Water and refugees

1. Water and refugees and how
they are interlinked

2.  ‘A refugee is a person who, owning to a well-founded
fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion,
nationality, membership of a particular social group
or political opinion, is outside the country of his
nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is
unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that
country.’ 1951 Geneva Refugee Convention
What is a refugee

3.  The world is witnessing some of the largest refugee
flows since the Second World War.
 Water crises are highlighted as one of the most
pressing global challenges.
 Migration and refugee flows are increasingly
explained in terms of water scarcity – perpetuated by
climate change.
Water and refugees

4.  Nearly two billion people in the world lack access to
clean water and more than two billion do not have
adequate sanitation facilities.
Water and refugees

5.  For people who have lost their homes and moved into
overcrowded makeshift refugee settlements, often in
inhospitable areas with already scarce resources and
little or no infrastructure, keeping clean and healthy
becomes a daily struggle.

6.  The common surge in death rates among refugees in
the first days of displacement is largely due to the
lack of clean water and proper sanitation in areas of
spontaneous refugee concentration.

7.  There are six refugee centers.
 Three of them are in Sofia and three are located in the
rest of the country.
Bulgaria and refugees

8. Reception centre Location Capacity Occupancy end 2017
Sofia Sofia 2,030 568
Ovcha Kupel shelter 860 241
Vrazhdebna shelter 370 178
Voenna Rampa shelter 800 149
Banya Central Bulgaria 70 88
Pastrogor
South-Eastern
Bulgaria
320 11
Harmanli
South-Eastern
Bulgaria
2,710 272
Total 5,130 939

9.  The First Reception (detention) Centre is located
in Elkhovo - 300 persons . The facility is located in a
three -story building.
 Food is delivered under a catering contract with a
local company.
 Toilettes and bathrooms are shared – one at each
floor.
 The main complaints of migrants are related to
insufficient quantity of hot water.
Infrastructure and physical
conditions

10. The reception centre in Harmanli
 Located in former
military barracks.
 Organized in
several buildings
with rooms for
families.

11.  Located in a former middle school on the outskirts of
Sofia. Urgently opened in the end of 2013, migrants
were being accommodated in class rooms outfitted
with outdated military style beds and old blankets.
Migrants used sheets to create personal space for
themselves and to secure privacy for their
families. Single males were accommodated in large
dormitories for 30 to 50 people.

The reception centre at Voenna
Rampa

12. The reception centre at Voenna
Rampa
 Cooking facilities
were missing and
migrants used ovens
located in the
sleeping facilities
that they brought in
themselves.

13. The centre has specialized to accommodate families.
There is a large schoolyard type outdoor space,
allowing children to play in a relatively protected
area.
Migrants have at their disposal cookers located in
shared premises at the ground floor where they could
prepare their own food.
The Vrazhdebna reception centre

14. The Vrazhdebna reception centre
 Migrants have at
their disposal
cookers located in
shared premises at
the ground floor
where they could
prepare their own
food.

15. The Ovcha Kupel reception centre
 The oldest reception
centre .
 The rooms are for 4-5
persons each,
 Cooking and bathing
facilities on each floor ,
 Tap water is accessible in
all premises.

16.  A four story building constructed specifically to
accommodate asylum –seekers (overall capacity of
300 persons).
 The rooms are for 4 - 6 persons.
The reception centre in Pastrogor

17. The reception centre in Pastrogor
 A kitchen facility
was built where
a kiosk for petty
goods had
formerly been.

18. The reception centre in Banya
 It does have its own
cooking facility.
 Food supplies and daily
activities in the centre.

19. Name of the centre First Reception Centre
Elkhovo
Detention centre
Busmantsi
Open reception
Harmanly
Are scheduled hygiene inspections
(premises, pest control, water quality
and food preparation) conducted?
Yes Yes Yes
Do you have cleaning regulations at the centre? Yes Yes Yes
a.Do you have cleaning staff at the centre ? Yes Yes Yes
Is cleaning also performed by migrants (in sleeping
quarters for example)?
Yes Yes Yes
Does the cleaning staff use protective gear? Yes Yes N/A
How often are the premises cleaned? Daily basis Daily basis N/A
Is potable water permanently secured and available
in migrants’ areas?
Yes Yes Yes
Is hot running water permanently secured and
available in migrants’ areas?
Yes Yes Yes
Conditions at open/closed centres

20. 1. In 2016, the Asylum
Information Database reported that
there were 19,418 refugees
seeking asylum in Bulgaria. The
majority of the refugees had come
from Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq.
Facts About Bulgaria Refugees

21. Facts About Bulgaria Refugees

22.  2. Bulgaria borders Turkey, Greece, Macedonia,
Serbia and Romania, making it a favorable route for
migrants as they are able to spread throughout
Europe.
 3. Bulgaria’s economy ranks 47th in the world, with
78 percent of Bulgarian citizens saying that the
increase in refugees has created a strain on the
economy.
Facts About Bulgaria Refugees

23.  4. Integration into Bulgarian life is another
perceived challenge for refugees, with 49 percent of
Bulgarians claiming that the state is too weak to
provide conditions for the integration of refugees.
 5. In 2016, 2,750 of the asylum-seekers in Bulgaria
were unaccompanied minors. Of these
unaccompanied minors, 95 percent were male with 17
percent being younger than the age of 14.
Facts About Bulgaria Refugees

24.  6. Between January 2017 and May 2017, 1,007 migrants
found to be residing in Bulgaria illegally were removed.
 7. After the construction of a 30-kilometer wall along
the border with Turkey, the number of Bulgaria refugees
seeking land passage decreased. This increased the
number of migrants using the Mediterranean Sea, the
deadliest migrant route to date. Migrants arriving in
Bulgaria through Turkey decreased by 5,501 in the year
following the creation of the wall.
Facts About Bulgaria Refugees

25.  www.siwi.org/publications/working paper27/ Water,
migration and how they are interlinked
 UNHCR Observations: Current Situation of Asylum in
Bulgaria - April 2014
 www.unhcr.org
 www.aref.government.bg
Sources of information

26. Thank you for your
attention!
Anna Filipova Georgieva 8a