THE end of the summer tourist season this year brought hope that the state would finally solve the problem of excessive construction at the Black Sea coast.

Bulgarian-language media reported on October 4 that the owners of illegal structures along the coastline would have to remove the buildings a month after new legislation on the development of the Black Sea coast comes into force.

Construction work during the summer season has caused a decrease in the number of foreign tourists.

Under the new law, currently being prepared by the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works, only light, removable structures will be allowed on beaches. The regulations set a deadline of a month for the removal of illegal structures. All structures on sand dunes or surrounded by walls and fences are to be considered illegal.

The new law will also forbid all construction work from May 1 to October 15. Fines for those who violate the law are to vary between 5000 and 10 000 leva.

Construction permits will be given only if the necessary infrastructure is available. This includes electricity and water supply and sewage system. If this is not available, investors will be responsible for financing such infrastructure.

Infrastructure is indeed a problem, as recent news from the largest Bulgarian Black Sea resort, Slunchev Bryag (Sunny Beach), shows. The resort will be at risk of a water crisis should local authorities fail to build a new water supply network, Bulgarian National Television said on September 30.

Bourgas regional governor Lyubomir Pantaleev gave the local authority in charge of water supply a month to work out a plan to solve the water problem in Slunchev Bryag. The water network in the resort can serve up to 70 000 consumers. However, because of the excessive number of hotels in the area, the resort hosts more than 150 000 tourists during high season.