The case study shows both the advantages (in terms of collecting and focusing unused energies) and the difficulties (in terms of “selling” the participatory result to a central government largely suspicious of local initiative) of an NGO-initiated, bottom-up local approach to IWRM. The Council’s general meetings over 2000-2001 decided to use the Varbitsa experience as a pilot test-case that was to be used for:
- the construction of realistic, citizen-friendly and efficient national legislation on Water Councils as privileged tools for integrated water resource management;
- the construction, once national legislation was in place, of a Council along the entire length of the main river, Arda, with its seat in the regional centre of Kardjali, funded by the Kardjali municipality.
The lack of a civic tradition in the region and the lack of understanding, on the part of the Municipalities and the Regional Governors, of the potential for getting results outside the conventional government channels and budgets led to initial problems of implementation. These problems were overcome by the rapid production of visible results, focusing on limited local and single issues. Local stakeholders, particularly the Mayors also discovered that when acting as the representatives of a group – the Varbitsa Council – they command greater attention from funding agencies (state budget, EU-related and other project funds) and have a clear market edge over less organised localities, in terms of getting additional funding for river-related development projects. Media visibility also unlocked a certain local pride of achievement. Immediate benefits included: cessation of inter-community conflict over access to water; stoppage of leakage from tailings reservoir; removing the Zlatograd rubbish dump, source of much pollution, to a safer area; a full analysis of river “hot-spots”; increased control over gravelling company activities; and defense of river against industrial plans.