No rain, no water for hundreds of thousands of Bulgarians

0 Comments | AFP, August, 2008

SOFIA (AFP) — Summer drought, lagging dam construction and persistent leaks and failures in old pipes have again made water rationing a part of life for hundreds of thousands of Bulgarians this summer.

On Monday, a state of emergency was declared in the central municipality of Panagyurishte, after already three weeks of shortages.

Major breaks in the main pipe channelling water uphill from the Maritza river, over 40 kilometres (25 miles) away, had sent thick rusty water, if any, running from the taps.

And local catchments -- the only other source of water in the region -- had already dried out from the summer heat, forcing people, under the scorching sun, into daily queues in front of the few water tanks brought to town.

They were by no means the...