On 31st March 2018, Kazanlak Municipality called on its citizens to participate in the cleanup day of Koprinka dam lake, a gem in the Rose Valley located 7 km West of Kazanlak. Youth Development Centre – Mutual Aid (YDCMA) organization and The(Y) volunteers team also took part in the initiative, together with local businesses, non-governmental organizations and institutions.

Covering an area of 11 km², Koprinka is one of the most important man-made nature reserve in Bulgaria, which attracts locals and foreign visitors all-year-round. Its dam, built along the river Tundzha in 1955, has a length of 610 meters and heightens 44 meters overlooking picturesque arms and bays, golden shores and lush forests.

The cleanup initiative, organized yearly by Kazanlak Municipality, is dedicated to the World Water Day. An international observation day that every 22nd March draws attention to the importance of conserving, protecting and enhancing our water resources, such as fresh water and the aquatic ecosystems of the Earth.

It is a commitment that the United Nations has been supporting since 1992, when the date was formally proposed in the Agenda 21 of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit. Since then, thanks to the World Water Day, the United Nations have involved an increasing number of people, promoting actions and supporting events worldwide.

The team of YDCMA organization has been showing support to this environmental cause and taking care of Koprinka nature reserve for years. As tells Maria Slavova, Chairperson of the youth NGO, “our participation in this cleanup day is part of a program of activities to protect our environment, especially the natural beauties of Koprinka, and raise eco-awareness among as much people as possible.

Another important initiative through which we realize this mission is the ecological festival, which we have organized on the shores of Koprinka lake since 2011 until 2017, with the help of volunteers coming from all over Europe. The main idea behind all these eco-friendly activities is to attract people and involve them in cleanup actions to collect the waste on Koprinka lake dam. At the very beginning there was an imaginable big amount of rubbish polluting the area, but, as time goes by, it is less and less.”

During the cleaning day, started at 8.30 am in the parking lot of the restaurant “Lazur”, designated as meeting point, people of all ages and several nationalities gathered and united efforts in a collective action to save one the most beautiful nature reserves in Bulgaria.