On February 20, 21 and 22, activity 4 of the project "Business and Environment in Dimitrovgrad" was carried out. The activity was attended by 45 students from the target group of 10-15 years from the three partner organizations – Community centar Nov pat 2011 in Dobrich, Pencho Slaveikov Secondary School Dimitrovgrad and Shehsuvarbey Secondary School in Uzunkopru, Turkey. Groups of 15 students from the three organizations, together with their leaders, actively participated in the activity for three days. The main objective of the training was to familiarize the participants with the environmental policies applied in the Haskovo region.
On February 20, 2020, the Turkish group arrived in Dimitrovgrad. With their arrival, project activities began. A visit to Neochim AD was planned for the day. Neochim AD is one of the largest producers of mineral fertilizers in Bulgaria. The company has a strict environmental policy. As a regulated undertaking, provisional visit lists were drawn up. Prior to entering the plant, project participants underwent a safety briefing, which is mandatory for every occupant on the production site. After the briefing, they had the opportunity to get acquainted with the history of the plant by watching a short film on the subject.
After the briefing, representatives of RIEW Haskovo joined the group, who congratulated all participants in the project. Mrs. Mariana Chompalova-Yordanova and Mrs. Sevinch Ahmed welcomed the young environmentalists, introduced them to the work of the Environmental Protection Inspectorate and wished them pleasant moments during the activity.
A special program for the visit was prepared at Neochim AD. The following production workshops were planned to be visited: HVO / Neutralization Station, OTCK Division and Technical Gas Workshop. Wastewater treatment is carried out at the Neutralization Station before being re-infused into the Maritza River. On the spot, they were acquainted with the various purification processes, the neutralization of the waste water through milk and mutual neutralization, the flow of water into the facilities for neutralization. The quality control laboratory was then visited, where various soil and water samples were taken. After being introduced to the structure, students were able to observe soil research and determine their composition. The participants were introduced to the preparation of reagents and the preparation of solutions. In the Technical Gases workshop the activity of the unit was explained, namely the separation of air into its component parts, the installations for the production of liquefied air, liquefied oxygen and nitrogen were shown. Of particular interest were the demonstrations with liquefied oxygen and nitrogen.
The next day - February 21, 2020, a visit to the Waste Water Treatment Plant, Dimitrovgrad, was planned. It is a component of the ISPA project and its value is EUR 8 055 606 - one of the largest projects implemented in the country with EU funds. 75 percent of the funding is from ISPA, 15 percent is from the European Investment Bank and 10 percent is from the national budget. The treatment plant can process more than 6 million cubic meters of water per year, with a maximum capacity of 16 520 cubic meters per day. Its commissioning has led to improvements in the ecosystem and biodiversity in the region. With the launch of the station, the waste water from Dimitrovgrad flows into the Maritza River mechanically and biologically purified and de-steamed, thus achieving a tangible environmental effect. On the spot, the participants got acquainted with the work of all the structures and buildings of the station - the command room, the laboratory, the pools and tanks, the grease and sand retainer, the secondary sedimentation tanks, the sludge compaction and dewatering building and others. All activities carried out there ensure the inflow of treated water into the Maritza River, which is common to the two transboundary regions.
On the last day of the activity - February 22, the participants gathered in the building of "P.Slaveikov" Primary School. There, they compared soil and water samples they made during their environmental studies. They worked with meteorological stations to determine the humidity, wind force and more. indicators. Microscopes also aroused interest in young nature lovers. Working with these appliances inspired them. These equipment - microscopes and time measuring stations - were purchased under the project by PP3 - Primary School "P.Slaveikov" and will form part of their ecology office - Green Room.
An account of the past days is a successfully completed activity, an indicator of which are happy children’s smiles. The purpose of the activity was fulfilled: the students were acquainted with the environmental policies in Dimitrovgrad, which are implemented by the industrial companies. The first meeting between the Turkish and Bulgarian groups took place, friendships were established. Everyone is looking forward to the next activity.