This village located at the foot of the Rila mountain range is crossed by a small river that can however turn into a torrent at the melting snow or following sustained rains. The mountain is not managed – for lack of resources – runoff water gulls the banks and helps to uproot trees. It was already a long time ago (in 1953) that trees fall down in the bed of the “Klissourette” and form an artificial dam … which dropped at once generating a kind of tsunami. A disaster well present in the memories.

Due to the changing climate, rains become more intense.
The conditions are unfortunately met for a re-release of the disaster … although no one can predict if it will happen this winter, this spring or in many years. But what is certain is that if nothing is done, one day there will be another disaster of the same kind.

In addition, because of the gully, the water flows too quickly. It does not infiltrate and the sources dry up. To make up for this, we provided the village with a borehole equipped with a pump that comes to supplement the needs of the village. However, it does not solve the basic problem the progressive drying of the sources … where the drilling draws its water!
The causes: faster melting of snow in the mountains and faster rainwater runoff.
Two interventions could make it possible to partially establish: in the Klissourette bed, make operational an existing spillway and establish two new weirs, (kinds of low dams) to slow down the course of the water and to re-fuel the sources.

Scouts from 15 to 17 years old from the city of Chimay (Belgium) from 1 to 10 July 2019

• Clear the small dam upstream that is silted up and is cluttered with dead wood. For this our association will use a bobcat but it is necessary to do preparatory work.

• Place two gabions in a particularly steep area of the stream. Indeed the gully could break the water supply pipe of the reservoir of the town.

Our association (SFB) will supply the gabions and have them delivered on site as well as the stones.

The group of 10 pioneering Scouts will be housed in a guest house that sleeps 12 people. It is located at the end and top of the village and therefore close to the places of intervention. The cost would be 5 euros per night because our association would take care of half of these costs.
The owner being however worried that the group does not degrade the house, I made a commitment to sleep on the spot.