Quality Assessment of the Water Resources Intended for Water Supply of Varna Region, Bulgaria

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Quality Assessment of the Water Resources Intended for Water Supply of Varna Region, Bulgaria JournalJournal of Chemical of Chemical Technology Technology and Metallurgy,and Metallurgy, 52, 3, 52, 2017, 3, 2017 602-612 QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF THE WATER RESOURCES INTENDED FOR WATER SUPPLY OF VARNA REGION, BULGARIA Anna Simeonova1, Rozalina Chuturkova1, Dora Slavcheva2, Sofiya Kiryakova2 1 Department of Ecology and Environmental Protection Received 13 September 2016 Technical University - Varna, 1 Studentska str. Accepted 20 December 2016 9010 Varna, Bulgaria E - mail: [email protected] 2 Water Supply and Drainage Sytems Co. Ltd, 33, Prilep str., 9000 Varna, Bulgaria ABSTRACT Quality of the main water resources intended for water supply to Varna region was assessed for the period 2011 - 2014. Kamchiya dam, Devnya and Batovo underground water bodies were subjected to investigation. Key physico-chemical and bacteriological indices were analyzed following the EU and national standards. Some abnormalities like ammonium con- centrations above the guide value were registered for the Kamchiya dam - the highest value of 0,508 mg dm-3 was registered in 2013. Nitrates contamination above the standards was established for the Batovo water body, probably from nonpoint sources of pollution. The highest nitrate value of 56,85 mg dm-3, 1,49 times above the threshold value, was measured at one of the monitoring points during 2011. Most of the values obtained were below the threshold limits through the whole period and the water was classified as suitable for drinking purposes and household needs. Keywords: water resources, drinking water quality, physico-chemical indices, pollution, Varna, Bulgaria. INTRODUCTION latter refers to the water resources balance. It is worth noting that the water sources are scarce - 20 billion m3/y, The challenges faced by all countries in their strug- excluding Danube river, and besides they are unevenly gle for economic and social development are largely distributed throughout the country. The average annual related to water. Fresh water resources are essential amount of water per capita is about 2300 m3/y - 2500 for every human activity and must always be of qual- m3/y which ranks the country among the five poorest ity appropriate to their intended use. The problems of countries in Europe, i.e. Poland, Czech Republic, Bel- fresh water referring to pollution, over-exploitation, gium and Cyprus (the average annual amount of water shortages, improper treatment are identical worldwide. per capita for Europe is 5300 m3/y) [8]. On the other Fresh water resources are not inexhaustible and they hand, almost all water resources are formed on the ter- must be conserved, controlled and, if possible, increased ritory of Bulgaria providing the country’s independence or sustainably used [1 - 7]. in this respect. The water resources on the territory of Bulgaria The water resources within the territory of Repub- (110912 sq. km.) depend on numerous factors: climate, lic of Bulgaria are exclusive state property and their topography, geology and geomorphology, hydrographi- management is carried out on a national and basin level cal characteristics of the river basins and anthropogenic regulated by the Water Act [9] and many national regu- impacts. The geographical position of the country, the lations, fully harmonized with EU directives [10 - 16]. specific atmospheric circulation and diverse landscape The Ministry of Environment and Waters (MOEW) is structure are the main reason for unfavorable water. The the responsible authority for the quality of the water 602 Anna Simeonova, Rozalina Chuturkova, Dora Slavcheva, Sofiya Kiryakova resources on a national level, while the four River Basin dm3/per capita/day), Blagoevgrad (105 dm3/per capita/ Directorates are engaged on river basin level. Six-year day - 110 dm3/per capita/day), Pernik (102 dm3/per river basin management plans (RBMPs) are the main tool capita/day-111 dm3/per capita/day), Plovdiv (94 dm3/ for ensuring the required amount and quality of water with- per capita/day - 101 dm3/per capita/day). Some of these out any to human health and no environmental damages. districts are less populated than Varna. However there are The Ministry of Health and its regional structures many Bulgarian districts of water consumption similar (28 regional health inspectorates, RHI) are the competent to that of Varna or even lower (Fig. 1b). authority in the field of drinking water. The water supply and sewerage companies (WSSC), in their capacity as Characterization of water resources intended for entities, are responsible for implementing the require- water supply of Varna region ments of drinking water legislation. They are active in The water supply of Varna region is carried out by two complete drinking water quality monitoring. types of water resources - surface and underground water. Following the UN proposed global goals concerning The region is water provided by three different in size and water and the EU Water Framework Directive goal [17] origin water supplying systems situated outside the terri- of reaching “sustainable water use based on a long-term torial boundaries of the municipality: the Kamchiya dam, protection of available water resources” for all Commu- the Devnya Springs group and the Batovo Springs group. nity waters by 2015, Bulgaria needs to make great efforts The Kamchiya dam is the main surface water source in fulfilling a number of objectives such as preventing used for water supply of the central Black Sea coast and reducing pollution, promoting sustainable water (Burgas - Varna) and the only one which supplies Varna use, timely and adequate provision of clean water and sanitation services, preventing, controlling and reducing water-related diseases, etc. [18]. The present study aims to investigate the quality of the available water resources intended for human con- sumption and household needs in Varna region as well as the quality of the drinking water for 2011 - 2014 period. EXPERIMENTAL Study area Varna is the third largest city in Bulgaria with population of 335,949 and the largest seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, often referred to as the marine (or summer) capital of Bulgaria (Fig. 1a). The hydrogeological conditions of Varna municipality are a prerequisite of the insufficient water resources to meet its needs for drinking water supply. The water consumption varies through the seasons and strongly increases during the summer period due to the large number of tourist and recreational users visiting the resort areas. The drink- ing water from the public water supply to Varna district varied from 90 dm3/per capita/day to 95 dm3/per capita/ day (2011 - 2014) [19], which is considerably lower than that of several Bulgarian districts such as Sofia, the capital of the country (128 dm3/per capita/day-136 dm3/ Fig. 1. Map of Bulgaria (a) and drinking water consump- per capita/day), Burgas (108 dm3/per capita/day - 112 tion of the Bulgarian population by districts, average per dm3/per capita/day), Ruse (99 dm3/per capita/day - 113 capita (b). 603 Journal of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy, 52, 3, 2017 region. The dam is built on the Luda Kamchiya river, basis of monitoring programs approved by the MOEW. about 120 km south-west of Varna city with capacity of The Black Sea Basin Directorate (BSBD) and RHI - 228 million m3. It collects mostly surface water from Varna are the responsible authorities for the quality of snowmelt and rainfall. The water is fed to Varna with a the surface water intended for drinking on the territory flow rate of1800 dm3 s-1 through “Kitka-Varna” deriva- of Varna region. On yearly based monitoring programs tion. Bearing in mind that the dam is an open reservoir, BSBD and RHI organize the sampling of the surface there is a potential risk for direct and indirect water water. The water quality is analyzed by selected key contamination caused by anthropogenic activities and indices as dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen unfavorable weather conditions [20]. demand (BOD5), ammonium (NH4 - N) and nitrate (NO3 The Devnya Springs are located in Devnya river val- - N) nitrogen, phosphate (PO4 - P), heavy metals, total ley, about 28 km to the west of Varna. They are the big- coliforms, streptococci, etc. The project category of gest karst springs in Bulgaria. They are approximately the surface water intended for drinking (A1, A2 and A3 30 in number and are combined in seven spring groups. category) is determined on the basis of average annual The geological horizon is exclusively represented by values of physico-chemical and bacteriological indices the karst limestone rocks of Malm-Valanginian aquifer compared with guide (GV) and mandatory values (MV). forming a water-bearing layer. The underground water A1 category is given to water of best quality which could body is directly fed by rain and surface streams’ infiltra- be used for water supply after preliminary treatment and tion. The Devnya Springs are the only place where the disinfection only. A2 water category requires preliminary underground water comes out naturally to the surface. treatment as well as physico-chemical treatment and dis- The average delivery rate of the springs is about 3400 infection. Water determined as A3 category needs more dm3 s-1, while 1600 dm3 s-1 are used for Varna water precise treatment including several stages of preliminary supply. A lot of potential sources of contamination are and physico-chemical treatment and disinfection [12]. situated in the area of the Devnya Springs but the Malm- The quality of the underground water in Varna is Valanginian aquifer (powerful coated waterproof marl) determined in compliance with the requirements of provides good natural protection of the springs from Directive 98/83/ЕО and Ordinance No1/2007 [10, 14] deterioration [21]. The Batovo springs group is located under the responsibility of BSBD and WSSC-Varna. about 10 km north of Varna city along the terrace of The water quality is assessed at different monitoring Batovo river.
Recommended publications
  • Company Profile
    www.ecobulpack.com COMPANY PROFILE KEEP BULGARIA CLEAN FOR THE CHILDREN! PHILIPPE ROMBAUT Chairman of the Board of Directors of ECOBULPACK Executive Director of AGROPOLYCHIM JSC-Devnia e, ECOBULPACK are dedicated to keeping clean the environment of the country we live Wand raise our children in. This is why we rely on good partnerships with the State and Municipal Authorities, as well as the responsible business managers who have supported our efforts from the very beginning of our activity. Because all together we believe in the cause: “Keep Bulgaria clean for the children!” VIDIO VIDEV Executive Director of ECOBULPACK Executive Director of NIVA JSC-Kostinbrod,VIDONA JSC-Yambol t ECOBULPACK we guarantee the balance of interests between the companies releasing A packed goods on the market, on one hand, and the companies collecting and recycling waste, on the other. Thus we manage waste throughout its course - from generation to recycling. The funds ECOBULPACK accumulates are invested in the establishment of sustainable municipal separate waste collection systems following established European models with proven efficiency. DIMITAR ZOROV Executive Director of ECOBULPACK Owner of “PARSHEVITSA” Dairy Products ince the establishment of the company we have relied on the principles of democracy as Swell as on an open and fair strategy. We welcome new shareholders. We offer the business an alternative in fulfilling its obligations to utilize packaged waste, while meeting national legislative requirements. We achieve shared responsibilities and reduce companies’ product- packaging fees. MILEN DIMITROV Procurator of ECOBULPACK s a result of our joint efforts and the professionalism of our work, we managed to turn AECOBULPACK JSC into the largest organization utilizing packaging waste, which so far have gained the confidence of more than 3 500 companies operating in the country.
    [Show full text]
  • L O Cal a Ctio N P Lan C Ity O F V Arn A
    City of VARNA - BULGARIA CITY WITH THE BEST LIVING CONDITIONS IN THE BLACK SEA REGION URBACTII 2011 July Plan Action Local of Varna City City of Varna overview Index Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 2 1.1 Synopsis........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 3 1.2 The URBACT II Programme ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4 The city of VARNA ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6 The Local Action Plan ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 11 3.1 Basic description of LAP intervention area ................................................................................................................................................................................. 12 The focus area .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Annex REPORT for 2019 UNDER the “HEALTH CARE” PRIORITY of the NATIONAL ROMA INTEGRATION STRATEGY of the REPUBLIC of BULGAR
    Annex REPORT FOR 2019 UNDER THE “HEALTH CARE” PRIORITY of the NATIONAL ROMA INTEGRATION STRATEGY OF THE REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA 2012 - 2020 Operational objective: A national monitoring progress report has been prepared for implementation of Measure 1.1.2. “Performing obstetric and gynaecological examinations with mobile offices in settlements with compact Roma population”. During the period 01.07—20.11.2019, a total of 2,261 prophylactic medical examinations were carried out with the four mobile gynaecological offices to uninsured persons of Roma origin and to persons with difficult access to medical facilities, as 951 women were diagnosed with diseases. The implementation of the activity for each Regional Health Inspectorate is in accordance with an order of the Minister of Health to carry out not less than 500 examinations with each mobile gynaecological office. Financial resources of BGN 12,500 were allocated for each mobile unit, totalling BGN 50,000 for the four units. During the reporting period, the mobile gynecological offices were divided into four areas: Varna (the city of Varna, the village of Kamenar, the town of Ignatievo, the village of Staro Oryahovo, the village of Sindel, the village of Dubravino, the town of Provadia, the town of Devnya, the town of Suvorovo, the village of Chernevo, the town of Valchi Dol); Silistra (Tutrakan Municipality– the town of Tutrakan, the village of Tsar Samuel, the village of Nova Cherna, the village of Staro Selo, the village of Belitsa, the village of Preslavtsi, the village of Tarnovtsi,
    [Show full text]
  • Chemistry and Related Industries
    Investing in your future EUROPEAN UNION OP “Development of the Competitiveness of the Bulgarian European Regional Economy” 2007-2013 Development Fund Project “Promoting the advantages of investing in Bulgaria” BG 161PO003-4.1.01-0001-C0001, with beneficiary InvestBulgaria Agency, has been implemented with the financial support of the European Union through the European Fund for Regional Development and the national budget of the Republic of Bulgaria. CHEMISTRY AND RELATED INDUSTRIES This Chemistry and Related Industries brochure discusses the following sectors: Manufacture of Chemicals and Chemical Products Manufacture of Rubber and Plastic Products Manufacture of Paper and Paper Products Manufacture of Other Non-Metallic Mineral Products The subsectors Pharmacy and Cosmetics are addressed in the Bulgaria Overview brochure CONTENTS 1. Summary 4 2. Overview of Bulgaria 6 3. Overview of the Chemistry Industry 10 4. Human Resources 32 5. Success Stories 42 Summary Due to its favorable geographic location, Bulgaria exports chemical products to many markets across five continents Exports of phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizers register annual growth at 27% in 2011. In the period before 1989, the country was a leader in the manufacture of chemical products such as soda ash, phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizers and medicinal products Bulgaria hosts Europe’s biggest synthetic soda ash plant. Companies such as Solvay, Şişecam Group, Saint Gobain, Air Liquide, Italcementi Group, Lukoil develop successful business in the country 4 Summary Many investors in the sector highlight the existence of natural raw materials as one of Bulgaria’s biggest advantages The country has rich reserves and fields of salt, sand, clay, limestone, kaolin, in proximity to existing industrial areas and complexes.
    [Show full text]
  • Current State and Risk Vulnerability of Transport Networks and Related Infrastructural Systems in the Bulgarian Black Sea Coastal Region
    h Current State and Risk Vulnerability of Transport Networks and Related Infrastructural Systems in the Bulgarian Black Sea Coastal Region Common borders. Common solutions. Joint Operational Programme Black Sea Basin 2014-2020 www.blacksea-cbc.net Table of Contents Purpose and Methodology of Study ................................................................................................ 4 Current State of Transport Networks .............................................................................................. 6 Qualitative Description of TRIS .................................................................................................... 9 Critical Infrastructure in the Coastal Region........................................................................... 17 Overall Transport System Vulnerability ..................................................................................... 19 Regional Quantitative Data ........................................................................................................ 25 TRIS Characteristics of Varna District .................................................................................... 26 TRIS Characteristics of Burgas District .................................................................................. 37 Traits and Considerations Valid for Both North and South Black Sea Coast ........................... 54 Critical Event Impacts on Regional TRIS ...................................................................................... 57 Major Types of Risks
    [Show full text]
  • Multilingualism in Varna LUCIDE City Report
    Multilingualism in Varna LUCIDE city report LA OPE NG R UA U G E E R S O I F N Y U T R I B S A R N E V I C D O LUCIDE M D M N A U N N I O T I I T E A S R I N G E T E LA OP NG R UA U G E E R S O I F N Y U T R I B S A R N E V I C D O LUCIDE M D M N By Eleonora Tankova, Daniela Karagyaurova, A U N N I O T I I T E A S R I N G T E Blagoy Klimov and Kremena Hubcheva Language Errata and updates, including broken links: Centre www.urbanlanguages.eu/cityreports/errata Authors: Eleonora Tankova, Daniela Karagyaurova, Blagoy Klimov and Kremena Hubcheva Varna Free University “Chernorizets Hrabar” © LUCIDE Project and LSE 2015 All images © Varna Free University “Chernorizets Hrabar” unless otherwise stated Design by LSE Design Unit Published by: LSE Academic Publishing This report may be used or quoted for non-commercial reasons so long as both the LUCIDE consortium and the EC Lifelong Learning Program funding are acknowledged. www.urbanlanguages.eu www.facebook.com/urbanlanguages @urbanlanguages This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. ISBN: 978-1-909890-28-2 This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author(s), and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
    [Show full text]
  • Research, Development and Education in Tourism
    Research, Development and Education in Tourism Research, Development and Education in Tourism Edited by Sonia Mileva and Nikolina Popova Research, Development and Education in Tourism Edited by Sonia Mileva and Nikolina Popova This book first published 2019 Cambridge Scholars Publishing Lady Stephenson Library, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 2PA, UK British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Copyright © 2019 by Sonia Mileva, Nikolina Popova and contributors All rights for this book reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. ISBN (10): 1-5275-3719-6 ISBN (13): 978-1-5275-3719-4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ................................................................................................ 1 Chapter One ................................................................................................ 4 Climate Change and Tourism Adaptation in Bulgaria Maria Vodenska Chapter Two ............................................................................................. 28 Formation of Tourism Policy in Lithuania: Challenges for Image Creation Vita Juknevičienė, Andželika Gumuliauskienė And Rita Toleikienė Chapter Three ........................................................................................... 44 Global and Local Challenges to Plovdiv Destination
    [Show full text]
  • Of the Balkan Mountains (Bulgaria and Serbia)
    Historia naturalis bulgarica 42: 15–24 ISSN 2603-3186 (online) | ISSN 0205-3640 (print) · nmnhs.com/historia-naturalis-bulgarica https://doi.org/10.48027/hnb.42.041 Publication date [online]: 10 March 2021 Research article Diversity of long-legged flies (Diptera, Dolichopodidae) of the Balkan Mountains (Bulgaria and Serbia) Mihail Kechev Forest Research Institute, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 132 St Kliment Ohridski Blvd, Sofia, Bulgaria, [email protected]; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9852-5184 Abstract: The present paper gives information about 61 dolichopodid species distributed in the Balkan Mountains, Bulgaria and Serbia. Twenty-two species, collected from 13 localities, are new to the Balkan Mountains and seven of them (Dolichopus longicornis, Hercostomus chetifer, Medetera pallipes, M. muralis, Neurigona quadrifasciata, N. pallida and Sciapus costea) are new to the fauna of Bulgaria. Medetera pallipes and Sciapus costea are also new to the Balkan Peninsula. Thus, the total number of known species of the family Dolichopodidae for Bulgaria increases to 204. Keywords: Balkan Mountains, Bulgaria, Dolichopodidae, fauna, new records, Serbia Introduction aise traps by M. Langourov, T. Ljubomirov and I. To- dorov from 13 localities in the studied area (Fig. 1). The dolichopodid fauna of the Balkan Mountain range After collection, the adults were put in vials containing (Stara Planina Mts) has not been subject of special 75% ethanol. The species were sorted in the laboratory, study up to now. Some authors gave separate reports using a stereo microscope Carl Zeiss. For the determin- from the Balkan Mountains: Beschovski (1964, 1967, ation of dolichopodids were used identification guides 1971 and 2013) listed nine species, Beschovski & by Parent (1938), d’Assis Fonseca (1978), Grichanov Dzhambazhov (2002) reported one species, Olejniček (2007) and Negrobov & Stackelberg (1969).
    [Show full text]
  • Marine Litter in Europe Seas: Social Awareness and CO-Responsibility
    This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7 2007- 2013) under grant agreement n° 289042. MARine Litter in Europe Seas: Social AwarenesS and CO-Responsibility D2.2 DESCRIPTION OF THE MARLISCO WEB DATABASE OF BRIEF AND DETAILED BEST PRACTICES The views and opinions expressed in this publication reflect the authors’ and the European Union is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained therein. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7 2007- 2013) under grant agreement n° 289042. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7 2007- 2013) under grant agreement n° 289042. Document Information Document D2.2 – Web-database of 50 short and 10 detailed best practices Revision: Final Date: 18 December 2013 Author: Demetra L. Orthodoxou, Matthias Mossbauer and Xenia I. Loizidou Contributors: Partners 1-18 Security: PU Document Information This report provides a description of the process of collecting the MARLISCO best practices, the technical aspects of creating a web database of these practices, and includes the datasheets of each of the 72 best practices. Approvals Date Partner 12/12/2013 P2 16/12/2013 Coordinator Document History Version Date Comments & Status Author online 05/11/2013 Practices uploaded to online P1-P18 database v1.0 27/11/2013 First version of the report D.L.O, M.M., X.I.L. v2.0 10/12/2013 Second version following D.L.O, M.M., X.I.L. comments from P1 v3.0 18/12/2013 Final Version by P1 P1 List of annexes Annex1_The Templates for Recording Best Practices Annex2_Brief Best Practice Datasheets Annex3_11 Detailed Best Practice Datasheets 3 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7 2007- 2013) under grant agreement n° 289042.
    [Show full text]
  • Directory of Azov-Black Sea Coastal Wetlands
    Directory of Azov-Black Sea Coastal Wetlands Kyiv–2003 Directory of Azov-Black Sea Coastal Wetlands: Revised and updated. — Kyiv: Wetlands International, 2003. — 235 pp., 81 maps. — ISBN 90 5882 9618 Published by the Black Sea Program of Wetlands International PO Box 82, Kiev-32, 01032, Ukraine E-mail: [email protected] Editor: Gennadiy Marushevsky Editing of English text: Rosie Ounsted Lay-out: Victor Melnychuk Photos on cover: Valeriy Siokhin, Vasiliy Kostyushin The presentation of material in this report and the geographical designations employed do not imply the expres- sion of any opinion whatsoever on the part of Wetlands International concerning the legal status of any coun- try, area or territory, or concerning the delimitation of its boundaries or frontiers. The publication is supported by Wetlands International through a grant from the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries of the Netherlands and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands (MATRA Fund/Programme International Nature Management) ISBN 90 5882 9618 Copyright © 2003 Wetlands International, Kyiv, Ukraine All rights reserved CONTENTS CONTENTS3 6 7 13 14 15 16 22 22 24 26 28 30 32 35 37 40 43 45 46 54 54 56 58 58 59 61 62 64 64 66 67 68 70 71 76 80 80 82 84 85 86 86 86 89 90 90 91 91 93 Contents 3 94 99 99 100 101 103 104 106 107 109 111 113 114 119 119 126 130 132 135 139 142 148 149 152 153 155 157 157 158 160 162 164 164 165 170 170 172 173 175 177 179 180 182 184 186 188 191 193 196 198 199 201 202 4 Directory of Azov-Black Sea Coastal Wetlands 203 204 207 208 209 210 212 214 214 216 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 230 232 233 Contents 5 EDITORIAL AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This Directory is based on the national reports prepared for the Wetlands International project ‘The Importance of Black Sea Coastal Wetlands in Particular for Migratory Waterbirds’, sponsored by the Netherlands Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries.
    [Show full text]
  • Varna District VALCHI DOL
    Varna District VALCHI DOL Vetrino > Population (2015) 473,365 SUVOROVO Aksakovo > Area (sq. km) 3,819.5 DEVNYA VARNA BELOSLAV > Number of settlements 159 PROVADIYA Avren > Share of urban population (%) 83.5 DALGOPOL DOLNI CHIFLIK BYALA Overview he district of Varna ranks third in the country, after The share of children attending junior high schools is still the capital and Stara Zagora in welfare measured via relatively low and the share of dropouts is larger than the TGDP per capita in 2014. Household incomes also stayed national. High school graduates perform better at matric- above average in 2015 but salaries remained low. The la- ulation exams, and Varna occupies one of the first places bor market in the district improved considerably in 2015. in the country in number of people with higher education Investment activity stayed relatively high but utilization of relative to the population. Administration of justice in the EU funds by municipal administrations in the district was district is also given a relatively positive evaluation but below the national average. Varna is a significant trans- the registered crimes remain above the country average port hub. number, while clearance crime rate is relatively low. Varna The demographic picture in the district of Varna contin- ranks second in the number of visits to cinemas after the ues to be more favorable than elsewhere in the country. capital. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Weak Unsatisfactory Average Good Very good Weak Unsatisfactory Average Good Very good Income and Living Conditions Demography Labor Market Education Investment Healthcare Infrastructure Security and Justice Taxes and Fees Environment Administration Culture Varna District 109 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Income and Living Conditions The district of Varna ranked third (after the capital and Sta- utilized the largest sum: 4,390.0 BGN per capita, while that ra Zagora) in the country in welfare measured through GDP of Dalgopol utilized the smallest (110.0 BGN per capita).
    [Show full text]
  • Bulgaria Eco Tours and Village Life
    BULGARIA ECO TOURS AND VILLAGE LIFE www.bulgariatravel.org Unique facts about Bulgaria INTRODUCTION To get to know Bulgaria, one has to dive into its authenticity, to taste the product of its nature, to backpack across the country and to gather bouquets of memories and impressions. The variety of The treasure of Bulgarian nature is well preserved Bulgarian nature offers abundant opportunities for engaging outdoor in the national conservation parks. The climate and activities – one can hike around the many eco trails in the National diverse landscape across the country are combined Parks and preservation areas, observe rare animal and bird species or in a unique way. This is one of the many reasons for visit caves and landmarks. the country to have such an animal and plant diversity. Bulgaria has a dense net of eco trails. There are new routes constantly Many rare, endangered and endemic species live in the marked across the mountains, which makes many places of interest Bulgarian conservation parks. Through the territory and landmarks more accessible. of the country passes Via Pontica – the route of the migratory birds from Europe to Africa. The eco-friendly outdoor activities are easily combined with the opportunity to enjoy rural and alternative tours. One can get acquainted with the authentic Bulgarian folklore and can stay in a traditional vintage village house in the regions of Rila, Pirin, The Rodopi For those who love nature, Bulgaria is the Mountains, Strandzha, Stara Planina (the Balkan Range), the Upper place to be. You can appreciate the full Thracian valley, the Danube and the Black Sea Coast regions.
    [Show full text]