict which landslides will get activated or where the new ones will occur in case of an unfavorable combination of several factors. It is important to note that each of them could be activated at any time in case of a combination of the above - mentioned factors or even one of them. It is therefore important to maintain continuous monitoring, especially in the event of a natural disaster. The continuous monitoring could be automated with the implementation of automatic detectors which are not expensive, yet will provide monitoring of landslides in real time and could prevent material and financial losses and casualties. Natural factors are mostly related to the waters flowing into the slope as a result of rainfall and snowmelt, as well as erosion along the river banks. Landslides can be activated as a result of earthquakes, too. The main human activities are associated with construction and domestic activities. These are the drainage of slopes due to water supply and sewerage network failure, erosion during the construction of roads, overloading of slopes, etc. Areas at risk of landslides can be found anywhere where there is human activity which does not take into account natural conditions, in cases when construction was completed in gullies, depending on the state of the water supply and sewerage network, the effectiveness of the protective equipment, etc. Among the risk areas in the country are those along the Danube bank - Oryahovo, Nikopol, near the town of Lom, and the Eastern Rhodope Mountains. Landslides have also developed in areas where there is mining activity. A typical example is the landslide above the district of Oranovo near Simitli. Gorges can also be dangerous, as besides landslides there can also be disintegrated boulders. Such sections can be found in the Rhodope Mountains, the Kresna gorge and the Balkan Mountains. According to the Law on Territory Planning, buildings design in landslide areas requires a prior authorization from the geo-protection organizations. This is possible after an expert analysis of the specific area is carried out. Landslides have different scope, mechanism of movement, geology, causes, state of activity and a number of characteristics which can be identified only by an expert engineering geologist. Unfortunately, many people often resort to others who are not engineering geologists, such as geologists, geophysicists or geomorphologists, although the law clearly states the experts authorized to perform such activities. Usually in Bulgaria landslides are fortified once they have occurred and have caused damage to settlements and the infrastructure. Preventive measures are applied in many countries. However, this requires an analysis of a given territory by expert engineering geologists, the drawing up of maps, identifying weak points in order to prioritize measures. Solving problems one at a time or economizing always results in higher costs. Unfinished or ill-kept fortifications have exactly the opposite effect. The lack of a policy to fortify landslides in the country is made evident through another fact, namely that the funds under the "Planning, geo protection, water supply and sewerage" of the Ministry of Regional Development, financed from the state budget, are very limited. They are allocated mainly for the completion of projects undertaken in previous years related to landslides and for preventive geo-protection activities. The program does not fund emergency measures, and the fortification of private property. Possible sources of funding for geo-protection measures and activities are the Republican budget, the Interdepartmental Commission for Reconstruction and Assistance to the Council of Ministers, the operational programs and municipal budgets. Experience shows, however, that landslides are not among the budgetary items which receive additional funding. Funding of geo-protection activities is carried out by the Ministry of Regional Development for terrestrial and aquatic areas with complex and unfavorable physical-geological and technogenic processes that affect the territory of more than one municipality or which require complex research and the establishment of multifunctional protective equipment and events. On the other hand, municipalities are responsible for the affected territories and water areas and those at risk, which are of local importance. Owners and lodgers of real estate should create geo-protective facilities and events in their properties and for their needs. .

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