Sofia: Terziev promises end to district heating repairs by mid-November
Pipes went unreplaced for years, and catching up is now costing everyone dearly, Sofia’s mayor says. Affected areas include Mladost, Lozenets and Izgrev.
Graphic: TERRA WORLD NEWS (own graphic based on the sources listed)
Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev has blamed frequent district heating shutdowns in the capital on years of neglect. For many years, the necessary efforts were not made to replace pipes and fix breakdowns in time, he said, according to the BTA news agency. “Now catching up is costing us all a lot,” Terziev said. All repair work by Toplofikatsia Sofia is to be completed by mid-November.
He said he hopes residents will then have a calmer heating season, despite the inconvenience of recent months. Shutdowns now are better “than in sub-zero temperatures,” the mayor said. According to a BTA check of the utility’s website, heating was cut off on Saturday in parts of the Izgrev, Mladost 1, Dianabad, Lozenets, Slatina, Studentski Grad, Musagenitsa, Yavorov and Iztok districts, as well as in the center.
Terziev spoke on the last day of the capital’s autumn cleanup campaign, in which he took part on the shores of the lakes in South Park. According to the city, more than 200 tons of waste were collected.