Nearly 200 square meters of sandy beach have been contaminated with petroleum products, most likely fuel oil, in the northern part of Kabakum Beach, according to the Varna Regional Administration. The contamination came from a hotel’s wastewater facility in the area. The amount of sand contaminated with petroleum products that needs to be cleaned up is between 4 and 20 cubic meters, according to the General Directorate for Emergency and Rescue Operations. According to experts, this is an extremely high concentration and in practice means a layer between 2 and 10 cm thick. This turns the beach into a toxic “swamp.” Fuel oil is a heavy fraction of petroleum and its impact is much more long-lasting and difficult to remove compared to light fuels.
The pollution was reported to 112 by a local resident this morning. The incident prompted an emergency meeting of the Regional Disaster Protection Plan Implementation Headquarters. “It has been established that this is a case of coastal pollution,” said the director of the Regional Inspectorate for Environment and Water (RIEW) in Varna. The pollution came from a hydraulic structure that discharges wastewater. According to the head of the Basin Directorate, it was a sudden, localised incident and did not reach the sea.
The possible polluter has also been identified – a hotel in the area. A team from the 5th Regional Police Department and the Economic Police carried out an on-site inspection to determine whether there was evidence of a crime.
Experts from the Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water Resources have issued instructions to both the polluter and the municipality of Varna to clean up the site. Since fuel oil is thick, it must be collected manually or with equipment as quickly as possible before it penetrates deep into the sand or is washed away by the tide.
With such a high density of pollution, the beach ecosystem is literally “suffocating.” All organisms and microorganisms living in the sand die almost instantly due to lack of oxygen and direct poisoning. If the fuel oil reaches the surf, it sticks to the feathers of birds, disrupting their thermoregulation, leading to hypothermia and death. Fuel oil is heavy and slowly seeps into the depths. It can reach the lower sand layers, where the lack of light and oxygen makes its natural decomposition almost impossible. If not cleaned up in time, it can remain there for decades, experts say. Its components are carcinogenic to both nature and humans. Even in light winds, the vapors can cause nausea, dizziness, headaches, and throat irritation. Direct contact with the skin causes severe dermatitis, chemical burns, and allergic reactions.
