Bulgarian municipalities will be able to apply for financial assistance to tackle floods, with 73 million leva in European Union funds made available under the operational programme for regional development, Bulgarian media reported on July 6 2010.

The money has been earmarked for helping municipalities cope with the aftermath of flooding and potential destruction to infrastructure and residential areas. 

According to the report, Bulgaria's seven largest municipalities could apply for up to two million leva for each project, while the grant applications of the remaining municipalities are limited to one million leva for each project.

The money will be made available to the municipalities for a number of different purposes, spanning from the construction of levies to building embankments, riverbed corrections, drainage canals and anti-erosion measures, among others, the reports said.

Meanwhile, the Danube River water level remained critical in the north-east of the the country, while the river had already burst out of its banks and caused partial flooding in the region of Silistra, private Bulgarian television channel bTV reported on July 6 2010.

Units from the Civil Protection Service have made embankments with more than 2000 sandbags around the Sreburna Lake reserve, while spillage has been reported in villages in four different municipalities in the north-east, the report said.

According to Dnevnik daily, elsewhere along Bulgaria's north border, particularly in the north-west of the country, the Danube River water levels had receded by 20-30cm overnight.