English
Български 
- Monday, 28 March 2022
In a joint project between Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski,” through the Center of Competence “Clean & Circle,” and “Sofiyska Voda” AD, part of the international group VEOLIA – a global leader in resource management – a method was developed for monitoring the amount of SARS-CoV-2 in the wastewater of Sofia. Following the example of several countries (France, Germany, Austria, Greece), which assess infection levels not only on the basis of clinical samples but also on domestic wastewater, this measure will now also be applied in Sofia.
The information on the presence of the virus in wastewater can be used in three main ways:
- As a preventive tool for early warning – predicting potential new waves and detecting outbreaks of the disease.
- As a tool for managing and controlling the spread of the coronavirus.
- As a precautionary measure – if local population testing is negative, but the virus is detected in wastewater, potential sources of infection should be investigated.
The introduction of the method is the result of one year of work by scientists and specialists from the Center of Competence “Clean & Circle” and “Sofiyska Voda” AD, part of the international group VEOLIA. It was developed based on the Austrian model, where a COVID monitoring program covering more than 100 settlements is implemented. The Bulgarian team created its own approach, which made it possible to achieve effective results in a short period of time.
Within the project, an assessment of the capital’s waters was carried out. In the next stage of the project, regular monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 in the wastewater entering the treatment plant and selected points of Sofia’s sewer system is planned. This monitoring will make it possible to assess infection levels in the city. Most importantly, after wastewater treatment, viral fragments do not survive, and the treated water is safe for the receiving water bodies (in this case, the Iskar River) and for people.
The obtained results could also be useful for application and monitoring in other cities and water cycles, especially in areas with pronounced winter and summer tourism.
