The Danube basin

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H.P. Nachtnebel Module 8: Danube and Transboundary Issues

Module 8:

Transboundary Water Management in the Danube Basin

H.P. Nachtnebel

Dept. of Water-Atmosphere-Environment

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• In this presentation figures and transparencies from other institutions are used (ICPDR, Danube GEF…).

These slides are highly appreciated

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Objectives

• Identification of drivers and pressures

• Principles of a basin wide cooperation

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Structure of presentation

• Recent situation in the Danube basin

• Identification of drivers and changes period from 1990-today

• Strategy for a transboundary approacj

• Development of a transboundary cooperation

• Modes of cooperation

• Joint actions (Convention, SAP, Survey…)

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Organisation of the Paper

(1) Introduction and Description of the Basin (2) Identification of drivers and changes

(3) The Environmental Programme for the Danube River Basin (EPDRB)

(4) The Strategic Action Plan (SAP) (5) Towards Implementation

(6) Summary and Conclusions

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The Danube basin

• Political structure

• Economic situation and development

• Environmental state (water use, agriculture, wetlands, pollution)

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Some Figures About The Basin

• Countries:

• Moldavia, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia,

Montenegro, Bosnia, Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Austria, Germany

• Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Albania

• Figures:

• Length: 2857 km

• Area: 817.000 km2

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COUNTRY

GERMANY AUSTRIA

of the state

POPULATION^* in DRB

82,398,326 9.300 11.49 8,188,207 7.700 9.51 CZECH REPUBLIC 10,249,216 2.800 3.46

SLOVAKIA 5,430,033 5.200 6.42

HUNGARY 10,045,407 10.045 12.60

capita million %

SLOVENIA 1,935,677 1.700 2.10

CROATIA 4,422,248 3.000 3.71

SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO 10,655,774 9.800 12.11 BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 3,989,018 2.900 3.58

BULGARIA 7,537,929 3.500 4.32

ROMANIA 22,271,839 21.000 25.94

MOLDOVA 4,439,502 1.100 1.36

UKRAINE 48,055,439 2.650 3.27

ICPDR TOTAL 219,618,615 80.850 99.88

ALBANIA 3,582,206 0.010 0.01

ITALY 57,998,353 0.020 0.02

MACEDONIA 2,063,122 0.010 0.01

POLAND 38,622,660 0.040 0.05

SWITZERLAND 7,318,638 0.020 0.03

BASIN TOTAL 329,203,593 80.950 100.00

of the state

TOTAL AREA in DRB

357,021 56,184 7.01 83,858 80,423 10.03 78,866 22,870 2.85 48,845 47,084 5.87 93,030 93,030 11.61

km² km² %

20,273 16,422 2.05 56,542 34,965 4.36 102,350 88,635 11.06 51,129 36,636 4.57 110,910 47,413 5.92 237,500 232,193 28.97 33,843 12,834 1.60 603,700 30,520 3.81 1,877,867 799,209 99.72

28,748 126 0.01

301,230 565 0.07

25,333 109 0.01

312,685 430 0.05

41,290 1,809 0.23 2,587,153 802,248 100.00

% in state

DRB

15.74 95.90 29.00 96.39 100.00 81.00 61.84 86.60 71.65 42.75 97.77 37.92 5.06

0.44 0.19 0.43 0.14 4.38

*) as of July 2003

name status

flag

EU CP

 

EU 

 

EU 

 

EU CP EU CP EU CP EU CP EU CP Apl CP

 CP

 Obs Acs CP Acs CP

 CP

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The last 20 years

• Collapse of Yugoslavia in a civil war

ten thousands were killed, hundred thousands were expatriated

• New states have been established

Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia- Hercegowina, Makedonia, Montenegro

• Politically unsettled problems (Kosovo, Transnistria)

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H.P. Nachtnebel

Danube Basin

Economic development

• Industrial Production* (1990-1992)

CSR -40 %

Hungary -32 %

Romania -54 %

Bulgaria -54 %

• Economical Growth Rate* (1992 - 1995)

Country 1992 1993 1994* 1995*

Czech Rep. -7.0 -0.3 2 3.5

Hungary -4.5 -2.0 1.5 3.0

Romania -15.0 1.0 1.0 1.5

Bulgaria -7.7 -4.0 -2.5 -1.0

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Economic indicators (estd. in 2002)

GDP on PPP [ Euro / capita ]

10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000

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Water, Agriculture and Environment

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Water and environment

• Agriculture is still a quite important economic factor

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Water and environment

• Agriculturalal water demands are still quite high

H.P. Nachtnebel

Danube Basin

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Water and environment

• Substantial agricultural exports

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Water and environment

• Substantial agricultural exports

• High nutrient loads (pesticides,…) from agriculture

H.P. Nachtnebel

Danube Basin

(18)

Environmental Problems and Pressures

• Water pollution in tributary basins (also in drinking water)

• Nutrient load and euthrophication

• Sensitive ecological areas are endangered

• The Black Sea is endangered

(it accumulates all the pollutants)

• Morphological changes of the rivers

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H.P. Nachtnebel

Danube Basin

Human Intervention

• Numerous reservoirs for irrigation supply

• Water abstraction

• Channelisation of rivers

• Environmental degradation

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Heavily Modified Water Bodies

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H.P. Nachtnebel

Danube Basin

Pressures on wetlands

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Water pollution (1)

• Mismanagement of nutrients in the Danube Basin has led to severe ecological problems

(deterioration of groundwater, eutrophication of rivers, lakes and the Black Sea)

• These problems are directly related to social and economic issues

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Nonpoint Pollution in Agricultural Areas:

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Other Pollution Sources (2)

• from Petrochemical Industries

• Accidential spills from mining industries, from ship collision

• Biological micropollutants from untreated waste waters

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Aquatic Pollution:

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Aquatic Pollution:

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BOD-Loads

• Conclusion:

• The problems are in the tributaries

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Drivers for an improved cooperation

• Political changes

• Severe economic changes

• Environmental degradation (disagreement on pollution sources)

• Climate change

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Water related cooperation in the basin

• From bilateral to multi-lateral cooperation

• From national to international law

• The role of scientific institutions

• The role of NGO‘s

• The ICPDR

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Some of the International Agreements:

 Belgrad - Declaration (1948): Navigation

 Bukarest - Declaration (1985): Water Quality and Monitoring

 Preparation of the Danube Environmental Programme (1991)

 Convention for Sustainable Water Use (1993)

 Luzerne Declaration (1993) Economic Development

 Strategic Action Plan (1994)

 River Basin Management Plan (2009)

(31)

After the Political Changes in Eastern Europe a New Initiative Started:

 Support of the Countries to Develope New Legislation

• Support of the Countries in Collaboration

• Support to Implement the Convention

3 Major Activities:

• The Environmental Program for the Danube River Basin (EPDRB)

• The Convention for the Protection and Sustainable Use of Water Resources

• The Strategic Action Plan

(32)

Mode of cooperation

• From bilateral agreements to basin wide agreements

• Establishment of ICPDR

• From a single objective approach to an integrated approach

(33)

Organisational Development

• In 1990 an EU Program was initiated which was supported by EBRD, World Bank, Donor agencies..

• The Programme Coordination Unit (PCU) was established in Brussels

• The office was moved in 1992 to Vienna

• Several activities started in the Danube basin

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Organisational Structure

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Activities in the 1990-ties

• A draft version of the convention for sustainable use of water resources was elaborated by Austria (defines the general objectives and principles)

• PCU financed national reports about the environmental state. IUCN took responsiblity for reviewing and

harmonsing the national reports

• PCU initiated an Environmental Programme for the

Danube river (EPDRB) (includes the steps to achieve the tasks of the convention)

• World Bank launched the Strategic Action Plan (to provide technical information and to prepare a set of actions)

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A legal frame for co-operation to assure the protection of water and ecological resources

and their sustainable use in the Danube River Basin

To assist the implementation of the EPDRB the Danube River Protection Convention was elaborated

signed: 29 June 1994, Sofia

entered into force: 22 October 1998

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has been established to

implement the objectives and provisions and to achieve the

goals of the Danube River Protection Convention

The International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River

( ICPDR )

Photo WWF

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Contracting Parties

HUNGARY AUSTRIA BULGARIA CROATIA

CZECH REPUBLIC EUROPEAN UNION GERMANY

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA MOLDOVA

ROMANIA

SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO SLOVAKIA

SLOVENIA UKRAINE

29-Aug-99

11-Jul-05 22-Oct-98 19-Aug-03 22-Aug-98 22-Aug-98 13-Mar-03 Contracting Party

Contracting Party Contracting Party Contracting Party Contracting Party Contracting Party 22-Oct-98

Contracting Party Contracting Party Contracting Party Contracting Party Contracting Party Contracting Party

02-Aug-99 22-Oct-98 22-Oct-98 22-Oct-98 22-Oct-98 Contracting Party 22-Oct-98

COUNTRY Status Since COUNTRY Status Since

Contracting Party

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Observers

OBSERVER ORGANISATION DANUBE COMMISSION

WORLD WIDE FOUND FOR NATURE

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR DANUBE RESEARCH

CONVENTION ON WETLANDS OF INTL. IMPORTANCE ESP. AS WATERFAWL HABITAT DANUBE ENVIRONMENTAL FORUM

REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL CENTRE

INTENATIONAL COMMISSION FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE BLACK SEA GLOBAL WATER PARTNERSHIP

UNESCO - INTERNATIONAL HYDROLOGICAL PROGRAMME

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR WATER WORKS IN THE DANUBE BASIN

DC Abbreviation

WWF IAD RAMSAR

DEF REC BSC GWP

IHP IAWD

DANUBE TOURIST COMMISSION DIE DONAU

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Principles of the EPDRB:

• Integrated Approach:

- Air-Land-Water-Biological System

- Different Economic & Administrative Structures

• Participatory Approach:

- National Priorities are Important

- Consensus at Every Step of Development - Information Sharing

- Joint Decision Making

• Integration of Public and Private Sector - Private Investment

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The Strategic Action Plan:

 Reduce the Negative Impacts of Activities in the Danube River Basin and on Riverine Ecosystems and the Black Sea

• Maintain and Improve the Availability and Quality of Water in the Danube River Basin

• Establish Control of Hazards from Accidental Spills

• Develop Regional Water Management Co-operation

• Support of the the Implementation of the Convention

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Principles and Strategies of SAP:

Water and environment related actions should be based on the following principles:

 Precautionary Principle

 Best Available Technique

 Best Available Practice

 Control of the Pollution at the Source

 The Polluter Pays Principle

 Regional Co-operation

 Shared Information

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Scope of Actions:

 Policy, Legal and Regulatory Measures

• Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building

• Investment in Pollution Control

Ranking of pollution sources Investment plans

• Management Programmes for Water and Environment at the National Level

• Public Awareness and Participation

• Applied Research

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Approach for Nutrient Management

• Understanding the situation

• Understanding the processes

• Identification of origin of nutrients

• Proposal of a strategy

(45)

H.P. Nachtnebel

Danube Basin

Nutrient loads (N and P)

(46)

Understanding the Situation

– the nutrient balance in the catchment with main emphasis on diffuse pollution (e.g. agriculture, air pollution) and the transport, retention and losses of nutrients in the catchment

– the transport, retention and losses of nutrients and ssediments along the Danube River and

– the effect of riverine nutrient discharges on the parts of Western Black Sea directly influenced by

(47)

Understanding the Processes

– the MONERIS-emission model based on a GIS data base,

– the Danube Water Quality Model (DWQM) for the description of the transport and transformation

processes in the river system,

– the Danube Delta Model (DDM) for the

quantification of nutrient transport in the Danube Delta and (iv) the Shelf Model for modelling the direct impact of the Danube load on the Western Black Sea. Based on these models the whole system can be considered as a complex unit and scenarios can be developed as a basis for scenario evaluation

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Strategies

– a method to establish comparable, basin-wide,

periodic nutrient balances considering the national data availability and

– the evaluation of different solutions for future

nutrient management strategies considering socio- economic developments in the Danube Basin.

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DANUBE REGIONAL PROJECT

Overview of Project Components

RBM Tools (1.1) Agriculture - Policies (1.2) Agriculture - Pilot Projects

(1.3) Wetlands (1.4) Industry (1.5) Water Tariffs (1.6) Pollution Charges, Fines,

Incentives (1.7) Phosphorus Reduction -

Detergents (1.8)

Monitoring, Laboratory &

Info Management (2.2)

Inter-ministerial Mechanisms (2.1)

Accident Emergency Response (2.3) DANUBIS (2.4)

(MoU) Danube-Black Sea Cooperation (2.5)

NGO Institutional Development (3.1) NGO Small Grants Programme (3.2)

Communication Strategy and Public Awareness Campaigns (3.3)

Indicators for Project Monitoring&Evaluation (4.1)

Monitoring Nutrient Removal Capacities of Wetlands (4.3)

Study on Pollution Trading

& Economic Instruments for Nutrient Reduction (4.4) Trainings & Workshops (2.6)

Strengthening the Implementation Capacities for Nutrient Reduction and Transboundary Cooperation in the Danube Basin

Objective 1 Support for Policy

Development

Objective 2 Capacity Building &

T-B Cooperation

Objective 3

Public Participation &

Awareness

Objective 4 Monitoring and Evaluation of Projects

Analysis of Sediments in the Iron Gate, impact assessment of heavy metals (4.2)

Public Participation and Access to Information (3.4)

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Towards Implementation:

 Structure of Collaboration

 Actors

 Financing

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Organisational Structure

CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES

International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR)

–Implementation of Danube River Protection Convention (DRPC) –Decision making, mgmt and coordination of regional cooperation –Approval of the budget and annual work programme

–Follow up of activities and evaluation of results from Expert Groups –Joint Action Programme

Ecology ( ECO EG )

–Habitats and species protection areas –Management of

wetlands and floodplains Tisza RBMP

(ad-hoc Tisza Group ) –develop the Tisza River

Basin Management Plan –incorporating:

• flood protection and

• water quality

Cartography and GIS ( RBM / GIS ESG )

Danube – Black Sea Joint Technical Working Group

Standing Working Group

–co-ordinate the ICPDR work between meetings –prepare main strategic

issues for the ICPDR –guide the activity of the

Expert Groups

UNDP/GF

Danube Regional Project

– Creation of sustainable ecological condi- tions for land use and water mgmt – Capacity building and reinforcement of

trans-boundary cooperation – Strengthening public involvement in

environmental decision making

– Reinforcement of monitoring, evaluation and Information System

Legal and Administrative issues

(ad-hoc S EG )

–Legal issues –Administrative issues –Financial issues

Permanent Secretariat (PS)

–Supporting the ICPDR sessions –Supporting the Expert Groups –Coordinating the work programme

–Supporting project development and implementation –Maintenance of the Information System

River Basin Management ( RBM EG ) –Integrated river basin

management –Implementation of the

EU Water Framework Directive

Emissions ( EMIS EG ) –Emissions from point

sources

–Emissions from diffuse sources

–Guidelines on BAT

Economic Analysis ( RBM / ECON ESG )

Monitoring, Laboratory and Information Mgmt

( MLIM EG ) –Trans-National

Monitoring Network –Laboratory Quality

Assurance

Accident Prevention and Control

( APC EG ) –Acciddental pollution

incidents –AEWS operation –Accident prevention

Flood Protection ( FP EG )

–Preparation and implementation of Action Plan for Sustainable Flood Protection

I C P D R S t W G

M o n i t o r i n g A s s e s s m e n t

P r e s s u r e s M e a s u r e s

F l o o d R B M

R B M P C o o r d i n a t i o n a n d G u i d a n c e

S e r v i c e s u p p o r t

I n f o e x c h a n g e M a n d a t e & R e p o r t

a d h o c S E G

a d h o c C o m m .P P G r o u n d -

w a t e r

T i s z a

A E W S

A P

F l o o d r i s k

L E G E N D

H y d r o - m o r p h o l o g y

a d h o c G I S a n d

I n f o

N O T E

F u r t h e r T a s k G r o u p s m a y b e c r e a t e d a c c o r d i n g t o t h e n e e d s

T a s k G r o u p

(52)

The Actors:

 Governments at National, District and Local Level

• Private Companies

• Public Authorities

• The Public

• NGO’s

(53)

Financing:

• Phase I: 1991-1994

57,6 million USD

(49,2 million from international sources) EC (Phare), UNDP, World Bank (GEF)

• Phase II: 1995-

Riparian Countries, EC (Phare), World Bank

(54)

What Can We Learn from the Danube ?

 Organisations Working in Specific Sectors at the Basin Level were very helpful

- Navigation

- Water Suppliers

- Scientific Organisations and Networks

* Hydrology

* Meteorology

* Limnology

 Information Sharing: from a Bilateral to Basin Wide Approach

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What Can We Learn from the Danube?

• Establishment of Joint Institutions - Danube Commission

- Task Force - Bureau

 External Mediator + Financial Support

• Inclusion of NGO’s (WWF, IUCN)

• In Some Countries Changes of Legal Structure and Administration

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Summary and Conclusions:

 Danube is the Most International River in the World

 Different Standards in Each Country

 Economic Transition in Several Countries

 Although Water Quality is in General not so bad, Some Major Transboundary Problems Exist

- Euthrophication

- Some Major Pollution Sources

- Impacts on the Delta and Black Sea

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Summary and Conclusions:

• The EPDRB, the SAP and the Convention improved collaboration among the countries

• Countries have adopted new standards following EU standards

• Major improvement in water quality concerning point pollution

• A Task Force and a bureau has been implemented

• Some Countries will join soon EU

• Still several transboundary problems exist