President Radev: Information about Presence of Uranium in Water was Concealed

Bulgaria’s President Roumen Radev said on 21^st of April that the information about the higher levels of natural uranium in the drinking water supply in the city of Haskovo, South Bulgaria, was concealed from the people. The caretaker government has undertaken adequate and timely actions to deal with the problem, the President added.

He has emphasized that the problem with the elevated levels of natural uranium in the water have been known since September 2016 but was disclosed now. “To me, it is reminiscent of the Chernobyl syndrome,” he added. “Officials and responsible institutions have put people's health at risk, which is unacceptable," the President noted.

The head of state predicts that there will be problems with the supply of water in the region in the coming months, because the process for identifying the gross alpha activity takes from two to four months.”By then, solutions have to be sought to avoid water supply cuts in Haskovo and to supply water which meets the required standards,” the President said.

The district governor and the mayor of Haskovo have assured the President that alternative water sources are being sought to ensure the health of the people.

Speaking in Parliament earlier on 21^st of April, Ilko Semerdzhiev, the health minister in the cartaker government, appointed by President Radev in January 2017, said that there was no health risk from the water in Haskovo at the moment, but this could not be the final conclusion because the radiological research would take between two and three months.