The water levels of the Danube River were constantly rising and there were fears that the heavy rainfalls combined with the bulging tributaries would cause floods in the coming days, Bulgarian National Television (BNT) reported on June 3 2010.

In the last 24 hours, the water has risen by 68cm in the northwest Bulgarian town of Vidin, reaching 770 cm, which has prompted the Civil Protection Service in the region to go on full alert.

Local authorities in Vidin called for an emergency meeting to assess the situation, while authorities downriver in Pleven have also issued a warning and are preparing for potential flooding.

Reportedly, a "high wave" was on its way to Bulgaria, which was expected to arrive in "several days", BNT said. Consequently, the water levels of the Danube along Bulgarian shores might reach as high as nine metres. Starting June 4, the "crisis task force" and the Civil Protection Service would start erecting levies.

The expectations for the water levels by the end of June 3, according to Dnevnik daily, were for the water levels to rise by further 1.5 metres in Vidin and another one metre near Lom.

For the moment, the levels of Danube near the northeastern riverside town of Rousse remain unchanged at 608cm, but it is expected that the water will rise by some 70cm, which is not considered a problem for Rousse as the banks are relatively high, Dnevnik said. Rousee will be in trouble however should the water exceed eight metres.