INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 1
Newsletter
River Basin Management It works!
In 2008, INBO Member Organizations and their partners mobilized them- selves to prepare the next 5th World Water Forum of Istanbul in March 2009. They learned the lessons from their experiments in basin management and transboundary cooperation, in order to make collective awareness advance and to propose realistic solutions to face the challenges of the coming years. Huge progress has been made for 15 years in the implementation of effective basin Saragossa - July 2008 - MENBO policies on all continents. Basin management thus seems today a credible approach to organize a new gover- nance of water resources and aquatic ecosystems enabling to better meet the stakes of economic and social development, pollution control, and natural and accidental risk prevention. It is also at basin level that we will be able to act effectively to anticipate the proba- ble consequences of climate change on the hydrology of rivers. Sibiu - October 2008 - Europe-INBO An organization at the level of the whole basin is especially essential for consistent and sustainable management of transboundary rivers, lakes and aquifers to the benefit of all the riparian Countries. Strong political will and the participation of all the stakeholders concerned are the keys to success, with the development of financing systems and suitable planning and monitoring tools. These lessons learned are gathered in a "Handbook for IWRM in Basins" that INBO Rio de Janeiro - November 2008 - LANBO and GWP will present in Istanbul on next 20 March in the evening. These experiments will feed the discussions during the Istanbul Forum in the five official sessions of topic 3.1. on "Basin Management and Trans- boundary Cooperation", coordinated by INBO and UNESCO, and which will be held on Friday 20 and Saturday 21 March 2009 in Istanbul-Sutluce. All the interested partners are invited to actively participate. Let’s get mobilized to promote river basin management in Istanbul! Istanbul - March 2008 - 5th WWF
www.inbo-news.org December 2008 - January 2009 - n° 17 www.worldwaterforum5.org INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 2
5th World Water Forum - Ist The International "Water and Film" Events Launched in Mexi- Around one hundred films and clips co in March 2006 selected over a two-year period will be during the 4th World screened. Water Forum, the Participants in the 5th World Water International "Water Forum will be able to attend the and Film" Events screenings and debates held with the are a joint initiative of the Interna- film directors in the Citizens’ House for tional Secretariat for Water (ISW) Water and its "Fountains of Know- and the French Water Academy. ledge" area. This international event is to take place The general public will be invited to every three years during the World attend screenings at various locations Water Forums. around Istanbul so they can learn more The event aims at: about water-related issues around the I Enriching the World Water Forum world. program; Film festivals are mobilized Competition Categories Films produced in a language other I Informing the public and raising around the world G Clips less than 90 seconds long than English must be sub-titled in awareness about the challenges in Some of the works presented in Istan- made by young people aged from English or, if necessary, accompanied water resource management; bul in March 2009 will be selected in 17 to 30; by a print-out of the dialogues in I Promoting audiovisual material on collaboration with several film festivals G Films less than 60 minutes long English, French or Spanish. the theme of water; and competitions around the world. (documentaries, animations, fictions); INBO will give a prize to an original I Building up the image banks avai- This selection will also include works G Films of a scientific and peda- project on basin management lable on this topic. directly registered and chosen by a gogical nature. For further information: Towards Istanbul 2009 selection committee based in Montreal. International Jury Bárbara Ávila The next International "Water and Film" Non-competition In Istanbul, an international jury of Fax: +1 514 849 2822 Events will be held from 18 to Categories [email protected] experts in water and cinema will desi- 21 March 2009 in Istanbul, during the G Films over 60 minutes long (docu- gnate the winners in each competition www.riec-iwfe.org 5th World Water Forum, with the overall mentaries, animations, fictions); category. The results will be announ- theme of "Water, People and Sustai- G Video-Art. ced during an official ceremony as part www.i-s-w.org nable Development". of the 5th World Water Forum.
Global Water INVITATION Partnership
Basin Management and Transboundary Cooperation at the 5th World Water Forum in Istanbul ® 17 March 2009 (17:00-19:00) Regional European Session - Sutluce European Water Partnership - INBO - Role of Europe in the world - Transboundary Basin Management ® 18 March 2009 (14:30-19:00) Side event - European Union - China River Basin Management Program Yellow River Commission – INBO – RM&C French Water Agency – University of Liege – Pô River Basin Spanish Ministry for the Environment ® 20 March 2009 (08:30-19:00) Topical sessions 3.1 – Basin Management and Transboundary Cooperation - Sutluce (08:30-10:30) session 3.1.1.: Hydro-solidarity successes and failures (11:00-13:00) session 3.1.2.: Water users’ participation (14:30/19:00) session 3.1.3.: Institutional tools for Transboundary Cooperation ® 20 March 2009 (19:00-20:00) INBO - GWP presentation: "Handbook for Basin Management" - Sutluce ® 21 March 2009 (08:30-13:00) Topical sessions 3.1 - Basin Management and Transboundary Cooperation - Sutluce (08:30-11:00) session 3.1.4.: Technical tools for River Basin Management (11:00-13:00) session 3.1.5.: Work synthesis and conclusions (13:00-14:30) IWRM side event: Governance of River Basins - French Pavilion French Water Partnership - French RM&C and Artois-Picardy Water Agencies
2 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 3 anbul - 16 - 22 March 2009 INBO and UNESCO coordinators of topic 3.1: "Basin Management and Transboundary Cooperation" The proposal for organizing the ses- Coordinators’ meeting in Istanbul in February 2008 sions of topic 3.1 on "Basin Manage- ment and Transboundary Cooperation" was widely disseminated and submit- ted to discussion with the partners. MORE THAN 190 ORGANIZATIONS PARTICI- PATED IN THIS PRELIMINARY DISCUSSION The International Coordination Commit- AND HAVE SENT PROPOSALS. tee (ICC) of the 5th World Water Forum, In 2008, several international meetings which will take place in Istanbul from were organized with all the interested 16 to 22 March 2009, has designated parties for working in open and fruitful INBO and UNESCO as coordinators of dialogue: topic 3.1: "Basin Management and I International Symposium on the Transboundary Cooperation". management of water-related I 4th International Symposium on G Suitable financial mechanisms During the Forum, 100 topical ses- extreme phenomena, ECWATECH, Transboundary Water Manage- should be developed, based, in sions, involving all the stakeholders, Moscow, Russia from 4 to 5 June ment, Thessaloniki, Greece from particular, on the application of the should propose practical solutions, by 2008; 15 to 18 October 2008; "user - polluter - pays" principles; allowing free discussions on all topics I 4th International Conference on I 6th workshop of ISARM - Americas, G Basin Information Systems should to reach consensus. River Restoration, Venice, Italy, Dominican Republic, November allow following up the implemen- In their second meeting in Istanbul in from 16 to 21 June 2008; 2008; tation of policies and measuring February 2008, the partners decided to I International Water Exhibition - I General Assembly of the Latin their results; focus their proposals for topic 3.1 on Water Tribune, Saragossa, Spain, American Network of Basin Orga- G Clear legal frameworks should the four following issues, which will the from 7 to 10 July 2008 - Thematic nizations and the National Forum allow a lasting application of these subject matter of a topical session on Week 4 - INBO-MENBO-EWP Ses- of Brazilian Basin Committees, principles, which will be facilitated Friday 20 and Saturday 21 March, sion: "basin management and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 19 to by the creation of Basin Organiza- in the Conference Center of Sutluce transboundary cooperation in 21 November 2008. tions or Agencies; A - Kagithane Hall: Europe and the Mediterranean", on FIRST DRAFT CONCLUSIONS G Transboundary rivers, lakes and 8 July 2008; What are the success stories River Basin Management works! aquifers should be paid special I WWF round table on the UN Con- and failures of hydro-solidarity G Tangible outputs can be obtained attention and be managed through vention on the management of and IWRM at basin level? with strong political will; dialogue between the riparian transboundary water resources at G Significant progress has been Countries; How to organize and facilitate the Water Week, in Stockholm made since the 1990s; G The creation and strengthening of the participation of all stake- August 2008; G Integrated Water Resources Mana- International Commissions or holders? I IWRA General Assembly, session gement should be organized at the Transboundary Basin Authorities on Transboundary Water Manage- How can transboundary water level of local, national or trans- facilitate dialogue, the exchange of ment, France, from resources be managed more Montpellier, boundary basins of rivers, lakes information and the joint imple- 1 to 3 September 2008; sustainably by all the riparian and aquifers; mentation of the actions necessary countries concerned? I IWA Symposium on River Basins, G This management should be ba- for better management, anticipa- Hungary, from 4 to What are the tools to use for Budapest, sed on a strong participation of all ting the future and allowing con- 6 September 2008; better basin management and the basin’s stakeholders and on trolling possible conflicts between sustainable transboundary I "EUROPE-INBO 2008", session on the involvement of their represen- the Countries concerned. cooperation on surface and the implementation of the Water tatives in Basin Committees; Everything becomes possible when Framework Directive, Sibiu, groundwater resources? G The partners should agree on a there is the will to do so! Romania, from 2 to 4 October A synthesis session will conclude "shared vision" of the basin, which 2008, “Flood and drought mana- work on 21 March 2009 from 11:00 results in a medium and long-term gement, transboundary water to 13:00. Management Plan, Programs of management and WFD Programs Measures and priority investments; of Measures”; www.inbo-news.org www.worldwaterforum5.org
www.unesco.org 3 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 4
Global Water INBO / GWP Partnership "Handbook for IWRM in Basins" The result of an effective collaboration between INBO and GWP problems of water It is also addressing representatives of resolution or protection against risks, resources and impacts local authorities, economic sectors especially those caused by climate of regional planning and NGOs, involved in basin manage- change. The aspects of financing the on these resources. ment. water sector, stakeholders’ involve- Many experiments of The handbook aims at providing them ment, long-term strategy and action integrated basin ma- with examples of tools and practical plans, communication and develop- nagement were ini- advice to facilitate their decision- ment of follow-up and information sys- tiated in the world making regarding the governance and tems are analyzed while focusing on these past years. management of water resources, either the practical elements, dealing both The International for the creation of new basin organiza- with the improvement of institutional Network of Basin tions, or for improving and moderni- arrangements and working practices. Organizations zing already existing basin manage- More than fifty experiments or case A handbook for (INBO) and the Glo- ment bodies. studies implemented in the five conti- integrated water resources bal Water Partner- After introducing fundamental notions, nents are used to illustrate the various ship (GWP), with the then problems and challenges encoun- topics and are references likely to help management in basins financial support of tered by the managers, the document decision-makers in their search for the French Ministry analyzes the tools and mechanisms solutions to their problems. for Foreign and Eu- available for establishing basin mana- Designed for providing practical assis- ropean Affairs, have gement systems as well as the types of tance to catalyze the changes towards joined to produce possible basin organizations and their sustainable development, this hand- For Integrated Water Resources Mana- the "Handbook for roles, according to the situation. book, published in English and French, gement (IWRM) to be effective and IWRM in Basins", based on these The handbook deals, in a pragmatic aims to be a dynamic document. practical, it is essential that it is imple- experiments and know-how, practices way, with mechanisms used for an The first version of which, presented mented on a basin scale, whether and knowledge acquired sometimes for equitable share of the resource on 20 March 2009 at 19:00 at the national or transboundary. The basin of several decades. th between the various uses (domestic, 5 World Water Forum in Istanbul - a river, a lake or an aquifer is indeed the This handbook is intended for profes- agriculture, energy, industry, transport, Sutluce Conference Center, will be geographical area most relevant to sionals of water resources manage- tourism, fishing, environment), with regularly updated thereafter. deal, in an integrated way, with the ment of the public and private sectors. instruments for conflict prevention and A "Brief" for better basin management The Technical Committee (TEC) of This brief analyzes basin gover- The note gives an overview of the va- The new body should be a privileged the Global Water Partnership nance in the context of increasing rious functions which must be fulfilled place for coordination and dialogue. (GWP) and the International Net- competition for water between on this scale, advisable institutional Download the document file on: work of Basin Organizations agriculture and the other uses, of arrangements for effective governance, www.inbo-news.org (INBO), in collaboration with “the impacts of water pollution and roles which the Basin Organizations www.gwpforum.org can play according to the natio- Global Evaluation of Water Manage- deterioration of ecosystems. nal context, to criteria which ment in Agriculture (CA)” have This analysis shows that, to face all the determine the quality of the ope- published, in English and in French, a challenges, it is necessary to create arrangements for governance which ration of Basin Organizations. “Brief” on the issue of water manage- take into account the various geo- The “brief” also emphasizes the ment at basin level. graphical scales. need for a preliminary institu- The basin is a particularly relevant tional characterization, so that Global Water the type of Basin Organization to Partnership level for the field implementation of integrated management asso- be created is suited to the chal- lenges to face and is consistent Invitation ciating all the stakeholders related to water. with the actions of all the other 20 March 2009 - 19:00 Institutions which usually already Presentation of the exist in the same area. "Handbook for IWRM in Basins" Sutluce - Istanbul
4 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 5
TWINBASINXN For promoting twinning between Basin Organizations
I design sustainable financial mechanisms. TwinBasin gathered more than 70 Basin Organizations around The International Network of Basin the world, which were Organizations (INBO) has acquired involved in 40 twinning experience for many years in fostering agreements. twinning agreements, especially in managing the TwinBasin project The project: (2004-2007) financed by the European G gave strong credibi- Commission and coordinated by the lity to the Twinning International Office for Water. process; The TwinBasin project demons- 42 Countries involved in TwinBasin G proposed a frame- trated the real added-value of work for agreements Thus, for any future Twinning project, Identifying the most compati- developing twinning agreements between partners; INBO proposes a 3-steps metho- ble "Twins", in particular thanks between River Basin Organizations dology: to the regional networks of Basin for improving Integrated Water G organized calls for proposals for selecting the best and more Explaining the needs, which Organizations. Resources Management. Proposing a precise content for adapted Twinning arrangements; depend on the topics to be tackled Indeed, by exchanging field expe- twinning agreements specifying with (institutional, legal, economi- rience, Basin Organizations can: G required technical reports with the objectives, expected outputs, cal, technical, communication) I strengthen participation of stake- specific added value after the rea- missions’ duration, foreseen and the practical methods used for holders and civil society in deci- lization of experts’ missions. period, expert(s) profile(s), local exchanges (awareness, training, counterparts, performance indica- sion-making processes; It is worth saying that average support capacity building) as well as the tors, financial arrangements, etc. I improve methodologies for mid- made by TwinBasin has been of contacts to establish (political Under these conditions, twinning term and long-term planning; 4,000 Euros for each twinning, cove- people in charge, representatives agreements have more chance to I set up the data bases required to ring less than 40% of the direct of the economic sectors, mana- be truly effective and to become organize Information Systems and expenses. For such a reasonable gers of basin organizations, tech- genuine tools for sharing expe- decision-making supporting tools; investment, benefits have been nicians, specialists, etc.). rience and know-how. I build staff capacity; much higher! www.twinbasin.org
International Riverfoundation "River Journeys" International Riverfoundation (IRF) has This book features interviews with "River Journeys" showcases the recently published its book "River winners of the Thiess Riverprize and human face of river restoration pro- Journeys" at the International River- presents their long and challenging jects and provides insights into "how symposium in September 2008 in river restoration journeys worldwide. we can live with rivers more sustai- Brisbane, Australia. nably in the future". St. Johns River wins International Thiess Riverprize 2008 The St. Johns River Basin Project in This Project uses innovative ap- Silvia Scheibenbogen Florida is a large wetlands restoration proaches to combine environmental Communications Manager International Riverfoundation initiative which addresses environ- benefits with flood control over 60km [email protected] mental degradation and flood control of river length and 60,000ha of flood- within a 30-year collaboration bet- plain. www.riverfoundation.org.au ween Florida State and Federal water managers.
5 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 19/02/09 14:35 Page 6
COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (CSD-16) United Nations - New York "Financing IWRM pays back!"
More than 150 participants
ding of traditional infrastructures This must make the payment of the and the sharing of available quantities of safe water essential to resources. He underlined that, their everyday life bearable to the most today, beyond access to the underprivileged populations. It is also resources, "we must also deve- necessary to emphasize the signifi- lop integrated policies for sani- cance of agricultural irrigation in water tation, the reduction and treat- management. ment of polluting discharges, This meeting was a success. take into account the quality of the ecosystems, as being the It gathered 150 participants and a From 5 to 16 May 2008 in New York, Mr. Donzier, Permanent Secretary true natural infrastructures essential to panel of top level decision makers, the participants in the Commission on of the International Network of water cycle operation, and of course it coming from several continents: Sustainable Development of the United Basin Organizations, made an in- is necessary to prevent the natural the President of the African Ministers’ Nations drew up an evaluation of the troductory speech on the financing erosion, flood and drought hazards". Council on Water (AMCOW), Mr. Itoua; "water and sanitation cycle" launched of IWRM in the world. the High Commissioner of the Organi- during CSD-13 in 2005. Financing is a key element to make The Chief of the Environment and Inter- zation for the Development of the effective "everybody’s access to The French Ministries for Foreign national Relations Department of the Senegal River (OMVS), Mr. Ould essential services and good Affairs and Ecology had mandated the Walloon Region of Belgium, Mr. Wau- Merzoug, also President of the Network resources management": long-term French Water Partnership (FWP) thier, President of EUROPE-INBO of International Commissions and financial resources should be mobi- for organizing a side event, on May 12, Group 2005-2006, was the facilitator. Transboundary Basin Organizations; the lized and common cause systems set on the topic of IWRM financing on a President of the Water Commission of In his introductory speech, Mr. Donzier up, which are effective today through national and transboundary scale. the French Association of Mayors of reminded that IWRM was certainly the application of the "users-polluters- Large Towns, Mr. Begorre; the Director The FWP was created in 2007 after the making progresses, but some coun- pay" principles and mechanisms of of the Water Program of the Interna- 4th World Water Forum of Mexico City tries are only at the beginning of its common cause/equalization between tional Union for Conservation of Nature and gathers the public and private development and still have an the various categories of users. (IUCN), Mr. Bergkamp; the Director of French water stakeholders intervening approach primarily based on the buil- the National Water Agency of Brazil, worldwide. It is a forum for exchanges Mr. de Cordeiro Netto, Secretary of the on governance and management of A top level panel facilitated the discussions Latin American Network of Basin Orga- water resources. nizations, and the President of the This side event was presented by Mediterranean Water Partnership, Mr. Stefanini, the French Ambassador’s Mr. Scoullos. representative in charge of the Environ- The conclusions of this side event, ment, and by the representative of the drawn by Mr. Donzier, will be presented State Secretary in charge of the Envi- to the 5th World Water Forum of Istan- ronment of Slovenia, Mrs. Iskrenovic, bul, in March 2009. on behalf of the EU Presidency. INBO was designated, together with UNESCO, as coordinator of topic 3.1 of the Forum on "Basin Management and Transboundary Cooperation", and will be the spokesman of these exchanges.
www.french-water-partnership.fr
6 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 7
UNESCO The law of transboundary aquifers
At its 60th session (May-July 2008) the Commission for Europe (UNECE), I To recommend to States con- UN International Law Commission (ILC) UNEP/GEF, as well as the International cerned to make appropriate bila- adopted at second reading a full set of Groundwater Resources Assessment teral or regional arrangements for draft articles on the law of transboun- Center (IGRAC), IAH, the Organization the proper management of their dary aquifers, including a preamble and of American States (OAS), the French- transboundary aquifers on the commentaries. The ILC thus completed Swiss Geneva Aquifer Authority and basis of the principles enunciated a task it had started five years ago under Guarani Aquifer System Project. in these articles; the topic of "Shared Natural Resources". I To consider, at a later stage, the The draft articles are intended to offer elaboration of a convention on the States a framework for their agree- basis of the draft articles. ments on transboundary aquifers. In November 2008, during the 6th Com- The text is available in all UN lan- mittee (Legal) of the General Assembly guages at: more than forty States commented the achievement of the ILC on the law of http://untreaty.un.org/ilc/ transboundary aquifers and expressed reports/2008/2008repoirt.htm their satisfaction and their support of Since 2003, UNESCO-International the two steps approach recommended Hydrological Program (IHP) has pro- The ILC transmitted the draft articles to by the ILC. the UN General Assembly with the fol- vided scientific and technical assis- Resolution A/RES/63/124, following For further information: lowing recommendations: tance on hydrogeology and trans- the recommendations of the ILC, was Mme Raya Marina Stephan boundary aquifers. I To adopt a resolution adapting the adopted by the UN General Assembly [email protected] draft articles on the law of trans- on 11 December 2008. IHP has mobilized and coordinated www.unesco.org action with other United Nations boundary aquifers and to annex agencies, such as FAO, the Economic these articles to the resolution;
UNECE A new practical guide to the Water Convention Georgia and Macedonia recently Developing such a guide is no sim- Convention, such as the polluter- These explanations will be comple- requested support to accede and ple task, however. It will entail co- pays principle and international mented with practical examples and implement the Convention on the ming up with clear, easy-to-follow liability. case studies. Protection and Use of Transboundary explanations. It should be a multila- It will also be an important tool for INBO members are invited to con- Watercourses and International Lakes teral exercise, as the guide is an promoting the Convention outside tribute with examples of good prac- in Europe. extremely strategic product, which the UNECE region. tices that could be included in the must be designed carefully. One of This presented an entirely new chal- guide. the major challenges will be to find The guide is expected to be submit- lenge for the Convention, as never the right balance between a practical ted for adoption to the Convention’s Francesca Bernardini before had a country requested United Nations Economic Commission tool responding to country-specific Parties at their fifth meeting in "pre-accession" assistance. for Europe needs, and one that at the same time Geneva, on 10–12 November 2009. Convention on the Protection and Use The two countries underlined the real of Transboundary Watercourses is general enough to be applied in As a first step, specific provisions need for concrete guidance on the and International Lakes many different situations. which need clarification have been [email protected] legal, practical and economic impli- The guide will offer Parties the selected. cations of accession to and imple- www.unece.org/env/water opportunity to share their views on mentation of the Convention. For each of them, the guide will what the Convention means in prac- include legal and practical explana- The Convention’s Bureau agreed that tice, as well as the good practices tions as well as minimum require- the most effective way to handle they have developed in the past ments for their implementation. these requests would be through a 16 years. It will provide explana- practical guide. tions on legal issues related to the
7 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 8
"ECWATECH 2008" ECRR th Moscow - June 2008 4 International Conference on River Restoration "Water Resources Management Venice, 15-21 June 2008 under Extreme Conditions"
Towards the creation of a Network of Basin Organizations from Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia
The European Center for River Restora- exist, but the Governments do not seem tion (ECRR) is a platform providing to be enough motivated or interested to scientists, planners, project managers apply them; in such cases the aca- and decision-makers with the opportu- demic institutions and civil society can nity for meeting regularly to discuss act to support policy implementation. about existing practices and look into In most cases there is a gap between the impacts of human activities on river policy development and practice. The International Conference on "Water During this Conference, the partici- restoration. Resources Management under Extreme pants dealt with various topics, such as The ECRR delegates underlined that, th Conditions" took place in Moscow on forecasting extreme phenomena; The 4 ECRR International Conference on the one hand, river restoration prac- 5 and 6 June 2008 within “ECWATECH assessing flood and drought risks and on River Restoration, held in Venice on tices are being supportive to the imple- 2008”, the main Water Forum of the associated resources management; 16-19 June 2008, aimed at identifying mentation of various EU Directives, Eastern European countries. monitoring; land use; technical status the key issues on river restoration, while, on the other hand, the obliga- of infrastructures; lessons learned from especially in the European Union. tions under the EU Directives often are This Conference was organized by the management practices, causes and a driving force for the implementation Russian Federal Water Resources The presentations and discussions of impact of extreme phenomena; social of river restoration projects. Agency, the Dutch Water Partnership, the 300 participants, coming from and economic factors in decision- the World Water Council, the Interna- 36 countries from all continents, There is a common understanding that making; damage prevention and limi- tional Water Resources Association, demonstrated an increasing number of river restoration, based on an inte- tation. the World Meteorological Organization river restoration projects being imple- grated ecosystem approach, is a good (WMO), the European Water Partner- INBO facilitated a special session, on mented during the last 10-15 years. instrument to implement EU Directives ship (EWP) and the International 5 June in the afternoon, on the new tools Among stakeholders, there is a growing (Natura 2000, Habitat, Bird, WFD and Network of Basin Organizations introduced by the European Water awareness of the need to use new Flood Directives); it can foster a more (INBO). Framework Directive and its "daughter" approaches and a better understanding sustainable relationship between man Directives and announced the creation of of opportunities and benefits related and nature by creating habitats, redu- The objective of the Conference was to a Regional Network of Basin Organi- with river restoration. cing flood risk and pollution. allow a meeting between water mana- zations from Eastern Europe, Cauca- gement specialists coming from all The embedding of river restoration into The conference proceedings are down- sus and Central Asia (EECCA-NBO). over Europe, Caucasus and Central an appropriate policy is crucial. In the loadable from the ECRR website. European Union, the Water Framework Asia. www.ecwatech.com Bart Fokkens Directive is an effective driver although Harald Leummens slow to produce its effects. In other [email protected] Mr. Laszlo Kothay, INBO World President with Mr. Victor Dukovny regions (e.g. Eastern Europe, Latin www.ecrr.org America), legislations and policies
8 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 9
OECD For Integrated River Basin Management According to the OECD Environmental of the important elements, such as In the United States, Strategy, Member Countries should holistic management on a river-basin one program offers "apply the ecosystem approach to the scale, public participation and consul- incentives for sta- management of freshwater resources, tation, cost recovery, and use of the keholders upstream based on integrated river basin mana- polluter pays principle. The WFD is of New York City to gement". OECD Environmental binding, sets time-bound measurable protect the city’s Strategy also requires Member Coun- targets, and allows for transboundary water supply sources tries to "ensure cooperation for the water management. It also includes from pollution. environmentally sound management floods, drought and aquifer manage- and efficient use of transboundary ment. The USEPA supports water resources to reduce flood risks trading in water po- In Australia, the 1992 Murray-Darling and to minimise potential conflicts llution credits, mo- Basin Agreement between south- from the use or pollution of trans- delled on the air pol- eastern States heralded the beginning boundary water resources". lution credit trading. of a more comprehensive approach that Even though management on the scale widened the initial concerns over water Cross-border coope- of a river basin has been carried out in volumes to water quality, salinity and ration has to be an practice only in a few OECD countries, ecological aspects. The Murray- integral part of inte- significant progress has been made in Darling Basin Cap agreement for grated river basin recent years. limiting water losses and the Living management. Murray Initiative, aiming at restoring Some European countries have had Approximately 61 treaties referring to Most existing international water the Murray River to good ecological experiments of basin agencies (e.g. 200 shared river basins have been agreements continue to lack the tools health, recently followed. France, Spain), and many are now signed over the last 50 years. However, necessary to promote long-term, holis- creating them. The EU Water Frame- In Japan, a most encouraging develop- few treaties contain references to water tic water management. work Directive (WFD) is remarkable ment was the adoption of the Sound quality management, monitoring and since, for the first time in history, 27 Water Cycle approach with the defini- evaluation, conflict resolution, public Gerard.BONNIS OECD countries are committed to jointly tion of objectives and the formulation participation, and flexible allocation [email protected] managing all their freshwater resources of basin plans that will involve minis- methods. www.ocde.org on a basin scale, in an integrated way. tries, local authorities, residents and Even though it focuses heavily on water the civil society. quality and ecology, it includes many A Certificate in Water Conflict Management
This Certificate of the Oregon State approach and integrates human, policy Upon successful completion of the The development of new online cour- University, which addresses decision- and scientific dimensions to enhance Certificate, students will be able to: ses will provide candidates with an makers, graduate students and water capacity in Water Governance, Water G Increase their understanding of opportunity to successfully complete professionals, goes beyond the tradi- and Ecosystems, Water and Society, water conflict issues; the entire program online. tional physical hydraulic systems and Water and Economics. G Assess conflicting water use inte- Lynette de Silva rests; Associate Director Colombia River PWCMT, Oregon State University G Analyze the institutional frame- [email protected] works for water resources mana- gement in terms of potential for cooperation and conflict; G Demonstrate knowledge of a variety of management, negotiation, and decision-support scenarios; www.transboundarywaters.orst.edu G Successfully work and communi- cate in a multi-disciplinary, multi- cultural environment.
9 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 10
Africa Towards the creation of the African Water Information System - AWIS AWIS principle relies on two large components: N A network of partners located AWIS is a project financed by the Water on the entire African continent, Facility of the European Union. It is man- made up of information manage- aged by a consortium of partners from ment organizations, public or pri- Northern and Southern Africa: the vate documentation centers, basin African Network of Basin Organizations managers, NGOs, engineering (ANBO) and its secretariat, the Organiza- firms, etc. tion for the Development of the Senegal N An information system in the AWIS launching workshop River (OMVS), the Regional Center for form of a website, "AWIS portal", Ouagadougou, 27-30 October 2008 Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation including articles, bibliographical (CREPA), the International Office for predefined by AWIS community: topi- a search engine allows making an notes, tools for integrated water Water (IOWater), the Solidarité-Eau pro- cal newsletters, guidance documents, inventory of the studies available with resources management, links to gram (PS-Eau) and the Water Enginee- topical or geographical summaries, the partners. other websites, etc. Its update is ring Development Centre (WEDC). conferences, etc. The project is com- Next steps carried out by the partners’ net- mitted to train the people in charge of The project aims at testing the feasibi- work. The AWIS system entered a field tes- lity of an African Water Information Sys- these Focal Points on the practical ting phase during a kick-off workshop The partners’ network tem. The major objective of the project methods for information management held from 27 to 30 October in Oua- AWIS steering committee iden- is to offer an instrument which allows and on all the skills required for feeding gadougou for launching and training tified 12 partners, called Focal sharing African expertise, information AWIS portal. the FPs. For 6 months, the Focal Points Points - FPs, distributed over and abilities. Sub-networks may be created to will test the tool and make comments French and English-speaking The consortium, which manages AWIS, develop AWIS products. to improve the system. The AWIS pre- Africa. A Focal Point is a body with its carried out, from the start, a survey The information system liminary phase should be completed at network specialized in the field of water involving about twenty bodies distri- "AWIS portal" is a window of Pan- the beginning of 2010. AWIS could (drinking water supply, sanitation, buted throughout the African continent African information; it does not create then be extended to all the other IWRM, basin management, etc.). to identify the interest of the African information but directs towards infor- African organizations working in the It contributes to feeding AWIS portal stakeholders in this project, their needs mation. It identifies and indexes the water field. and participates in the development of and their expectations, their technical information available with its partners The public website is being developed. products of common interest on topics potential to collaborate. having the information (FPs) and sends It will soon host "AWIS portal": the visitor towards their website. www.african-wis.org A knowledge base is at the core of the system. It consists of documentary International RAOB - ANBO Office for Water notes filled up by the Focal Points;
nce Ind ma i r ca fo t r o r e s Performance Indicators P f o s r in T s r a a B ns y for the African Transboundary Basin Organizations boundar
The International Network of Basin It will last 3 years and will involve ten practical outcomes of this basin It prepared the launching of the Organizations (INBO) launched a African basins during 2 test phases. management approach. second testing phase in 2009 in project aiming at developing, testing After a seminar organized in Oua- The testing of this first list of indi- 10 transboundary basins to refine the and comparing Performance Indica- gadougou in November 2007, a first cators in the Niger, Congo, Sene- results and to lead to a final list of tors for the African Transboundary list of indicators was proposed. gal, Lake Victoria and Orange performance indicators truly suited to Basin Organizations. These indicators belong to two cate- basins allowed analyzing their the African situation. This project is carried out in partner- gories: relevance and usefulness. A semi- For further information: ship with the African Network of G the first one (Governance) aims at nar for the presentation and analysis of Basin Organizations (ANBO) and describing the operation of the the first results was organized in http://aquacoope.org/PITB with the support of the International bodies in charge of implementing Kinshasa in October 2008. This Work- Office for Water and Ecologic. integrated management on a shop associated the representatives of transboundary basin scale, The project is financed by the Euro- the project basins and partners. G the second one (Technical) ga- pean ACP Water Facility and the thers indicators related to the field French Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
10 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 11
Africa Water for a more prosperous Africa
security, etc.), to lay the first stones of O efforts necessary for improving ex- Roundtable of the African Water Week the building which will guarantee the pertise and information systems; long term socioeconomic develop- O social and environmental chal- ment of Africa, so much hoped for. lenges related to the develop- Formulating strategies, policies and ment of hydraulic infrastructures; proposing practical actions for water O roles of the involved parties and resources development and supply in the development of partnerships. a context of climate change: this Mr. Jean-François DONZIER, INBO event also allowed outlining the main Permanent Technical Secretary, was environmental and social challenges invited to co-chair the session on of the continent. "institutional capacity building for The discussions of this water week water security in Africa" and pre- dealt with crucial issues, including: sented an introductory report analy- O lessons learned on an interna- zing the situation of these issues on tional scale, related to water the African continent. AMCOW (African Ministers’ This first meeting gathered many security; www.afdb.org Council on Water) and AfDB water specialists coming from the O challenges related to drinking (African Development Bank) entire African continent: technicians, water supply and sanitation; organized the first African Water politicians and scientists came to dis- O investments for infrastructures to Week in Tunis, on 26 - 28 March cuss essential problems related to give access to water; 2008. water (control, supply, consumption,
Organization for the Development of the Gambia River (OMVG) Governance of African transboundary basins G Improvement of the total reliability The analysis made by IOWater showed The Gambia River of the electric sector thanks to an that it is very important to support ambitious interconnection. OMVG in its institutional and technical More than 550 MEuros were already capacity building, and 2 priority lines gathered for dams, hydropower units can be retained for 2009/2010: and interconnections, nearly 65% of O thorough assessment of gover- the total budget of 857 MEuros. nance at the national and trans- boundary basin level, in synergy This Energy project is strategic for the with the studies already under- sub-region. However, OMVG has not taken by NBA (case of Guinea) and yet an overall and integrated vision of OMVS (case of Senegal); water resources management in its O development of a true Master The Organization for the Development In the current economic and environ- river basins in order to: Plan for Water Development N of the Gambia River (OMVG) carried mental context, the benefits expected better guarantee management and Management and of a sustainability, especially of the out an institutional reorganization in from this Energy Project are very inte- medium-term Investment Plan. planned structuring works; 1991, which allowed a new approach, resting: It is also important to reinforce the N prepare the future actions to be the starting of true basic studies and G Production of 1,350 GWh/year of institutional structure of OMVG, to carried out in the short, medium the concretization of a good-will for clean energy to contribute to and long term, beyond the already develop monitoring and decision- regional integration (1991-1997). meeting the increasing demand in making supporting tools, to train staffs, the area; identified projects. The following decade (1997-2006) to increase participative approach, etc. G Exploitation of renewable natural In such a context, the French Ministry allowed the maturation of priority pro- resources with a concern for sus- for Foreign Affairs mandated IOWater jects, especially a strategic "Energy" tainable development with the to provide strategic support to the project consistent with the WAPP reduction of CO2 emissions; Organization for the Development of (West African Power Pool). G Cost price of the energy quite the Gambia River (OMVG). lower than the alternative thermal solutions; 11 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 12
Africa Niger Basin Authority - NBA 2003-2008: Example of the SDAP From the first Audit Approved in 2008, the Sustainable cultural production, hydropower, the Development Action Plan (SDAP) sharing of the benefits obtained from to the "Shared Vision" and its Investment Program are now in water, etc. A territorial, transnational In 2003, the World Bank and the (Water Facility) to implement a pro- effect. approach, based on "development Niger Basin Authority (NBA) had ject entitled "Formulation and Develop- The Niger River Basin is home to over zones", allowed looking beyond the called upon the International Office for ment of an Investment Program". 100 million people and 180 million administrative boundaries of the States. Water (IOWater) to carry out an Audit NBA, with IOWater’s support, espe- expected by 2025: the main challenges aiming at proposing necessary institu- cially dealt with the following topics: for the future consist in sharing water Close working relations between NBA tional and organizational reforms. resources in an equitable manner and partners nurtured a real sense of I Drafting a Water Charter; The various meetings of the NBA bo- preserving aquatic ecosystems. belonging to the shared approach in a I dies then confirmed the will of the nine The necessary consistency of the The NBA-approved approach con- very short time. The SDAP is now sup- Member States (Benin, Burkina Faso, SDAP with the national and sisted in determining the present and ported by several international donors Cameroon, Chad, Ivory Coast, Guinea, regional processes of Integrated future water demands for drinking water who pledged more than 900 MEuros Mali, Niger, Nigeria) to make this Water Resources Management; supplies, irrigation, livestock breeding for the first five years of implementa- organization a tool for regional coope- I Preparation of the investment pro- and hydropower production. A hydrau- tion of the Investment Program. Inno- ration and economic development. gram, including project formula- lic water resource allocation model was vative in its transboundary manage- ment-directed demand-prioritizing Thus, it was asked that a "clear and tion and implementation methods. used to test several river basin deve- choices and development zones, this shared Vision" of the NBA be deve- This work accompanied the last stages lopment scenarios contemplated by the Niger River countries (the impact of approach allowed raising the deci- loped with the support of the World of the Shared Vision process: building certain large dams). Decision sional framework and the development Bank and other development partners, N Formulation of the SDAP and supporting tools were created to calcu- options to river basin level. to create an "enabling environment" for Development of the Investment late economic and environmental data BRL Ingénierie cooperation and to draw up a "Sus- Program and Projects over from the hydraulic calculations: agri- [email protected] tainable Development Action Plan 20 years; (SDAP)" accepted by all the basin N Summit of the Heads of State; A Model for the Niger River Basin stakeholders. N Roundtable of the donors in June Management A fundamental asset of the process is 2008, in which a total amount of In the past 3 decades, the Niger Basin the trend of climate change. The model the Declaration of Paris on "The prin- 5.5 billion euros was presented, was affected by series of extreme application allows creating coherence ciples of management and good gover- covering the four next five-year hydrological events causing low flows, between the identified hydraulic pro- nance for sustainable and shared deve- plans. lopment of the Niger Basin" signed in droughts and floods: for example, in jects, in terms of storage or diversion The Niger Basin Authority has now to April 2004 by the nine Basin’s Heads of June 1984, the river Niger was com- structures, or in terms of environmental "act" to invoke in the future practical States and Governments. pletely dry in Niamey for the first time constraints. and lasting outcomes for the Countries, in history. This phenomenon was The model was finally adapted for the Within this "shared Vision" process, the the users, the citizens of the basin. almost repeated during the 2002/03 operation of reservoirs and to the irri- Niger Basin Authority received sub- It is, in any case, the ambitious but hydrological year. gation objectives for downstream sidies from the European Union necessary objective of this stage. The model constitutes for NBA a simu- schemes with a view to optimizing lation and decision supporting tool for energy production and managing future the management of water resources and scarcity and to allow for real-time th The 8 Summit of Heads of States and Governments water requirements in the Niger Basin. adaptation of releases, considering the Niamey - April 2008 The use of the model served first of all current hydrological situation. Finally, to provide the hydraulic background the model is used for anticipating required for the development of the emergencies and deficits, managing Sustainable Development Action hydraulic structures, within manage- Plan (SDAP). ment commissions in particular, in The calibration was made over the scarcity situations for preventing con- period 1966-1989 for which there are flicts among the stakeholders.
sufficient data available; this period is Abdoulaye DOUMBIA also considered to be representative of Niger Basin Information System - NBA the various hydraulic patterns (wet, [email protected] average, dry, and very dry years) and www.abn.ne
12 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 13
Africa Governance of African transboundary basins How to stop "country" logic? The call from Professor Hippopotamus in the Niger River Basin the Heads of States and Govern- But the students have been requested To be clear, Professor Hippopotamus ments, met in Niamey for the to further study an essential matter: the says that the action plan cannot be a adoption of the investment plan choice of the development scenario. superposition of national projects and the priority actions to under- because basin development is to disre- Indeed, Professor Hippopotamus take from 2008 to 2012. gard borders. thinks that the development scenario On this occasion, the "famous retained by the States at the end of the He requests that the basin needs are professor Hippopotamus", des- studies made for formulating the sus- jointly assessed as regards energy and cendant of a dynasty of "wise tainable development action plan for food security, etc., and to implement men" and founder of the "school the basin has negative impacts and no investments where they will be most on the life of the Niger river", compensation guarantee is given for judicious in terms of production and asked, on behalf of the citizens, to the moment to the populations who will benefits for the greatest number and the International Secretariat for be affected. with the least damage. In 2002, the riparian States of the Niger Water, to make public its appreciation Also, he requested efforts as regards Will Professor Hippopotamus be and its tributaries agreed about an of the result of the work made by the transparency in impact studies on heard? active dialogue for the formulation of a students of its "special class" … infrastructures, international coopera- sustainable development action plan Future will tell. for the basin together with an invest- Good marks were obtained by this tion between financial donors and in ment plan: the "Shared Vision" process "special class" in several subject mat- the development of a participative ters, such as political good-will and process involving all the partners, par- Raymond Jost had thus started. Representative of Professor Hippopotamus financial support, the institutional ticularly those which associate the [email protected] In April 2008, after nearly six years of reform of the NBA or theoretical and inhabitants of rural and peri-urban www.i-s-w.org/prof_hippo/index.html dialogue, studies and mobilization of practical planning. areas and of small cities. the financial partners, the Summit of Nigeria Towards Sustainable Water Resources Management in the Lake Chad Basin The Hadejia-Jama’are Komadugu-Yobe were made by various individuals, improving sustainable water resources establishment of a Trust Fund which is Basin (HJKYB) drains a catchment of groups, organizations and institutions: management in the HJKYB. intended to provide a sustainable fun- approximately 84,000 km2 in northeast the Hadejia-Jama’are-Komadugu- A Basin Management Plan was develo- ding mechanism for undertaking the Nigeria before discharging into Lake Yobe Basin Coordinating Committee ped and endorsed by the stakeholders. activities of the basin management Chad. The basin is shared by six nor- was created for coordinating the water plan. Finally the Summit of Governors of the thern States, (Kano, Jigawa, Plateau, resources development and manage- HJKYB convened in June 2006 to solve M. Zaji BUNU Bauchi, Yobe and Borno states). ment activities. the problems affecting the basin as Director General Over 15 million people are supported Various stakeholder meetings, work- Yobe Islamic Centre, Damaturu, Yobe State outlined in the Basin Management [email protected] by the basin through agriculture, shops, consultations, awareness cam- Plan. It led to the signing of a Memo- fishing and livestock keeping. paigns, studies have been taking place randum of Understanding and to the In the Hadejia river system, the runoff to increase the stakeholders’ pattern has been modified by the cons- awareness about the problems truction of the Tiga and Challawa dams, of the basin, especially the the Kano Irrigation Scheme and by the National Workshops held in Hadejia valley irrigation project. 2004 and 2006 in Kaduna and in 2005 in Kano. In 1998, studies, carried out by IUCN in the Hadejia-Nguru Wetlands Conserva- State IWRM Committees tion Project, indicated that the esti- (SIWRMC) and a local council mated demand for surface water in the representing all wetland com- Hadejia river system exceeds available munities have been conceived supply by 2.6 times. for policy influencing, advocacy, communication and awareness To support sustainable water resources raising, preparing work plans management within the Nigerian sector and providing platforms for of the Lake Chad Basin, various efforts
13 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 14
Africa Senegal OMVS Reservoirs: A means for fighting against poverty in the Sahel A participative process
A reservoir in the Sahel for formulating the SDAGE The Organization for the Develop- This consultation on the SDAGE will ment of the Senegal River has also be an opportunity for the Basin started the formulation of a Master Committee, body planned within the Plan for Water Development and institutional reform of OMVS, to base Management (SDAGE). its legitimacy on a process essential for the future of the basin. This project fits in with the ongoing institutional reform of OMVS. It is a The final objective of the process is for strong action, insofar as the SDAGE OMVS to have a consistent SDAGE, will be a common reference for joint guaranteeing suitable implementation action of all the water stakeholders of of the actions and investments neces- the basin, meeting equitably the needs sary for the sustainable development of Water control is for NEPAD the first Thus the first research carried out for human activities while respecting the Senegal River Basin. pillar of its Comprehensive Africa allowed identifying 5,000 potential the natural environments. Agriculture Development Program sites including 200 already developed. This OMVS project, ambitious and (CAADP), especially for the very vul- Several reservoirs of different sizes and The SDAGE will reflect the identities, innovative in size and methodology, is nerable Sahelian States due to the rain- uses are built on the entire territory and consensuses and ambitions in the financed by the French Development fall irregularity and severe drought in most areas without perennial rivers. Senegal River Basin. Agency (AFD), with an amount of 2 million Euros. encountered in the previous decades. They allow agricultural diversification Indeed, OMVS wishes to associate, at 3 But in the Sahel, billions m are lost and intensification, the development all the development stages of the Mohamed S. MERZOUG each year through runoff during rainfall of off-season mixed-farming, the SDAGE, all the interested parties in the Tamsir NDIAYE for lack of storage basins. improvement of biodiversity, fish- basin development: the civil society, OMVS With regard to these problems and an- farming, anchoring rural young people users, various user groups, local [email protected] [email protected] xious to implement a sustainable poli- on their respective lands. authorities, private sector, institutions, Martin Parent cy for improving the ecosystems and The promising results recorded since etc. Gilles Chausse living conditions of the populations, 2002 have raised a strong demand At this stage, an information process is AFD the President of the Republic of Sene- from the populations. The implementa- planned, then a wide consultation on [email protected] gal initiated, in May 2000, an important tion of this program showed that the the basin characterization to define the [email protected] "national program for reservoirs reservoirs are small developments for priorities for elaborating the SDAGE www.omvs.org and artificial lakes" for the mobiliza- great purposes. They are technically and its investment plan. Then, a "con- tion and reclamation of runoff waters. and socially viable on Sahelian lands sultation of adhesion" phase could www.afd.fr This program concerns all the Sene- and economically profitable. complete the process. galese villages having sites potentially Seck NDONG President of the International Network A participative process suitable and favorable for agro-sylvo- of Development Stakeholders (RIAD) at various stages pastoral activities. [email protected] A specific methodology will be thus developed. Indeed this means going beyond the only system of validation workshops and having a proactive step for "seeking the populations". INVITATION Thorough work will be undertaken 5 Topical Sessions 3.1: regarding the objectives, geographic 20 March 2009 - 8:30 - 19:00 zones, populations and target groups of 21 March 2009 - 8:30 - 13:00 stakeholders, the identification and training of the relay actors, the commu- "Basin Management nication supports, the types of local and Transboundary Cooperation" actions, etc. Sutluce A - Kagithane Hall - Istanbul
14 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 15
North America Canada Integrated Basin Management and the Province of Ontario’s Conservation Authorities Conservation Ontario is the um- Conservation Authorities, created in that balance human, environmental and I Strives for continuous improve- brella organization that represents 1946 by an Act of the Provincial Legis- economic needs. ment through the use of adaptive Canada’s Province of Ontario's lature, are mandated to ensure the con- The scope of integrated basin manage- environmental management; 36 Conservation Authorities, which servation, restoration and responsible ment has evolved considerably since I Is using boundaries that are eco- are local basin management management of Ontario's water, land the 1950’s when the process was, for logical; agencies. and natural habitats through programs the most part, single issue-based e.g. I Uses a broad spectrum of tools flood management. including regulation, the land use Integrated Watershed Management Today, integrated basin mana- planning process, best manage- gement includes consideration ment practices, incentives, educa- of surface water, groundwater, tion, and volunteer actions.
and natural infrastructure (terres- Don Pearson trial habitats, wetlands, wood- Conservation Ontario lots) and stream morphology. [email protected] Integrated basin management: www.conservationontario.ca I Is built on the concept of shared responsibility for environmental protection; I Shares implementation of plans across jurisdictional agencies;
A new Quebec Water Policy
The Quebec Water Policy (QWP), The objective is to implement a proce- Since 2003, the government will have Madeleine Paulin adopted in November 2002, addresses dure to coordinate all efforts efficiently invested a sum over C$20 M from the Sub-Minister Ministère du Développement Durable, the reform of water governance and the as they strive to protect, restore or recurrent budgets (human and financial de l'Environnement et des Parcs implementation of basin-based mana- develop the basin by eliminating resources) to support the implementa- [email protected] gement by regrouping all the stake- overlapping, maximizing benefits, tion and development of integrated www.mddep.gouv.qc.ca holders. taking into account the cumulative basin-based management. Thus, basin organizations were created impacts of each action, and for 33 major watercourses. These managing possible or exis- The Saint-Maurice River organizations are supported financially ting user conflicts. and technically by the "Ministère du The main mandate of the Développement durable, de l'Environ- basin organization is to nement et des Parcs". establish a Master Plan Their mission is to organize an inte- for Water (MPW) by grated basin-based management in informing and having the their respective basins, based on public participate in its concerted efforts by local and regional implementation. In Novem- stakeholders, on the coordination of ber 2008, nine MPWs were actions that could have an impact on officially tabled with the water and the associated ecosys- Ministry for government tems and on the participation of the approval; five of those have population. been officially approved.
15 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 16
Latin America
General Assembly of the Latin-American and Brazilian Networks of Basin Organizations Rio de Janeiro - Brazil – 10-14 November 2008
The National Forum of Brazilian Basin Committees More than 2,000 representatives, Countries. It approved a reform of coming from all the Brazilian regions, LANBO Statutes and elected the new participated in this exceptional event. Executive Committee of the Network. The 3rd General Assembly of the Mr. Edgar Bejarano-Méndez, Director Latin-American Network of Basin General of the "Regional Autonomous Organizations (LANBO) also took Corporation of Cundinamarca" of place on 11 and 12 November 2008, Bogota in Colombia was elected gathering the representatives of the LANBO President for the 2 coming main Basin Organizations of Central years. and South America, of the Govern- The Intermunicipal Consortium of the ments developing basin policies and Piracicaba, Capivari and Jundaí River Rio de Janeiro hosted the National tees, created within the Law on Water of the regional Organizations con- Basins - São Paulo State - Brazil, will Forum of Brazilian Basin Commit- Resources of 1997. To date, about 130 cerned. tees from 10 to 14 November 2008. Basin Committees have been created take care of LANBO Technical in Brazil, either related to the federal A strong Spanish delegation, led by Secretariat, with the support of ANA. Every two years, this event gathers all Mr. Teodoro Estrela, Deputy Director rivers or to the rivers under the sole The next General Assembly of the the Members of the Basin Commit- at the Water Ministry, also took part in responsibility of the Federal States. Network will take place in Colombia in the work. 2010. Participants in LANBO General Assembly Work was chaired by Mr. Oscar Cordeiro Netto, Director of the www.ana.gov.br/relob National Water Agency of Brazil (ANA) and by Mr. Jean-François Donzier, Permanent Technical Secre- tary of the International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO). The Assembly discussed ongoing
experiments and developments of RELOC basin policies in the represented
ECLAC
Integrated sustainable water resources It is possible to relate these factors to I To provide the public with accu- I To respect the customary uses and management is dependent, inter alia, some specific regulatory requirements: rate, precise, transparent and rights of indigenous populations. on efficiency and equity: inefficient I timely information; Not to undertake public projects Andrei S. Jouravlev management has negative effects on without carefully evaluating the I To ensure the ecological sustai- Economic Commission for Latin America equity (especially considering under- economic, social and environ- nability of water supply sources; and the Caribbean (ECLAC) privileged groups), as it limits benefits [email protected] mental repercussions; I To reserve minimum or ecological and transfers costs and externalities. www.cepal.org I Not to finance public projects with flows for environmental protection; a negative rate of return or grant I To prevent water resources from generalized subsidies, unless this being monopolized by special is justified by unquestionable eco- interests; nomic, social and environmental I To ensure that the basic needs of considerations; underprivileged populations are satisfied; Nations Unies CEPAL
16 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 17
Latin America Ecuador
A River Basin approach FONAG: as a tool for citizen participation a fund for water protection With the new Constitution of Ecuador, river basin management: thus the crea- Quito, the Capital of Ecuador approved by referendum on 28 Sep- tion with Peru of a Binational Autho- tember 2008, the importance of water rity for the Zarumilla Basin, which resources has finally been recognized will have to solve common problems through the creation of the Ministry of related with extreme climatic events, Water (Secretaría Nacional del lack of water resources and environ- Agua -SENAGUA). Through this deci- mental degradation of this river basin. sion, the Government hopes to solve The Ministry of Water is also proposing the main problems of this sector. a South American agenda for the con- servation and sustainable management Some of the main guidelines of the of water, as well as the creation of an National Plan for Water, currently International Center of Hydrological elaborated by SENAGUA, are the inte- Information "from the Andes to the gral and decentralized water manage- Amazon". ment at river basin level; public parti- "Water cannot be spoken about mental actions, such as the rehabilita- cipation; dissemination of a new water Ing. Nathalie Weemaels without referring to river basins…" tion of woodlands, environmental edu- culture and the true application of the Social Communication Department cation, communication, follow-up and Ministry of Water (SENAGUA) The Metropolitan Area of Quito (DMQ), human rights to water. monitoring of the protected sectors and [email protected] capital of Ecuador, has an environmental training. The creation of basin organizations and www.senagua.gov.ec fund, the Fund for Water Protection councils will foster the organization of (FONAG), for the protection, rehabilita- This new strategy for water manage- all the users, as actors directly respon- tion and conservation of river basins. ment, which establishes a financial mechanism, is a way of making the sible, for water to really be for every- The water users, living in the DMQ, are citizens accountable to protect the body and for solving existing and latent requested to reinforce the Fund by resource, to rationalize its consumption conflicts. paying a tax levied by the drinking and its use. As water does not stop at the border, water supply, sanitation and electric Ecuador is paying special attention to power utilities. This patrimonial fund is Nancy Puente Coordinator of Social Communication cross-border cooperation to improve governed by the Market Law; it is made FONAG up for 80 years and invests in environ- [email protected] Costa Rica Water resources conservation in the Rio Cocoa sub-basin in Atenas
The Agro-ecological Association for Financial support from the GEF/UNDP The project started in January 2008, Analive Espinoza the protection of the Rio Cacao sub- Program for Aquifer Recharge allows "pupils’ incubators" were created in two Environmental Adviser APROSUCUENCA basin (APROSUCUENCA) gathers the implementation of two main com- schools of the community and about [email protected] Associations Administrators of Rural ponents of the project: 1,000 trees were planted in the neigh- Water Supply (ASADAs), the associa- G The protection of springs, borhoods of the springs. tion of the handicraft women of San by the reforestation of aquifer A workshop was organized to motivate Isidro, municipal associations and the recharge zones; the ASADAs to introduce a tax in the citizens interested in the conservation G An Environmental Education domestic water bills to create a revol- of natural resources. Program, including educational ving fund for the purchase of lands in The Association’s area for action workshops and round tables, using the aquifer recharge zone. includes the upper section of the sub- teaching equipments, which mainly basin, located in the Biological Corridor aims at changing practices and of Aguacate Mountains, important zone habits in water use and mana- for the recharge of aquifers, with 92 gement, and fostering the consoli- referred springs managed by seven dation of groups of "guardians of ASADAs, which supply about 40% of natural resources". the population of Atenas.
17 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 18
Latin America Brazil Itaipu Binacional
"Cultivando Água Boa" Towards transboundary cooperation The "Cultivando Água Boa" program adopted a management model based In the logic of the "Cultivando Água I disseminating and exchanging includes 21 projects and 64 actions on: Boa" program, Itaipu Binacional started information between the three being carried out in the area of G the adoption of procedures in con- a process aiming at creating an inter- countries; influence of Itaipu hydropower station formity with the NBR ISO 14001 national organization for preser- I promoting activities of the techni- in the Paraná River Basin, on a surface standard, without however aiming ving the Plata Basin, shared by five cal section of transboundary water 2 area of about 8,000 km and in at certification; South American countries: Brazil, resources management in the 29 Municipalities in the western part of Paraguay, Bolivia, Argentina and Brazilian National Council of Water Paraná State, in Brazil, where more than G the organization and dissemination Uruguay, and comprising the four main Resources; of information; one million inhabitants live. sub-basins of the Paraná, Iguaçu, I discussing concepts and legal and The "Cultivando Água Boa" program G a participative management for the Paraguay and Uruguay rivers. institutional instruments for trans- joint development of solutions boundary water resources mana- is based on partnerships for the imple- In June 2007, the 1st Trinational Mee- applicable to the difficulties en- gement; mentation of joint actions by Itaipu ting for the Management of Border and countered by the various partners; I Binacional and federal institutions, Cross-Border Waters was held in Foz identifying opportunities for tech- State institutions, municipalities and G a program-based management do Iguaçu and gathered the representa- nical assistance between the insti- the whole Brazilian civil society. aiming at ensuring the organiza- tives of governmental agencies of tutions of the participating tion, the structuring and the har- Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina, with the countries. For everybody’s participation to be Juvêncio Mazzarollo, monization of the projects. aim of: effective and for the project to be tech- Itaipu Binacional nically feasible, the program has [email protected] www.itaipu.gov.br
Environmental Flows Training in Latin America "Environmental flows" is the practice of from 11-15 February 2008, on "Envi- The workshop was organized by the used to explore different methods for ensuring that the amount of water in ronmental flows" or "Reserved Flow IUCN Water Program, in partnership making environmental flow assess- rivers, that are regulated by dams, Regimes", in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil. with the IW:LEARN project of the ments. Participants also developed meets the needs of both ecosystems Global Environment Facility (GEF) and negotiation scenarios for river basins, There can be few more appropriate and people who depend on those The Nature Conservancy (TNC). It was as a means of understanding how legal locations for such an event than ecosystems. hosted by the dam operating Company, and institutional reform, and economic Iguaçu, adjacent to the Itaipú dam, the Itaipu Binacional, and the Itaipu Tech- and social trade-offs, play vital roles in More than 30 people from the Latin world’s largest hydropower plant. nology Park. environmental flows. American and Caribbean region took part in a regional learning workshop, You have to have some understanding The participants developed action of how ecosystems respond to plans for taking practical steps towards changes in river flows. For example, wider application of environmental you have to be able to decide what sort flows in the region. of flow regime is needed to make sure The participants are planning to colla- that fish catch in a wetland downstream borate through www.eflownet.org, of a dam is maintained. Environmental the website of the Global Environmen- flows for a river might therefore seem tal Flows Network. to be a problem for hydrologists or ecologists to solve but it also involves Claire Warmenbol IUCN - The International Union economics, law and the participation of for Conservation of Nature communities. [email protected] The workshop was designed to allow www.iucn.org/water participants to use these disciplines in practice. Case stories from Latin Ame- Participants in the workshop rica and other regions of the world were
18 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 19
Latin America Brazil Rehabilitation of Araruama Lagoon
The Araruama Lagoon, the biggest A Consortium, created in 2000, inte- The Consortium fought for the modifi- Luiz Firmino M. Pereira lagoon of Brazil, has been polluted for grating city halls, State services, cation of the Concession contract of Lagos São João Consortium Executive Secretary of REBOB years by discharged sewer water. private companies and NGOs, started the water and sanitation service in the (Brazilian Network of Basin Organizations) two actions: the interruption of the Region, which did not plan for short At the end of 1990’s, it started to pre- [email protected] sewer discharges into the Lagoon, and term investments in a sanitation sys- [email protected] sent eutrophication characteristics. the dredging for water renewal. tem: after a long discussion process, www.lagossaojoao.org.br a system of collection and treatment of sewer waters started being im- The Araruama Lagoon planted. The system was at first planned to col- lect the waters discharged into the Lagoon by the drainage systems: after two years, it was possible to see the recovery of the Lagoon. All the stakeholders decided to sign an agreement for a gradual increase of the water price as the system would be finished in 20 years, end of the con- cession. This work is a practical demonstration of social mobilization and integrated solutions in sanitation services.
Río Pardo Basin Committee: Management of the Guaraní Aquifer System in Ribeirão Preto The municipality of Ribeirão Preto is water abstraction is possible without entirely supplied by water from the preliminary information of the proper Guarani Aquifer System (GAS): the authorities. water demand has a strong pressure
on the availability of the resource and Carlos Eduardo Nascimento Alencastre caused, with the passing of years, an Pardo Basin Committee - CBH Pardo anarchistic multiplication of bore- [email protected]
holes, which led to a progressive Maurício Moreira dos Santos reduction in the piezometric levels, Project for Environmental Protection mainly in the central area of the city. and Sustainable Development of Guaraní Aquifer [email protected] Faced with such a situation, the Río www.sg-guarani.org Pardo Basin Committee approved, on 9 June 2006, a deliberation which limits uncontrolled borehole drillings. Since the application of the resolution Resolution which defines the restriction and con- on the control trol zones for intakes in Ribeirao Preto, of abstractions a new process for managing the use of in Ribeirao Preto urban area groundwater was set up. Currently, no
19 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 20
Latin America Brazil Master Plans for the Rio Manuel Alves and Rio Palma Basins This water percolates towards the Bam- system to implement the Master Plans: buí karstic system downstream, and Basin Committees, Water Agencies gives rise to resurgences at the foot of and Inter-Municipal Associations, the Serra Geral in wetlands called which are best suited to the local con- Veredas. text and constraints. But this system is fragile. To protect the In the Rio Manuel Alves and Rio Palma resurgence areas it is necessary to basins, taxes paid by the water users create a Natural Reserve, combining would contribute to the sustainability of water resources management and these new bodies. regional planning. But the most dynamic economic acti- Vereda and Burutis palm trees The repeated droughts, which occur in vity of the area, the hydropower sector, in the upper Rio Palma Basin the area, are not caused by the lack of is also the most difficult to mobilize, as In the Tocantins State, in the middle of International Office for Water - worked water resources, but by the lack of in Brazil, the hydropower plants with the Brazilian Cerrado, the Master Plans with the technical departments of the infrastructures and organization of power lower than 30MW are, for the for the Rio Manuel Alves and Rio Palma Tocantins State in charge of the Environ- human activities according to these moment, exonerated from financial Basins are impatiently awaited by the ment and Water Resources (SRHMA) to resources. compensations. Many Basin Commit- tees throughout the country want to populations. propose these two Master Plans. The Master Plans propose Action Plans change this situation. The Cerrado hosts more than 6,000 spe- The studies revealed how the Urucuia- to counteract, and could be imple- cies of trees and 800 species of birds. It Bambui hydrogeological system ope- mented by the Tocantins State Govern- Belizario Franco Neto ment and by the municipalities of the Director of Water Resources is thus a priority zone for the conserva- rates and guarantees the outstanding Secretariat for Water Resources area. tion of the Earth biodiversity. water resources of the area. Under the and the Environment huge Serra Geral tableland, the Urucuia In 2007 and 2008, thanks to a financial One of the main stakes for the future of www.recursoshidricos.to.gov.br aquifer extends over several Brazilian support from the World Bank, the Con- the region will be the capacity of the States and allows the infiltration and sortium - made up by the Brazilian con- local stakeholders to set up a decen- storage of huge quantities of water. sulting firm Gama Engenharia and the tralized and participative management Chile Water Offices: A public/private initiative for IWRM
The Directorate-General for Water The DGA and regional Governments It is one of the first stages towards the holders and were not approved by the (DGA) of the Ministry of Public commissioned many studies to know establishment of Basin Committees in Congress, these new projects are a Works (MOP), with the support of the hydrological situation of surface Chile. great progress. the "Chile" Foundation, has fos- and ground waters and glaciers, main There is also a public/private initiative These "Water Offices" take into account tered for three years the creation source of water supplies. in the Cachapoal and Tinguiririca Basin, the interests of the governmental of "Water Offices" mainly in Nor- in Southern Chile, to improve water organizations at local, regional and thern Chile. quality: in 2005, the members of the national level and private interests. Environmental Office project, called At the national level, a "National Stra- "Clean Water for Colchagua", signed tegy for Integrated Basin Management", a voluntary agreement to protect water coordinated by CONAMA and proposed quality in the Tinguiririca River, with the by the Presidency, will allow for an support of the National Commission for enabling environment. the Environment (CONAMA). Axel C. Dourojeanni As the preceding efforts, focusing on IWRM Project Manager the creation of Basin Corporations and Chile Fondation in particular of a "Basin Corporation" [email protected] for the Bio Bio River, did not succeed The Huasco River in Northern Chile for lack of support from the local stake-
20 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 21
Latin America Mexico Reform of the Basin Councils This improvement also implies a new tion platform and means to per- MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE President and Technical Secretary organization to facilitate the operation form their duties; 7 REPRESENTATIVES OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT of the Basin Councils. G SEMARNAT, SHCP, SEDESOL, Energy, REPRESENTATIVES OF USERS An active involvement of all the AND THE CIVIL SOCIETY Economy, Health and SAGARPA Development prospects stakeholders and the public is Representatives for each water use: Users’ REPRESENTATIVES OF STATE agricultural, domestic, aquiculture, industry, General necessary, in order to have a true GOVERNMENTS animal husbandry, urban or services Assembly It is necessary to strengthen the role Governors of the States Representatives for each sector: of the Basin Councils in water mana- impact on the decision-making REPRESENTATIVES OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTS equity, by kind, native people, process, from the initial phases of Presidents of Municipalities environnementalists or ecologists gement for them to be able to in- or foresters for each federative entity fluence public policies. identifying the problems onwards. The Basin Councils should have a real Commission for Operation and A first requirement is to increase the Follow-up of the Basin Council Basin Committees Technical Subsoil impact in the basin and on its natural (current GSE) participation of the civil society in the Basin Commissions and and Groundwater Clean Beaches Committees resources. Committees (COTAS) Basin Councils. Operational Directorate It is necessary that the Committees of Alejandro Pérez Enríquez National Water Commission State or Regional Users’ Committees for each use the Basin Councils are forums guaran- [email protected] teeing an organized, active and effec- www.consejosdecuenca.org.mx The Basin Councils are defined by the pal departments and the representa- tive participation of the society: Law on National Waters as being the tives of the water users and the civil G They must be highly representative authorities for coordination and dia- society. of all the stakeholders and inte- logue, support and advice, between the Currently, the Basin Councils are being rested groups; National Water Commission, the River reorganized, with the integration of G The process must guarantee an Basin Organization of the area con- representatives of the federal institu- equal participation of the various CONAGUA cerned, the federal, state and munici- tions, municipalities and the citizens. parties, with a common informa- For an alternative management model in the State of Chiapas Due to the natural disasters that Chia- I Phase 3: Formulation of the pro- G Training programs, to allow pro- G Selection of pilot basins, to ini- pas encounters, the Government and posal for an alternative model for ducing while preserving and tiate demonstration projects in the the civil society initiated a project for integrated and sustainable basin reducing vulnerability to natural short term, to organize the stake- the development and conservation of management. disasters. holders and to introduce a stage- natural resources at river basin level. based working method: This model aims at reorientating public G A team of experts to promote a) diagnosis and situation; A study identified the main obstacles: management, passing from the usual participative processes in the b) planning; lack of effective integration of the insti- sectoral and centralized vision to an field, to diagnose problems, their c) implementation of actions; tutions, discontinuity of actions for effort of coherence between the poli- causes and their effects, to plan d) monitoring and evaluation. years, disregard of the integrated basin cies and the investments of the various integrated basin management, to management concept and little use of public and private stakeholders in the identify the local available López B. W., López M. J., Villar S. B. the existing legal framework. basins. It includes: resources and to follow up the ini- National Institute of Forest and Agricultural Research tiated actions. This study proceeded in 3 phases: G The "FOCUENCAS" Fund, to in- [email protected] tegrate into a sole financial instru- I Phase 1: Diagnosis, which con- ment the financing from the va- The Montebello Lagoon in the Chiapas State sisted in collecting information on rious stakeholders involved in the experiments made in basin basin management. management, an analysis of the existing legislations in the States G A "Collegial Group", which will and at the federal level. be the authority administrating the fund. I Phase 2: Organization of a parti- G A scientific and technological cipative workshop to validate the support network, which will information resulting from the function as technical support to diagnosis and to determine the the decisions of the "Collegial bases of an alternative manage- Group" and will create an informa- ment model. tion bank for sharing experience.
21 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 22
Asia Mekong River Commission (MRC)
Adopting an IWRM approach, the Ten programs of the MRC are on going interventions, a tool that Mekong River Commission (MRC) is with financial support from twenty consolidates mutual trust currently implementing its 2nd Strategic bilateral and regional donors or inter- among member countries. Plan 2006-2010 of which the overall national institutions and member In September 2008, MRC goal is "to support Member States for countries’ contribution: the Basin organized the first ever more effective use of the Mekong’s water Development Plan and Flood Manage- Regional Multi-Stakehol- and related resources to alleviate poverty ment and Mitigation Program, the der Consultation on the while protecting the environment". Water Utilization, Fisheries, Environ- Mekong Hydropower Pro- mental Protection, Agriculture, Irriga- Its strategic goals are: gram. Since the regional tion and Forestry, Hydropower and demand for energy is ra- G to promote and support coordi- Navigation Programs as well as the pidly increasing and a nated, sustainable and pro-poor Information and Knowledge Manage- broad range of developers development; ment and Integrated Capacity Building are investigating about ten G to enhance regional cooperation; Programs. mainstream hydropower Its partners are continuing supporting dams in Laos, Cambodia G to strengthen basin-wide environ- MRC which signed for USD 20 million and Thailand, the role of MRC is high- Jeremy Bird mental monitoring and impact Executive Secretary worth of funding agreements. lighted in terms of coordination and assessment; Mekong River Commission Secretariat A Decision Support Framework (DSF) support to member countries in techni- [email protected] G to strengthen the IWRM capacity has been set up as an analytical tool for cal planning, procedural application, www.mrcmekong.org and knowledge base of line agen- assessing the magnitude of changes environmental assessment and others. cies. and impacts caused by man-made
IUCN India Payments for Ecosystem A STAKEHOLDERS’ FORUM FOR THE BHAVANI RIVER BASIN Services An action research was undertaken These issues were discussed in a Are Payments for Ecosystem cases from Vietnam: application of in Bhavani basin, tributary of river meeting of stakeholders (farmers, Services (PES) a viable way of user fees in parks or Marine Protected Cauvery, in Tamilnadu in South India. NGOs, different Government depart- financing management of river Areas, payments by hydropower com- ments, industrialists, social activists, The research revealed that the basin basins and coastal environ- panies to upstream land users to academicians) who have agreed to water management situation is preca- ments? What steps are needed to reduce erosion and implementation of organize a "forum" for dialogue as a rious due to uncoordinated actions by develop PES schemes? What lessons sea-use rights to address excessive platform for addressing the problems. many stakeholders. The situation is have been learned from attempts to use of marine resources, … all likely to worsen further as the demand Rajagopal. A develop PES in the real world? schemes requiring a pragmatic from the non-agricultural sector is SaciWATERs, Hyderabad approach, based on the building of [email protected] These are the questions examined at growing fast and water quality issues trust and sound monitoring. the IUCN-GEF / IW-Learn workshop become critical. held on April 3-5, 2008 in Hanoi, The report from the workshop and Vietnam. presentations can be found on IUCN Website. RAISING YOUTH TOWARDS WATER SHARING An increasing number of multilateral The Shabnam Resources Trust is a The school children were invited to development projects have ambitions James OLIVER IUCN - The International Union for Conservation charity which rescues orphans and write an essay on the subject matter in to develop mechanisms for sustai- of Nature children from broken home situations, Tamil or English. nable financing of natural resource [email protected] and provides for their education. management at the level of water- The first and runner from each school sheds and downstream marine www.iucn.org The school going children are the best was selected for the district level com- ecosystems. promoters of change to adults. petition. The workshop looked at a selection of The program aims at creating a better Each participant was given a certificate. case studies where PES schemes awareness on water sharing, river M. R. Hubert have been implemented in India, management, sustainable develop- Shabnam Resources Trust, Chennai (Madras) China, the Philippines and three ment, proper building of dams and [email protected] reservoirs.
22 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 23
Asia Vietnam A French-Vietnamese cooperation program in the field of water
A memorandum of cooperation was Integrated Water Resources Management signed in June 2007 by the French in the Dong Naï River Basin and Vietnamese Ministers in charge The quantitative and morphological The Dong Nai River of sustainable development. Three stakes are also very significant with the priority cooperation topics were Dau Tieng Reservoir upstream of the identified: Saigon River, which is the largest of the I Institutional assistance on inte- country. It is exploited for hydropower grated water resources mana- and is a reservoir for irrigation and the gement, supply of drinking water to Ho Chi Minh City. I Transfer of knowledge and technologies for the control of The water transfers out of the basin water management, towards dry coastal areas and low lands could also worsen the situation. I Training on water resources conservation. The institutional mechanisms for overall water management in the basin are still In 2008, the French partners coor- This 24-month project (2009- With the metropolis of Ho Chi Minh little developed in a context of strongly dinated by IOWater, developed with 2010) on integrated management City, the basin concentrates all the decentralized and sectoral management their Vietnamese colleagues the of the Dong Naï River Basin will be pressures on the water resource caused at the level of the 11 provinces located cooperation lines given at ministe- implemented by IOWater, Asconit by strong human activity with still in the basin. rial level into coordinated projects Consultants, SCE, and financed by poorly controlled impacts. Michel STEIN supported by various French the French Ministry of Economy, If industrial pollution seems the most French Loire-Brittany Water Agency donors. Finances and Employment, with an [email protected] visible, it is doubled by an agricultural amount of Euros 800,000, and the Two ambitious projects thus pollution coming in particular from the French Loire-Brittany and Seine- could be studied and submitted increasingly more intensive rice gro- Normandy Water Agencies with to the Vietnamese Authorities. wing and an important urban pollution. Euros 400,000. Flood risk management on the Saigon River The project for the A mission for the formalization of this The significance of work coordination protection against institutional component, which was and control on the basin scale was the floods of the carried out in June 2008, had the fol- underlined. The Dong Naï Basin Orga- Saigon River thus lowing main objectives: nization (DNRBO), created in 2002, not only plans the G collecting the opinion of the Viet- could be entrusted with this task. construction of pro- namese institutions concerned on tection works but the terms of reference of the project; also an institutional G analyzing the respective responsi- www.inbo-news.org support compo- bilities of the various organizations Floods in Ho Chi Minh City nent, which aims at able to control the work of this All information supporting the ba- is available In Vietnam, the vulnerability of the po- French institutional support; sin’s local authorities in their organiza- on the Web pulations and properties to floods G proposing a relevant institutional tional and strategic thinking about flood increases with more real estate pres- arrangement for its implementation; hazards. sures on flood plains. This situation is G making sure that this project is particularly critical in the Ho Chi Minh This 24-month project of the consistent with the various current City area, located downstream of the Ministry for Agriculture and Rural cooperation projects. Saigon River. Development is financed by the French Development Agency with Euros 350,000. www.inbo-news.org
23 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 24
Asia China European Union - China River Basin Management Program The objective of the EU-China River practitioners. The dialogue will facili- planning and on the protection and Invitation Basin Management Program tate research studies, exchange visits rehabilitation of vulnerable and 18 March 2009 (RBMP) is to support sustainable and training programs, that are inten- degraded watersheds in the mountai- 14:00 - 19:00 management and use of China’s water ded to assist China in further develop- nous areas along the water divide Side event resources that are compatible with ment of its policies, legislation and between the Yangtze and Pearl Rivers. EU - China - YRCC - INBO For River Basin socioeconomic development and implementation mechanisms for inte- YELLOW RIVER COMPONENT Managementi global warming. grated river basin management. Sutluce - Istanbul The Yellow River is among the most The RBMP began in January 2007 and YANGTZE RIVER COMPONENT heavily polluted watercourses in China. will run until January 2012. The Yangtze River is becoming the The RBMP interventions on the Yellow The program is structured in three source of water, food and energy far River therefore address integrated river components, each designed to deliver beyond the basin boundaries. The basin management policy, strategy and specific results: services that the ecosystems deliver action planning focused on pollution within the Basin are now at risk due to reduction in order to improve water EU-CHINA DIALOGUE PLATFORM pressures from rapid socioeconomic quality. This component aims to establish a development, hydropower, navigation RBMP platform for dialogue on integrated and inter-basin transfers. The RBMP [email protected] river basin and water resources mana- activities in the Yangtze Basin therefore www.euchinarivers.org gement between Chinese and Euro- focus on integration of environmental pean policy makers, researchers and and ecosystem concerns in river basin Yellow River Commission The total length of the river In history, river management was only is 5,464 km, with a catch- limited to flood control in the lower ment area of 795,000 km2. reaches. During the past half century, large-scale comprehensive manage- The lower channel, about ment was carried out and great 700 km long, hangs high achievements have been made in the above Huang-Huai-Hai construction of flood control projects, Plain and forms the famous harnessing of water and sediment loss, The Yellow River is the second Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu, Ningxia, "suspended river". optimal use of water resources and largest river in China; it is the Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Shaanxi, The annual average precipitation in the exploitation of hydropower resources. cradle of Chinese nation. Henan and Shandong, and empties whole basin is 452 mm, descending However, threat of flood disasters, itself into the Bohai Sea in Shangong It originates from Qinghai-Tibet from 1000 mm in the south-east to shortage of water resources and soil Province. Plateau, runs through nine provinces: 200 mm in the north-west, 70% of loss are still outstanding problems in which concentrates in flood period. the basin because of special natural conditions, social and economic envi- The Loess Plateau lying in the mid- ronment, therefore the Yellow River is dle part of the basin is subject to one of the most complex and hardest to severe soil erosion, which is the be controlled rivers in the world. main source of the Yellow River se- Yellow River Commission diment. The annual average sedi- [email protected] ment concentration is 35 kg/m3, annual sediment transportation www.yellowriver.gov.cn amounts to 1.6 billon tons, which is the largest in the world.
24 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 25
Asia
"For a Healthy Yangtze!" A new strategy for Water Resources Management The Yangtze River in the Yangtze River Basin
Changjiang (Yangtze) is the largest river Strategies on water resources mana- in China, its complex river system and gement in the future have thus been hydrological and geographical charac- put forward: teristics as well as social and economic G Water resources management development, made it very difficult for within a sustainable development water resources management. framework; Current Water Resources Management G Enhancing water laws and regula- relies on a water-use permits system, tions for river basin management; flood control and river channel mana- G Integrated management taking the gement, water resources protection, river basin as the unit for action; water and soil conservation and com- G prehensive water resources planning. Promoting urban water manage- ment; But problems in Water Resources G Management remain: consideration of Formulating an overall planning for joint water resources management. The Yangtze River Basin, with an area The adopted measures are composed integrate river basin management in of 1/5 of the nation’s territory, is home of strengthening integrated river basin laws is weak, the administrative status Efforts should also be made to build to 1/3 of the nation’s population and management, building a legal system of CWRC is not clearly defined, water a water-saving society, and non- contributes 1/3 of the nation’s GDP, and law enforcement, improving the resources management has been frag- construction measures on river basin 36.5% of China’s water resources, investment system, formulating a river mented and a concerted and unified management should be strengthened 48% of China’s exploitable hydro- basin master plan and promoting pu- management system is lacking, eco- and enhanced. power potential and 52.5% of China’s blic participation. nomic instruments have not been fully Gangyan Zhou total mileage of inland navigation applied in water resources manage- Deputy Director Organized by central ministries, the waterways. ment and a marketing mechanism in Yangtze Water Resources Commission (CWRC) riparian provinces, autonomous the water sector has not yet taken [email protected] However, the Yangtze is faced with a regions and municipalities and inter- shape. www.cjw.gov.cn lot of challenges, such as floods and national organizations, as a platform of water logging disasters, increasing dialogue for stakeholders, the 1st and water demands, water pollution, 2nd Yangtze Forums were held in disordered development which has Wuhan and Changsha in 2005 and led to environmental degradation with 2007 respectively. lake shrinking, decrease of wetlands, The Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River The "Yangtze Declaration on Protec- salt-water intrusion and over-extrac- tion and Development" and "Guiding tion of groundwater and deteriorating Principles for Dongting Lake Protec- tendency of water and soil resources tion-Changsha Declaration" were in the period of fast social and econo- taken as the crucial outcomes of the mic development in China. Forums. In order to address these challenges
and coordinate the basin development Dr. Yang, Guowei and protection, the Yangtze River Yangtze River Water Resources Commission Water Resources Commission (CWRC) [email protected] (CWRC) put forward a new thought to better manage the Yangtze, i.e. "to www.cjw.gov.cn ensure a healthy Yangtze and promote harmony between human beings and water".
25 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 26
Central Asia UNDP/GEF Management of Small Transboundary Rivers Stakeholder Input in the Ferghana Valley for Transboundary IWRM
The Kura Aras River
Stakeholder Advisory Group The regional NGO Forum brought together civil society organizations from Armenia, Azerbai- Ferghana Valley is shared by three Branch of the International Water Mana- jan, Georgia and Iran to Central-Asian States: Kyrgyzstan, gement Institute, with a financial sup- develop proposals to Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Agriculture port from Swiss Government. include border commu- plays a crucial role in economics in nities in IWRM activities Sustainable water management was the Valley. across the region. It also studied in 2 pilot small transboundary The UNDP/GEF project aims at redu- formulated a charter that provides Local development is closely con- rivers: Shakhimardan (Kyrgyzstan- cing transboundary degradation of the civil society representation in the nected to water availability. Uzbekistan) and Khodzhabakirgan Kura-Aras River Basin, shared by various project organizations. (Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan). The parties Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia and Inter-state water allocation in the Val- have agreed to create a Joint Commis- Iran. The stakeholder Advisory Group criti- ley was established in 1960-1980s by sion for water resources management cally reviewed the project documents, Moscow. Now these agreements are A component aims at increasing civil for each small transboundary river and provided feedback from a wide array no more observed which results in society involvement in the project and developed a Strategy for Integrated of sectors, and made additional social disputes in border areas. supported: Management of pilot small trans- recommendations to the project that Since 2007, a new "Small Transboun- boundary river basins. I an analysis to identify concerns enhanced the sense of ownership. dary Rivers" Component has been of 36 stakeholder groups across Yu. Khai. RYSBEKOV This component enabled the next included in the "IWRM-Ferghana" Scientific Information Center of ICWC the region, phase of the project to specifically Project, which is implemented by the of Central Asia [email protected] I the creation of a Regional NGO meet the needs of impacted stake- Scientific Information Center of the Forum which resulted in the first holders in a cooperative transboun- Interstate Coordination Water Commis- http://sic.icwc-aral.uz four country agreement among dary context, creating institutions to sion of Central Asia and the Tashkent civil society organizations ad- address to the shared concerns. Ferghana Valley dressing shared water resources, Mary M. Matthew, Ph.D. I the establishment of a stake- UNDP/GEF Kura-Aras Project [email protected] holder Advisory Group to provide critical input into project deve- www.undp.org lopment. The project was able to address con- cerns over conflicting water resource use identified by stakeholder group interests.
26 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 27
Central Asia Optimizing Agricultural Water Use The most prominent problem in showed that over 50% of the water New irrigation methods and tech- been reduced by 30% and water the irrigation sector in Central used is wasted. niques have also to be introduced at related conflicts between water users Asia is wastage of water due to farm level to mobilize the water saving reduced by 90% within three years. Priority should be given to the defective water management and potential at plot level. Water use at plot level has been improvement of irrigation water mana- inappropriate irrigation norms reduced by up to 35% using very sim- gement. This would require the com- At basin and canal level, the introduc- inherited from the Soviet times ple and low cost changes in the irriga- plete restructuring of the irrigation tion of SCADA systems (with priority and deteriorating irrigation infra- tion methods, in most cases resulting sector by creating new hydrographic on data acquisition, storage and com- structures. in substantially increased yields. irrigation management and gover- munication) will help to improve sta- This led to conflicts between coun- nance structures at all levels. bility, equity and transparency of the Juerg Kraehenbuehl Advisor to the Government of Switzerland tries, between regions within coun- water deliveries. Volumetric water charges need to be and UNEP tries, between upstream and down- introduced which requires the im- Several experiments in the region BHP Brugger& Partners stream water users as well as to rai- [email protected] provement of water measuring devices demonstrate the success of this sing ground water tables, floods and to allow measuring water deliveries to approach, e.g. the Integrated Water increased salinity of arable lands. the WUAs and to the farmers or water Resources Management Project in Several studies related to the effi- users groups. Ferghana valley, where water intake ciency of the irrigation systems into the South Ferghana Canal has The Water - Energy Conflict in Central Asia
In Soviet times, the large reservoirs in The construction of a large dam Lake Balkhash Caspian Sea Ayteke Bi K A Z A K H S T A N BeyneuWater-Energy conflict Dzhusaly Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan were used on the Panj River is under dis- Existng Hydropower plant Baikonur A r a l S e a Planned Hydropower plant Dzhalagash Kyzylorda Kazakhstan for irrigation (i.e. water releases cussion between Afghanistan Water from Tajikistan Russia, Europe Chiili Potential power export S y r Shu Almaty mainly during the vegetation period in and Tajikistan. D a Irrigated areas ry Zhanatas a Kentau U Karatau BISHKEK Danger of water shortage spring and summer) and gas and oil Turkestan Taraz Kara- Tokmok Yssyk Kul Uzbekistan fears that after Z Balta 0 250 500 K750Nukus 1000 km a r were supplied to the upstream coun- a Xo’jayli B B o Shymkent Toktogul K Y R G Y Z S T A N completion of these sche- g Uchquduq Sarygamysh Lake E Kambarata Dashoguz tries to cover their winter energy Toktogul Urganch K Cascade mes the situation with re- TASHKENT Jalalabad Golden Age Lake I Angren Namangan demand. (under construction) Olmaliq Andijan S gard to water deliveries du- Aydar Lake Fergana Osh Kokand T Guliston Khujand Navoiy Kashgar After the collapse of the Soviet Union, ring the vegetation period A Katta-Kurgan Jizzax T U R K M E N I S T A N Bukhara N Samarkand C H I N A Serdar Zarav Rogun this system was abandoned and an G shan will further worsen, leading o l K (u de as nd n A h er g T urkmenabat ka Nurek co e C dar ns ana ya Shahrisabz T A J I K I S T A N truc l Baharly tion A Qarshi DUSHANBE ) m Pa increasing amount of winter energy to drastic water scarcity and u n j D a Sangtuda ry b a a a ASHGABAT y h r Cascade rg K a Kulob Mu ar d ak n had to be produced by the upstream increasing water conflicts um Kerkichi a vus h Shirvan C r Qurghonteppa Khorugh an Mary u Bojnurd a S h l s Tejen h k Termiz a Quchan V countries leading to flooding during between water users. Ayvaj
Kunduz m Sheberghan Mazar-e Sharif a
Sabzevar T i M Mashad e n
j winter season and water scarcity du- e u Gilgit l n r y Neyshabur g Pol-e Khomri a s Uzbekistan reacted with closing b e u m m Meymaneh i ring the vegetation period in the down- t m b r z a e u e Kashmar h nd down oil and gas exports to Torbat-e Jam Serhetabat lk u r m K t a i Torba-e B m Hydariyeh e m Mongora stream countries. im u e rt s I R A N me m y Tajikistan and with the interrup- su l KABUL ly n Srinagar ain i Mardan m Herat a Hari Rud Jalalabad m ISLAMABAD But there is still a large shortage of tion of the electric transmission Peshawar Wah Kohat Rawalpindi Ghazni P A K I S T A N I N D I A electricity during winter and surplus line from Turkmenistan to Taji- A F G H A N I S T A N Jhelum Jammu Bannu Birjand Gujrat Mianwali Sialkot energy during summer in the up- kistan, passing through Uzbek ab stream countries. In recent years the territory. This forced the upstream on the operation of the combined Iran, Afghanistan, India) become pos- problem has been aggravated by countries to use all water resources Rogun - Nurek and Kambarata - sible as peak electricity demand in the extreme climatic conditions. during the extreme winter period Toktogul systems is advisable, cou- south occur during summer season, 2007/2008 to produce electricity and pled with a powerful water control tool parallel to the water demand in irriga- The construction of Sangtuda I and II is the Nurek and Toktogul reservoirs were with compensation of the commercial tion in the north. planned downstream of Nurek as well at dead water level at the beginning of losses of summer water releases by Juerg Kraehenbuehl as a series of small hydropower the vegetation period. the downstream countries. Advisor to the Government of Switzerland schemes and the development of and UNEP Sarafshan River. Top priority in both This is an increasingly irrational deve- A real win-win situation for all riparian BHP Brugger& Partners [email protected] countries is given to the construction lopment. A regional agreement on the States could develop at the time when of additional large storage schemes: water-energy issues is one of the top electricity sales to the south (Pakistan, Rogun upstream of Nurek in Tajikistan priorities to safeguard water-related and Kambarata upstream of Toktogul security in Central Asia. A negotiated in Kyrgyzstan. agreement between the riparian States
27 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 28
Europe 6th Conference of the "EUROPE-INBO 2008" Group Sibiu, Romania, 1-3 October 2008 The participants wished that the In WFD field implementation, the local INBO recommends increasing the "EUROPE-INBO" Group had a politico-administrative stakeholders means devoted to wetlands and hydro- more important place in the WFD (municipalities, provinces, counties, morphology as the functional restora- Common Implementation Stra- departments, regions), together with tion of aquatic environments is of tegy (CIS), as a "spokesman of the local economic interested parties, prime importance for achieving good the Basin Organizations" towards will be front-liners, especially for the ecological status. EUROPE-INBO the European Commission and investments to be made. It is also urgent to reinforce the protec- Water Directors. However, the consultation process tion measures for groundwater, to make This year, the conference of the defined in the WFD is not sufficient in for lost time. The conclusions of the Confe- “EUROPE-INBO” group took place itself to mobilize these local stakehol- rence were reported to the ® Definition of realistic objectives in Sibiu, in Romania, from 1 to ders. The WFD approach should be bet- Strategic Coordination Group on The definition of objectives, exemp- 3 October 2008, at the invitation of ter explained and its added value made 6 November 2008 in Brussels and tions and delays is still a major con- the Romanian Ministry of the Envi- known. The governmental authorities a note on the WFD implementa- cern for Basin Organizations despite ronment and Sustainable Develop- should mobilize themselves not only tion in transboundary river basins the work carried out within the CIS. ment. It gathered 195 participants for enforcing regulations (basic mea- was presented to the European Information has not always been fully coming from 26 countries. sures) but also for supporting the local Water Directors on 25 November disseminated to them and the position This conference was an important stakeholders in their projects. step before the World Water Forum 2008 at their meeting in Paris. remains unclear. As regards the criteria ® Delays and uncertainties of Istanbul in March 2009: draft of disproportionate cost, INBO pro- The three workshops dedicated to the As the deadline of 2015 will come very poses creating an inside working group "Basin" chapter for the European WFD presented many case studies and regional document, joint writing of a quickly, it is necessary to launch now to share information between Basin exchanges were particularly worth- the measures for which there are no Organizations. handbook with GWP on IWRM imple- while. mentation in river basins, preparation more debates, without waiting for their A survey, carried out during the work- of the sessions of topic 3.1. of the WORKSHOP 1: formal adoption at the end of 2009. shop with the attending basin repre- Forum on "River Basin Management PREPARATION There are still many uncertainties about sentatives, shows that the percentage and Transboundary Cooperation". OF THE PROGRAMS the real efficiency of certain measures, of water bodies achieving good status OF MEASURES A workshop on the IWRM-Net (Euro- about the time necessary to carry out in 2015 could vary a lot, between 25% pean network of research programs on Much work has been done but signifi- projects in the field and to obtain posi- and 75%. Exemptions will be neces- IWRM) project was organized as a side cant challenges are still to be met. tive results on the quality of water and sary, not only because of technical event in order to identify the needs for ® Relevant scales ecosystems. The time factor is indeed aspects but also on account of finan- research related to the WFD and to pre- and involvement of prime importance and questions are cing capacities. The objectives can pare the second transnational research of local stakeholders raised about the timeframe of WFD only be reached when the correspon- program. The Programs of Measures should be implementation. ding financial mobilization is possible. The EU-non-member countries (the developed on relevant river basin scales, The implementation of pre-existing However, additional financial efforts Mediterranean, Eastern Europe, the not only at the large river basin level, “nitrates” and “waste water” Directives will be needed, maybe up to +30 % in Caucasus, Central Asia) were very but also in a more detailed manner at should be at the core of the Programs of some districts, and this will probably active in the discussions, due to their sub-basin level. Measures. On the one hand, it is neces- imply an increase of the water price growing interest in the WFD principles. sary to fill the gap in sanitation. On the and raises the question of acceptability other, as regards agriculture, INBO is by users, especially in the current 195 participants coming from 26 countries concerned by the lack of ambition context of economic crisis! noted in the preparatory documents of The issue of overseas territories was the CAP Health Check. The Programs of underlined, and more widely in EU Measures should include proactive peripheral areas, especially the need to measures from now on, otherwise it will have specific references and to define a be very difficult to obtain positive framework for regional cooperation results in 2015 and even in 2021. with their non-European neighbors. INBO thinks that without a true reform of the CAP, it will be almost impossible to change this situation.
28 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 29
Europe
"FOR FACILITATING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EUROPEAN WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE"
nating the management of floods, droughts and climate change. The work completed in the river basins shared by EU and non-EU member countries is encouraging but it will be necessary to increase the institutional and financial support to non-EU coun- tries to achieve the WFD objectives in these basins. At the end of the conference, Mr. Alfredo DI DOMENICANTONIO, Director of the Tiber Basin Authority was congratulated for the last year Italian Presidency of "EUROPE-INBO" Mr. DI DOMENICANTONIO (Italy) handed the "EUROPE-INBO" Presidency to Mr. POSTELNICESCU (Romania) Group. He handed the Presidency to Mr. WORKSHOP 2: The presentations showed the advan- each Member State remains responsi- Marius POSTELNICESCU, Director IMPLEMENTATION tage of a proactive prevention policy. ble towards the Commission for the General of the National Admi- OF THE FLOOD DIRECTIVE As a whole, the invested amounts are WFD implementation in what it is con- nistration of Romanian Waters The Flood Directive provides an essen- lower than the costs of avoided da- cerned. (Apele Romane). mages. But it will be difficult to invest tial European framework. It gives a Although WFD gives a common frame, The Romanian Authorities were thanked as much as necessary for the preven- strong signal: it is no more only a the national legislations are remaining for the organization of this conference tion of exceptional floods, which will question of building defense infra- different in the same international dis- and their warm welcome. become more frequent with climate trict and the countries do not have the structures, but of adopting an inte- The 7th conference of the EUROPE- change. same priorities and deadlines, even for grated prevention policy with real INBO Group will be held in the the same types of measures. This is changes in policies, institutions, deci- The implementation of the Flood Direc- Ukraine in autumn 2009. sion-making processes according tive requires increasing exchanges of particularly obvious when a river basin The final resolutions, presentations and to 4 pillars: forecasting flooding good practices between countries, for- is shared with countries not members photographs are available on the Web- events, reducing vulnerability, mulating national strategies and sup- of the European Union in the Balkans site. protecting people and goods, aler- porting Local Authorities. and Eastern Europe. ting and educating populations. WORKSHOP 3: The Basin Organizations concerned The implementation of the Flood Direc- TRANSBOUNDARY BASINS: by this transboundary context high- tive and WFD should be coordinated. PROGRESS REPORT lighted specific needs: providing more human and financial resources to the But difficulties are encountered in The WFD brings real added value in "National" Basin Organizations con- practice, because the administrations European Transboundary Basins, by cerned and to the International Com- concerned are often distinct or act on providing a common reference frame- missions; improving the decision- different territories/scales. work (objectives, methods, deadlines, making process in International Com- EUROPE-INBO INBO recommends integrating production of common planning docu- missions; developing common sys- Invitation from now on the elements of the ments). It increased coordination of tems for monitoring and data manage- flood risk management plans into actions between riparian States and the Regional Session ment; better coordinating the Programs the 1st WFD River Basin Manage- positive role of international commis- Europe : of Measures and giving more ambition ment Plans (2009-2015) and the sions (when they do exist) was under- 17 March 2009 to the roof section of the management totality in the 2nd management cycle lined. ROUNDTABLE plan; developing a true public consul- "European Experience (2015-2021). It would be useful to But huge work is still needed. Manage- tation on the international district in Transboundary Basins" develop a guide of good practices to ment Plans of International River Basin scale; organizing joint management of Sutluce - Istanbul take into account the requirements of Districts still too often look like a transboundary aquifers; better coordi- www.inbo-news.org both directives. patchwork of national elements, as
www.inbo-news.org
29 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 30
Europe
Transnational research is starting Launching of the first joint IWRM-Net: Within IWRM-Net, the French Minis- program: a network which sees far… try of Ecology organized a conference a success story in May 2008 on the prospective stakes Using this first experiment, IWRM-Net related to water in Europe. The donors of the first joint program is preparing its second call for projects, met in Berlin in May 2008 to select the launching of which is planned at the A work for convergence of short and research projects among the submit- end of 2009. Again, the method of long-term topics for drawing up the nd ted seventeen within the call for pro- identifying research needs is based 2 joint research program will be posals launched at the end of 2007. on a series of regional workshops finalized in a meeting of the potential through Europe. The workshops aim donors in May 2009. Two projects called FORECASTER at drawing up the list of research priori- (Facilitating the application of the Simultaneously to these activities, ties for each regional area considered: Case STudies on Ecological Res- IOWater initiated a cycle of mee- ponses to hydro-morphological Out- ® Valencia, Spain in June 2008, for tings with the other ERA-Nets put from Research degradation and the Mediterranean area; dealing with water (CRUE, SPLASH, rehabilitation) and RIPFLOW (Ripa- SNOWMAN, CIRCLE) in order to plan IWRM-Net is an ERA-Net (European ® Sibiu, Romania, in October 2008. rian vegetation modeling for the a common strategy for the sustainabi- Research Area) project aiming at This workshop joined the General assessment of environmental flow lity of the various networks after 2010. undertaking joint transnational re- Assembly of the EUROPE-INBO regimes and climate change impacts The progress report of IWRM-Net search programs related to Integrated Group of European Basin Organi- within the WFD) were retained for the activities and the draft program of the Water Resources Management. zations for WFD implementation; topic "Hydro-morphological pres- next call for projects will be presen- ® IWRM-Net is financed by the Euro- sures/impacts on good ecological Stockholm, Sweden on 18 and 19 ted at the international conferen- pean Commission for 5 years status" and a project named I-FIVE November, for the Baltic countries; ce, which will take place on 10- (2006-2010) and coordinated by (Innovative Instruments and Institu- ® Brussels, Belgium on 10 February 11 February 2009 in Brussels. the International Office for Water. tions in Implementing the Water 2009. You can join IWRM-Net community The project gathers 20 partners Framework Directive) was adopted by registering on: coming from 14 Member States. for the topic "Water Governance". Research began during the last quarter www.iwrm-net.eu of 2008.
"NeWater" Adaptive Integrated Water Resources Management Presentation of results from the Project - Seville - 17 - 19 November 2008
The European NeWater project has fur- The conference, held in Seville in past Nile basins in Africa) and proposing Ilke Borowski ther developed the concept of Adap- November, allowed presenting the an analytical framework of climate University of Osnabrück tive Integrated Water Resources results from seven different case study change scenarios and adaptation Environmental Research Institute Fax: +49/(0)541-969-2368 Management (AIWM), based on our basins (Rhine, Elbe, Guadiana and strategies as well as training material [email protected] capacity to learn from experience and Tisza basins in Europe, the Amudarya for implementing AIWM. adapt to change and uncertainty. in Central Asia, and the Orange and www.newater.info
30 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 31
Europe "GoverNat"
Is there a lack of enthusiasm for participatory approaches? The main interviews highlighted that Altogether, the way these practitioners The interviewees find that in concrete administrations have difficulties im- present and analyze their experiences situations economic interests usually plementing participation in water go- shows a considerable degree of reluc- prevail over other interests such as Governance today extends beyond the vernance: tance to engage in extensive participa- water management or biodiversity policy making processes of govern- tion, especially with the general conservation. ments to increasingly include Local G A first attitude considers that a public. The GoverNat interviewees Successful participation ultimately Authorities, private partners and the lack of citizens’ involvement is identified this reluctance themselves, means redefining roles and power civil society. not a problem because politicians saying that the administration is relations. The "authorities’ dilemma" 49 interviews were conducted with are elected by these same people not prepared. Many interviewees is that they both need and fear peo- practitioners involved in water and bio- and can therefore make decisions recognized that organizing participa- ple’s participation. diversity governance in 11 countries. on their behalf. The main chal- tion requires special skills and addi- Anna Wesselink, Jouni Paavola The Water Framework Directive distin- lenge for participation is to reach tional financial resources, both of guishes: agreement with other organiza- Patricia Quillacq, Dimitrios Zikos which are frequently unavailable to the University of Leeds, United Kingdom, European O consultation of the public, who tions having power to block deci- bodies of public administration University Institute, Florence, Italy, OEKUS - should have access to informa- sions or obstruct implementation. charged with WFD implementation. Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research tion and be given the opportunity UFZ, Leipzig, Germany G The interviews also showed that there [email protected] to comment; A second view considers that are civil servants power struggles [email protected] O participation of the interested mobilizing the public is useful within the same administration and parties, who should be encou- when it serves the purpose of between governmental organizations. www.governat.eu raged to be actively involved in implementing policy. the measures to take.
Portugal GMES
Global Monitoring for Environment and Security
GMES is a joint initiative from the The quality of their results improves This demonstration project, funded by Carlos Póvoa European Commission and the Euro- with the detail of the field data. Data ESA, will deliver relevant information Águas De Portugal [email protected] pean Space Agency (ESA) to develop scarcity can be improved using to manage the implementation of the innovative and cost-effective manage- remote sensing data. Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive www.aquapath.info/en ment tools based on Earth Observation (sensitive area delimitation, waste- The process will produce a more systems and technologies. water treatment requirements’ deter- www.gmes.info reliable modeling tool, less dependent mination), the Water Framework "Águas de Portugal" (AdP) and "Insti- from in situ data with obvious advan- Directive (non compliance cause- tuto da Água" (INAG) have been wor- tages in terms of cost. effect relationship analysis, optimiza- king with "Instituto Superior Técnico" In fact, as processes are more accu- tion of Programs of Measures, cost (IST) on specific applications of satel- rately understood and represented, analysis) and the Environmental Lia- lite imagery for water management, less information will be required for bility Directive (pollution events which in operation at some critical each model run. Satellites can over- cause-effect relationship analysis). locations have provided reliable and ride the need for extensive field moni- cost-effective monitoring, forecast toring, with cheap, fast and reliable and pollution event analysis. data. The best and less costly results are At present, the partners are implemen- obtained by combining models, in- ting a demonstration project covering situ data and remote sensing data. the Portuguese part of the Tagus Basin, Models allow the description of with the purpose of building an infor- processes and are very useful as inter- mation service dedicated to water polation and forecasting tools. managers and water users’ needs.
31 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 32
Europe France 400,000 replies to the public consultation 2008!
A national "Water is life. Please The latter had allowed validating the The questionnaires included questions finalization of the Water Management give us your opinion!" consultation water stakes in the basins. about the environmental objectives of Plans which will give the main trends was jointly carried out by the the Management Plans and questions of the basins’ water policy until 2015. French Ministry for Sustainable In 2008, all the 7 French metropolitan which related to "key" measures to Among the main expressed trends, the Development and the Basin Com- Basin Committees implemented this allow their implementation. opinion appears to be interrogative on mittees from 15 April to 15 Octo- participative approach, based on the In any case, the citizen could make the proposed objectives and shows ber 2008. experiment carried out successfully in 2005 in the Rhine-Meuse Basin. comments in the free opinion section. some reluctance in paying more. This official citizens’ consultation was This national consultation is now The major concern relates to the risks carried out pursuant to the Water A questionnaire was distributed to all completed with great success. linked to toxicity and health (dis- Framework Directive (directive 2000/ the households in the basins. It was charges and industrial and agricultural 60/EC of 23 October 2000) of the also possible to take part in the con- In fact, the Water Agencies received outputs) and to water saving. European Union. sultation via Internet. A media infor- more than 400,000 answers to their The public consultation of 2008 dealt mation plan (radios and regional questionnaires (more than 43,000 in In any case, the citizen’s request reaf- with the environmental objectives of press) encouraged the citizens to par- Adour-Garonne, 54,000 in Artois- firms his/her attachment to the pol- the Water Management Plans, as pro- ticipate in the consultation. Picardy, 85,000 in Loire-Brittany, luter-pays principle and to the trans- posed by the Basin Committees 81,000 in Rhine-Meuse, 67,000 in parency of the decisions and results Many events, organized by associative (SDAGE), as well as measures Rhone-Mediterranean & Corsica, for the future of water in their areas and partners, supplemented the arrange- (actions) to be taken to achieve them. 65,000 in Seine-Normandy). basins, as well as to the measures ment to allow for the broadest possi- taken to protect them. The consultation 2008 followed that of ble expression of the public. With an average participation rate 2005. higher than 1.3%, the Basin Commit- An institutional consultation of the tees had echoes to their question- Regional and Departmental Councils, Poster disseminated by the French Rhine-Meuse Water Agency naires although the participation was Local Chambers, Local Water Com- for launching the Public Consultation unequal from one basin to another, missions and Committees for rivers, going from 0.7 to 4.3%. bays and aquifers…, will take place at the beginning of 2009. The significance and representative- ness of the expressed opinions and You may find all the results of the the richness of the given free opinions national consultation on the website: will allow the basin managers to take www.eaufrance.fr into account new elements in the
5th World Water Forum INVITATION Topical Session 3.1.: 20 March 2009 - 08:30 - 19:00 21 March 2009 - 08:30 - 13:00 "Basin Management and Transboundary Cooperation" Sutluce A - Kagithane Hall - Istanbul www.inbo-news.org "Water is life. Please give us your opinion!" www.worldwaterforum5.org
32 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 33
Europe France Public consultation in Europe As laid down in article 14 of the Water From all over Europe, there is a panel European Conference of Fontevraud Framework Directive, the public was of experiments which goes from the consulted, firstly in 2005 on the involvement of groups of stakeholders important issues related to the or citizens before or throughout the achievement of good water status, and development process, to the consulta- secondly from April to October 2008 tions on a very large scale such as about the preparation of Management those carried out in France at key Plans and Programs of Measures. stages of the drafting of documents. What is going on in the various States Debates allowed experts to compare of the European Union? What lessons methods and results and to ask ques- can be learned from the various expe- tions about the costs and the required riments in order to improve future levels of implication. consultations? How to integrate public They reminded the objectives of public opinions into the Management Plans? country to have completed the stage of The European Commission is now involvement: to lead to really accepted consultation of the citizens. preparing for March 2009 a seminar In order to learn the first lessons and programs, an insurance on the quality on possible improvements for the fol- These exchanges led to the drafting of share experience with the other Coun- of their implementation. They also lowing consultations. tries, the Loire-Brittany Water Agency recalled the need for pedagogy recommendations which were submit- ted to the meeting of the Water Direc- Michel STEIN organized a conference, under the aegis towards the citizens, but also to take Loire-Brittany Water Agency of the European Union and the French into account the expressed opinions. tors in November 2008. [email protected] Presidency, on 13 and 14 November On this point however, feedback is still www.eaufrance.fr 2008 at the royal Abbey of Fontevraud. lacking since France is to date the only
"Alp-Water-Scarce" Integrated River Basin Management in Mountains Alp-Water-Scarce (Water Manage- As aggravating circumstances there Higher water abstraction and less This requires interdisciplinary and ment Strategies against Water Scarcity are increasing human pressures on available water resources will lead to intersectoral problem awareness and in the Alps) is an Alpine Space Inter- water resources, e.g. summer and conflicts. acceptance. reg project with 17 partners from winter tourist developments without Apart from the need to create adapta- Carmen de Jong 5 countries. any concern for local water supplies. The Mountain Institute, France tion and mitigation strategies, it is [email protected] It may be difficult to imagine that water Artificial snowmaking for downhill and important to develop early warning www.institut-montagne.org problems exist in the Alps, however, Nordic ski runs is rapidly expanding in systems against water scarcity in with climate change, anthropogenic mountain regions, sapping locally mountains over the medium term. pressures on natural resources are limited water resources and increasing. On the one hand, the idea- creating problems during the listic concept of a green and white high tourist season. As the mountain is water consumptive. On the natural altitudinal limits of other hand, the temperature increase snow are pushed higher and leads to higher irrigation requirements higher, so are the limits of ski and a higher demand for hydroelectric and tourist developments. production during summers. This use of water resources all With rapid diminution in glacier sto- year round and over more rage and discharge from mountain tor- extensive areas leads to inter- rents over the next 30 years, seasonal basin transfers and consump- limits in water resources will soon tion transfer from the valleys become a reality. to the summits. The altitudinal limit of glaciers is pushed higher
33 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 34
Europe Spain Júcar River Basin Authority
Public participation The Júcar River Basin A first public consultation was carried G A timetable and work program for out for the Jucar River Basin when the the production of the River Basin Jucar River Basin Authority (JRBA) Management Plan, including the was working on its report on the envi- consultation measures to be ronmental impact of human activity taken. and economic analysis of water use in G An interim overview of the signifi- the river basin district. cant water management issues A conference, open to all interested identified in each river basin. parties, was held in order to promote G Draft copies of the River Basin the transparency of information, and Management Plan. works of this stage. The Spanish General Directorate for Works were also published on the Water elaborated a "Public Participa- JRBA website and DVDs and leaflets tion Project" document for the Spanish were handed out. river basin districts. Since then, a more complete public To ensure an effective public par- participation strategy was developed. ticipation, the National Parliament Participation forums were created, approved the Law of 18th July conferences, international and natio- 2006, which incorporates Direc- nal workshops, and WFD related tives 2003/4/EC and 2003/35/EC meetings were held. Priority themes regulations. were discussed in the River Basin In the Júcar River Basin district, the Council. following issues were especially dealt A new public consultation with:
The Spanish River Basin Authorities I Information transparency, incor- I Active involvement in technical This Committee is composed by are working now on a new cycle of porating any relevant information meetings and Working Groups in 48 organizations from different sectors hydrological planning. Challenges on the official website of the order to disseminate the works - local, regional and national govern- have changed since earlier stages, JRBA, especially technical docu- carried out by JRBA technicians. ment, business and trade unions, involving important changes in the ments considered basic for the Discussions with users, ecolo- users, and NGOs. It has an advisory national legislation; as for example the understanding of the key pro- gists, industry sector, resear- nature, it generates proposals and River Basin Council that has changed blems in the basin. Public infor- chers, non-governmental organi- coordinates the public participation its composition with an increa- mation is completed with the dis- zations (NGO) were also orga- process. This Committee is contained sed representation of the interested semination of brochures. Cur- nized. In transboundary basins, within the Public Participation Forum, parties. rently, the Jucar River Basin Orga- the Portuguese administrations representing more than three hundred According to the WFD, Members Sates nization is creating a Citizen also participate. organizations, all interested parties Information Office, which will and stakeholders related to water. shall ensure, for each river basin dis- The JRBA has created an Information trict, that the following documents are provide answers to any questions from the public. and Monitoring Committee, which Leticia Rodríguez Cabo available to the public for comments: can evaluate the technical aspects General Directorate for Water I Consultation of the documents on Ministry for the Environment, contained in documents edited by the Rural and Marine Environments the timetable and work program, Planning Office and related with River [email protected] reception of contributions and Basin Management Plans projects and www.marm.es consideration of opinions in the revision. final documents. www.chj.es
34 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 35
Central and Eastern Europe Poland - Ukraine - Belarus Transboundary Water Management in the Bug River Basin The Water Framework Directive of the This is an essential legal act forming the The Project partners are the Institute of Water Management Funds in Lublin, European Union states that "For river basis of cooperation between Poland, Environmental Protection in Warsaw, Bialystok and Warsaw signed an agree- basins extending beyond the boun- Belarus and Ukraine with respect to the Regional Water Management ment for project implementation. daries of the Community, the Mem- water management. In 2008, work was Authority in Warsaw, Brzesk Oblast The general objective is strengthening ber(s) State(s) should endeavor to focused on the "Development of a Committee for Natural Resources and transboundary Polish-Belarusian- ensure the appropriate coordination Polish-Belarusian-Ukrainian water po- Environmental Protection, Volhynia Ukrainian institutional cooperation in with the relevant non-member States". licy in the Bug River Basin", co-finan- Board of Water Facilities and Manage- water resources management, espe- ced as part of the Polish-Belarusian- ment in Lutsk. All three countries sharing the Bug cially through the establishment of an Ukrainian Neighborhood Program of the River Basin are parties to the UNECE On 19 July 2007, the Polish partners, International Commission. European Regional Development Fund Convention on the Protection and Use Marshals of the Lublin, Podlasia and for 16% and by the TACIS/CBC fund for of Transboundary Watercourses and Mazovia provinces, Presidents of Pro- 60%: the whole budget amounts to International Lakes. vincial Environmental Protection and 250,000 Euros. Collaboration between Ukraine Poland and the Ukraine "National Dialogue A cooperation agreement on the Bug It mainly focused on the delimitation River Basin was signed on 11 May of water bodies in the Bug River on Integrated Water 2006 between the Regional Water Basin. Resources Management" Management Authority in Warsaw The seminar in Lutsk allowed the fol- The 1st Meeting of the Manage- International experts, including and the Western Bug River Basin lowing issues to be discussed: ment Committee of the "National Messrs. Jean-François Donzier, INBO Authority in Lutsk. I progress of WFD implementa- Dialogue on Integrated Water Permanent Technical Secretary, Rainer The agreement takes into account: tion in the Ukrainian part of the Resources Management" took place Enderlein of UNECE and Jos G. Tim- G UNECE Convention on the Pro- basin; last April in the National Academy of merman, of the "Center for Water tection and Use of Transboun- Sciences of Kiev, at the initiative of Management" of the Netherlands, pre- I typology and identification of dary Watercourses and Interna- OSCE (Organization for Safety and sented the new IWRM approaches, surface water bodies - metho- tional Lakes in Europe, Cooperation in Europe), EUWI (Euro- which could be adopted by the Ukrai- dology and implementation pean Union Water Initiative) and UNEP. nian National Water Committee. G EU Water Framework Directive results in the Ukrainian part of Representatives from the Ukrainian Mr Viktor ANTONENKO (WFD), the Bug River Basin; Director National Water Committee pre- Water Management Authority - Ukraine G I Agreement between the Polish significant problems of water sented the situation of water resources [email protected] and Ukrainian Governments management in the basin. in their country as well as drinking regarding cooperation on water The cooperation plan for the next water supply and sanitation, and talked management on transboundary two years was ratified in November about the impact of climate change. rivers. 2008, in Lutsk. Meeting of the National Committee in Kiev As a part of this agreement, mis- Magdalena Krawczyk sions were co-funded by the inter- Regional Water Management Authority national TwinBasin program that RZGW - in Warsaw aims at increasing bilateral coopera- [email protected] tion between River Basin Organiza- www.rzgw.warszawa.pl tions for integrated water resources management. A Workshop dedicated to the Polish experience in WFD implementation was held at the home office of the Lublin River Basin Authority.
35 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 36
Central and Eastern Europe Bulgaria A WFD institutional twinning in Bulgaria: Programs of Measures and Economic Instruments The Bulgarian Ministry of Water and Agency will be widely involved in this Bulgaria, two study tours to Exchanges started with the organiza- the Environment selected France as project by delegating Arnaud Courte- France, the use and adaptation of tion of a 2-day seminar at the end of partner in the institutional twinning cuisse, Head of the Studies and Eco- role playing games to the Bulga- May 2008 at the French Embassy in financed by the European Union, nomic Evaluation Department, who rian context, etc. Sofia. which will deal with WFD implemen- will become the twinning resident G assistance with the revision of the The seminar was opened by Mrs. tation and more particularly with the adviser in Sofia, and various specia- tax computation and levying sys- Lubka Katchakova, Vice-Minister in capacity building of the Bulgarian lists who will participate in short tem which will contribute to the charge of water, who, with the support water management authorities for the appraisal expert missions. financing of the Programs of Mea- of Galia Balusheva, senior expert at preparation of the Programs of Mea- The Rhone-Mediterranean and Cor- sures, and with the creation of the the Water Protection Department, will sures and the implementation of eco- sica Water Agency will intervene with data-processing tool allowing the supervise this project. nomic instruments. experts’ assignments and study visits centralization of the information. The seminar dealt with an introduction This 18-month project will be led by supervised by François Guerber, A "Program of Measures and econo- to the French experience regarding the IOWater, mandated by the French Director of international activities. mics" working group, made up of Bul- development of Programs of Mea- Ministry of Ecology, Energy, Sustai- garian experts of the Ministry and of Experts from the MEEDDAT, BRGM sures and the drafting of a work plan to nable Development and Regional Plan- each Basin Directorate, was created and IOWater will also contribute to the quickly launch the preparation of the ning (MEEDDAT) for following up the for following up the project activities, work dealing with: Programs of Measures and public twinning agreements in the water sector. analyzing the proposed methodolo- consultation in Bulgaria. G a huge training program for the gies, implementing tests in a pilot As a continuation of the cooperation, Bulgarian Authorities on the basin, contributing to the develop- which has been developing for seve- development of Programs of ment of guidance documents and the ral years between the French Water Measures and economic analy- dissemination of the experience Agencies and the Bulgarian Basin ses, with the organization of trai- gained to all the teams concerned by Directorates, the Artois-Picardy Water ning seminars and workshops in WFD implementation in Bulgaria. Water management authorities in Bulgaria In Bulgaria, water management at the Bulgaria will participate in the deve- A Basin Directorate shall: I determine the surface waters national level is the exclusive right of lopment of programs for the protection intended for household and drin- I delimit public waters jointly with the Council of Ministers through the of transboundary waters. king water supply in coordination the technical services of munici- Ministry of Environment and Water. with the regional inspectorates for Four Basin Directorates were palities; public health protection; A Supreme Advisory Water Board created, supervised by the Ministry, I develop the River Basin Manage- was established. as well as four Basin Councils. I conduct public consultation on ment Plan; the River Basin Management I issue the permits under the Water Plans, etc. The Iskar River in Bulgaria Act; The Basin Council assists with the I plan and participate in the moni- operation of the Basin Directorate. toring of waters, summarize and It is made up of representatives of the analyze the data; State administration, local administra- I manage specialized databanks tions, water users and associations and the Water Information System; within the basin, as well as represen- I collect taxes for the permits tatives of research organizations issued; involved in the water sector. Galia Balusheva I develop Programs of Measures Ministry of Environment and Water for water improvement, protection [email protected] and maintenance; www.moew.government.bg
36 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 37
Central and Eastern Europe Romania "Apele Romane" In Romania, the financial mechanism The specific taxes for using the water I tax for using the hydropower Daniela Radulescu for water management is based on the resource are as follows: potential of the reservoirs under National Administration "Apele Romane" - NAAR [email protected] "beneficiary/ polluter pays principle" ANAR administration; I tax for using the water resource according to the specific services and www.rowater.ro according to resource categories I tax for gravel abstraction from sound use of water resources. (surface water, Danube, ground- river beds. The National Administration "Apele water) and users types (popula- The tax structure is developed using Romane" (NAAR) is the operator tion, industry, agriculture); the effective costs for operation, main- which can apply the economic me- tenance and repair of hydraulic works, I tax for discharging wastewater; chanism system for water manage- as well as for quantitative and qualita- ment, for all users. tive monitoring of water resources.
Kosovo Better watched river waters
Training course on electric fishing methods The undertaken activities aim of the various departments of the at developing monitoring Ministry for the Environment and methods allowing defining the Regional Planning, the Hydrometeoro- ecological status of rivers, bet- logical Institute, universities but also ter understanding the great municipalities or water utilities. management stakes and ana- Work on modeling, definition of the lyzing the data management structure of the future Water Informa- chain in order to formulate re- tion System, flood management and commendations on the moni- on wastewater management also toring of the status of water started at the national level in parallel bodies in the entire country. to the activities undertaken in the pilot Within this framework, me- basin.
thods for the biological moni- Violeta HOXHA toring of rivers were developed Director of the Water Department as well as the quality indica- Ministry for the Environment and Regional Planning of Kosovo tors which were not followed [email protected] up until now in Kosovo (Fish, For the purpose of matching its legisla- GFA Consulting Group GmbH, Bas- invertebrates, diatoms, etc.). tion and administrative methods for Rhône Languedoc International and water management with the European IOWater provided assistance to the Training programs carried out in situ “standards”, the Water Department of Kosovar authorities for establi- allowed the collection of field data and www.inbo-news.org the Ministry for the Environment and shing water monitoring programs, the testing of the European tools Regional Planning of Kosovo is the cur- developing Integrated Information developed by the Member States All information rent recipient of a project financed by Systems and for building institu- within the Common Implementation is available the European Union and implemented tional capacities for basin mana- Strategy (CIS) of the European Water on the Web by the European Agency for Recon- gement purpose. Framework Directive (WFD). struction and the Liaison Office of the During the first half of 2008, special In order to complete the activities in European Commission in Pristina. effort was made in a pilot basin, the pilot basin, a working group was A team made up of three long-term tributary of the Drini River. made up and gathers representatives international experts, local experts and short-term international experts of www.inbo-news.org
37 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 38
The Mediterranean Ministerial Conference on Water - 22 December 2008 - Jordan A timetable and field projects in 2009 Historical reminder A significant contribution of the stake- with problems exceeding the means Fresh water is a priority issue for holders of the civil society was made for action of a country alone or one all the Mediterranean partners and at a meeting of the main regional organization. its importance will do nothing but NGOs concerned on 21 December. grow as water resources are It will include two quantified objec- becoming rarer. First of all, the ministers adopted tives concerning, on the one hand, the The Ministerial Conference on Water, The first Mediterranean Confe- orientations for the development of a conservation of water quality and, on held on 22 December 2008 on the rence on Water took place in shore of the Dead Sea in Jordan, was a Water Strategy in the Mediter- the other, the reduction of the pres- Algiers in 1990. The Mediter- first concrete stage for the implemen- ranean area for meeting the chal- sures on water resources with less ranean Water Charter was adopted tation, in the water sector, of the deci- lenges of the climate change. water consumptive uses. in Rome in 1992. sions made by the Heads of State and This Strategy, which will be submitted Then, the Ministers wished the deve- The Euro-Mediterranean Partner- Government on 13 July 2008 in Paris to the Ministers then to the Heads of lopment, as soon as possible, of new ship, launched by the Declaration within the new Union for the Mediter- State and Government for approval at infrastructure projects in the field of of Barcelona in November 1995, ranean area. the end of 2010, will allow tackling water. The first financing will be fina- embraces a vast program of col- laboration. A specific chapter is lized for the Ministerial Conference on devoted to water. Sustainable Development in Monaco. Two Euro-Mediterranean ministe- Philippe Guettier - MEEDDAT/DEB rial conferences on water manage- [email protected] ment in the region have taken Dr Essam Khalifa place since, in Marseilles in 1996 [email protected] and Turin in 1999. Omar Salameh Omar KHODJET KESBA [email protected] Abderrahmene AYADI Ecole Nationale Supérieure de l’Hydraulique www.medaquaministerial2008.net [email protected] The Conference was co-chaired by Egypt, France and Jordan www.ensh.net Joint Management of the North Western Sahara Aquifer System (NWSAS) The geographic area for action of the The water program focuses on of the Intercalary Continental (IC) and inventoried. The system contains all Observatory of the Sahara and shared aquifers and aims to pro- the Terminal Complex (TC). the elements for water monitoring and Sahel (OSS) is Africa’s arid, semi- mote joint management of water It covers an area of over 1 million km2 exploitation in the basin. arid and dry sub-humid regions of resources for economic integration including 700,000 km2 in Algeria, The project’s second phase North Africa, West and East Sahel. and sustainable development in 80,000 km2 in Tunisia and 250,000 (2002-2006) focused on pursuing circum-Saharan Africa. 2 The mission of the OSS is to assist the km in Libya. cooperation and identifying the tech- member countries and organizations in THE NWSAS PROJECT During the first phase (1998- nical tools that would lead to a perma- generating, managing and disseminat- 2002), the objective was to elaborate nent consultation mechanism. The The North Western Sahara Aquifer ing information that enhances sustai- a common database for integrating all project also addressed the socioeco- System (NWSAS) is shared by Alge- nable natural resources management. the surveyed information, in addition nomic issues and their relation to ria, Libya and Tunisia and is made up to new data collection. resource mobilization in the NWSAS. Fulfilling such objective required that The third phase of the project is the national databases be adapted and about to start with the aim of impro- homogenized. This implied homoge- ving the management tools and stu- nized data structures and codifica- dying the socioeconomic and environ- tions, a GIS interface and the elabora- mental aspects by use of remote sen- tion of an access module with the sing technology to estimate irrigation digital model. water consumptions as well as sup- porting the consultation mechanism. The Information System (IS) elabora- tion included the diagnosis, design M. Ousmane S. Diallo Coordinator of the Water Program and development of a common data- Observatory of the Sahara and Sahel (OSS) base, accessible simultaneously by [email protected] each water administration in the three www.geosass.oss.org.tn/geosass Aquifers of Sahara countries. 9,000 water points were
38 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 39
The Mediterranean SPI-Water
Facilitating the transfer of IWRM principles Usually, the research outcomes are N Analyzing water policies in The recommendations were discussed ning agreements between water not easily available to the decision- non-European countries for at a final conference organized in resources management organizations makers and water managers and, on facilitating the implementation of Brussels in October 2008. to facilitate the knowledge transfer. the contrary, researchers lack visibility the principles of Integrated Water In a public report and a summarizing Visits in Spain and in France were of the users’ needs. Resources Management. leaflet the partners explain how IWRM organized for experts of pilot river The SPI-Water project (2006-2008) N Assessing the needs in the two knowledge can be transferred within a basins from Lebanon and Morocco. financed by the 6th EU Framework Mediterranean basins of Sebou research program to water managers: They allowed the elaboration of pro- Program for Research and Develop- (Morocco) and Litani (Leba- how these principles shall be adapted posals for future projects in the Sebou ment gathers 16 European and non- non), while complying with the to regional specificities and how the and Litani river basins. WFD methodological framework; European partners. It proposes practi- communication between European Maria Serneguet i Belda cal actions to fill the gaps by develo- N Studying the applicability of and non-European researchers and MENBO Permanent Technical Secretariat ping a "science/policy" interface, WFD practices in non-Euro- water managers may be improved. Jucar River Basin Authority focusing on a mechanism for impro- pean countries and identifying [email protected] It is especially recommended to pro- ving the use of the research outputs conditions for their implementa- www.remoc.org mote international networks and twin- resulting from the implementation of tions in these countries; the Water Framework Directive (WFD). N Producing recommendations For two years, the SPI-Water project to improve the appropriation and has been: dissemination of the obtained research outputs in non-European N Evaluating the projects and countries. initiatives developed in river MENBO, in particular, and its partners basins for WFD implementa- reviewed the existing water policies in tion. The scientific knowledge, Mediterranean non-European coun- research outputs and demonstra- tries and compared those with the cur- tion projects thus collected were rent Water Framework Directive (WFD) entered into the WISE-RTD know- practices in the European Union. ledge base; The Project Partners "INECO" INSTITUTIONAL AND ECONOMIC INSTRUMENTS FOR SUSTAINABLE WATER MANAGEMENT IN THE MEDITERRANEAN REGION INECO is supported by the European Research focuses on the alternative G Giving a value to water, with The project then sought to see how Commission within the INCO Program institutional and economic instru- cost assessment, maximization some of these measures could be - Topical priority of the Mediterranean ments which allow promoting equity, of economic effectiveness, im- adapted in the Southern Mediter- Partner Countries (MPCs). It gathers economic effectiveness and environ- plementation of cost recovery ranean countries. It then organized, 14 institutions from 10 Mediterranean mental sustainability in water and of the "user-pays" and "bene- with its various partners, national countries (Greece, France, Italy, resources management. ficiary-pays" principles; workshops to analyze the water- Cyprus, Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon, The main goal of INECO is to develop G Improving the governance of related problems and to propose Syria, Algeria and Morocco), inclu- the stakeholders’ skills and construc- water and institutional environ- solutions. It finally organized a Con- ding public (6), private (7) and inter- tive commitments in Integrated Water ment which allows the imple- ference for summarizing this work. national (1) organizations. Resources Management. mentation of Integrated Water INECO aims at presenting these The project, which extends over The project focuses on three chal- Resources Management. experiments and enabling local 3 years, began in July 2006 and will lenges: In a first step, an inventory was made societies to change their perceptions be completed in June 2009. and their water management prac- G Water sharing, with (institu- of the best practices and institutional tices. The project provides complete INECO deals with the various tional, regulatory, legislative and and economic instruments used in and adaptable recommendations problems encountered in deci- economic) mechanisms to be the European Union, the United sion-making processes and with created for allocating water States, Japan, Australia, Israel, Jean-Marc Berland International Office for Water the difficulties of the current resources in river basins; Argentina, Chile and Canada… [email protected] governance structures in the Mediterranean Basin. http://environ.chemeng.ntua.gr/ineco
39 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 40
The Mediterranean EMWIS: Improving water information in the Mediterranean area
of abstraction and polluting dis- NATIONAL FOCAL POINTS A Mediterranean Information th charges, to prioritize actions and to The 8 meeting of the Coordination entry and resources: Committee of EMWIS (Euro-Mediter- evaluate the performance of the pro- in the Water Why not a ranean Information System on know- grams undertaken in the Mediter- Information "Mediterranean how in the Water Sector) took place in ranean Basin. System for water knowledge Madrid (Spain) on 25 - 26 June 2008. Upon the request of EMWIS Steering Europe (WISE) hub"? This meeting allowed making an eva- Committee, a feasibility study on This project, initiated at the begin- luation of the actions carried out in the the development of a "regional The development of a "Mediter- ning of 2008 with the DG Environ- countries and an analysis of the water information mechanism in ranean Information and Resource ment of the European Commis- progress made in the implementation the Mediterranean area" was car- Network" could be equivalent to sion, aims to facilitate access to of the National Water Information ried out, under the technical coordina- the Anglo-Saxon "Knowledge quality data on water in the Systems by introducing the first ele- tion of the International Office for Hubs". Those are based on the Mediterranean Partner Countries ments of harmonization with the Water. principle of partnership between (MPCs) while enabling, thanks to Water Information System for The analysis of the needs, carried out the stakeholders working in com- common rules, compatibility bet- Europe (WISE). in 7 pilot countries and involving plementary fields: each stake- ween the National Water Informa- holder, recognized as leader in its SYNTHESIS many regional organizations, allowed tion Systems and the Water Infor- field, facilitates a network, collects AND KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER emphasizing the difficulties currently mation System for Europe (WISE). and disseminates knowledge; self- The reports of the working groups on encountered in the phases of data sufficiency of each stakeholder is "treated wastewater reuse" and gathering and enhancement at the This work is undertaken in close required to guarantee the sustai- "drought and water scarcity" have regional, national and local levels. The cooperation with the European nability of the network. been published. These groups, ini- study recommends the implementa- Environment Agency. In addition to tiated with the Water Framework Direc- tion of a program to develop the pro- the definition of technical recom- The development of such a Net- tive (WFD) and Med-EUWI (Mediter- duction, interpretation and dissemina- mendations, the implementation work could start with very diverse ranean component of the European tion of comparable information bet- of a "Mediterranean" entry bodies having different statutes Water Initiative) Joint Process, aim at ween the interested countries. point on WISE website is also and nationalities, since each making characterizations and recom- This program relies both on the analyzed as a pilot demonstration stakeholder has its own develop- mendations using the WFD principles. development of National Informa- for all the countries concerned by ment and management logics in Additional work is undertaken on tion Systems in each country and the Neighborhood Policy of the its area of responsibility. of a regional and shared water European Union. "indicators for drought and water The Network is a way of sharing information system in the Medi- scarcity". An analysis of the monito- Two working groups of the objectives and results, of develo- terranean area, based on two great ring networks will be presented at the Mediterranean Water Initiative / ping synergies, of being controlled principles: the voluntary partnership beginning of 2009. Water Framework Directive joint by the project managers or an of the States which would like to join A REGIONAL process allowed exchanging expe- Orientation Committee, and of the project, and the respect of data WATER INFORMATION MECHANISM rience on the gathering of data on, sharing common tools and avai- confidentiality. IN THE MEDITERRANEAN AREA? on the one hand, networks and lable means, human resources in In the context of climate change, it is The study details the proposal of a water monitoring programs, and, particular. impossible to circumvent having multi-year plan for implementing on the other, on drought and water It could develop quickly, starting knowledge of the quantitative and these projects. scarcity. from existing regional bodies. qualitative status of water resources, Finally, an on-line metadata cata- logue of the sources of water infor- mation in the Mediterranean Partner Countries is being prepared, in accordance with the last rules for the implementation of the INSPIRE Directive on spatial data. SEMIDE EMWISE M W I S
Conference of the Euro-Mediterranean Water Directors Athens - July 2008 www.emwis.net
40 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 41
The Mediterranean "EXPO-AGUA ZARAGOZA 2008" MELIA The organizers of the "Water Tri- There were 120 participants, interna- bune" had invited INBO to jointly tional and regional experts from diffe- hold a special session on 8 July on rent countries (France, Portugal, Italy, the topic of "Basin Management Greece, Germany, USA, Brazil…). The and Transboundary Cooperation in day conference had three technical Europe and in the Mediterranean sessions and a concluding round table area" with the Mediterranean Net- dealing with: MELIA (Mediterranean dia- Logue for Integrated Water work of Basin Organizations Institutional aspects (European Management) is a program (MENBO) and the European Water legislative framework, transboun- selected by the European Union Partnership (EWP). dary basins and social responsi- within its 6th FPRD. Started in 2006 The various round tables organized on bility). for 4 years, it gathers 45 partici- this occasion concerned: Drought characterization impacts pants (public authorities, interna- N Transboundary surface and An International Exhibition on water and and risks (mathematical predic- tional organizations, NGOs, univer- ground water management in sustainable development, "Expo-Agua", tion models, hydrological and sities, etc.) from 16 Member and the international districts of took place in Saragossa, Capital of drought indicator systems). non-Member States of the Euro- the European Water Frame- Aragon, from June to September 2008. Drought planning and manage- pean Union. work Directive; It combined exhibitions, artistic events, ment in Spain (Special Drought N MELIA aims at evaluating the shows and conferences. The "Water Participation of the popula- Management Plans, public awa- tions and decision makers methods for Integrated Water Tribune", a platform for discussions on reness campaigns). Resources Management (IWRM) the economic, social and environmen- in water resources manage- Socioeconomic and environmen- in the Mediterranean countries, tal stakes of water in the world and ment; tal impacts of droughts. using the regulations of the Euro- coordinated by Mr. Eduardo Mestre, N Operational tools for the mana- The whole event pointed out the need pean Water Framework Directive former INBO President, gathered gement of river basins and of shifting from a risk/emergency to a (WFD) to harmonize water mana- some 2,000 international experts dur- aquifers; planned drought management with ing 10 "Thematic Weeks". These N Integrated plans for the pre- gement policies in the region. agreed measures. The importance of meetings ended on 11 September with vention of floods, droughts Its objectives are also to develop public participation in the decision the organization of an International and extreme phenomena in awareness on social, economic making process for adequate drought Symposium on Water and Sustainable the Mediterranean area; and technical issues related to management was stressed, and Development and the signing of the N Management Plans and Pro- drought management plans were water management, to propose "Saragossa Charter". grams of Measures for WFD identified as useful tools to achieve participation mechanisms to avoid INBO and MENBO got mobilized in implementation. this objective. competition between the regions "ExpoAgua", especially on two stra- These contributions were in line with and the various water users, to Teodoro Estrela/ Elisa Vargas th tegic topics: the preparation of the 5 World Water Directorate General for Water, MARM support sustainable water policies Forum of Istanbul in 2009, for which [email protected] and to provide indicators to imple- WATER, A UNIQUE RESOURCE INBO and UNESCO were designated Maria Serneguet i Belda ment the benchmarking of IWRM. Within Thematic Week 4 of the Water as coordinators of Topic 3.1.: "Basin MENBO Permanent Technical Secretariat [email protected] Natacha Amorsi Tribune: "Water, a unique resource" and Management and Transboundary International Office for Water www.marm.es the issue of "Shared Water", organized Cooperation". [email protected] by Mr. Raimundo Garrido, former This Saragossa Session was a com- www.meliaproject.eu INBO President, Mr. Jean-François plete success, and mobilized a large Donzier, INBO Secretary and General number of participants, including Manager of the International Office for Presidents of the Spanish River Basin Water, was invited to present on 9 July Authorities, and representatives from Opening of Week n° 4 the Introductory Conference on the Brazil, France, Hungary, Italy, Portu- of the "Water Tribune" topic of "inter-basin twinning agree- gal, Spain and Turkey. Many projects ments, cooperation instruments". and initiatives were presented. This introductory speech was followed CLIMATE CHANGE by a special session in which the AND EXTREME EVENTS French Adour-Garonne Water Agency The Directorate General for Water of the and Basin Committee and the Ebro Spanish Ministry of Environment, Rural River Basin Authority shared their and Marine Affairs organized on 24 July experience. 2008 a technical day on Drought Planning and Management.
41 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 42
The Mediterranean Egypt Algeria
New statutes of the Basin Agencies The statutes of the Algerian Basin Agen- cies (ABH) have just Erosion and sedimentation been amended by the in the Nile Delta decree of 30 Septem- The Nile Delta complex is the product This retreat increased tremendously ber 2008. The Basin Agencies of a continuous sedimentary process during the period from 1964 to 1982 Map of the 5 Algerian ABH which has occurred for million years. to reach 125 & 170 m/year due to the are now in charge of: The two current branches, Rosetta and construction of upper Aswan Dam in N Ensuring integrated and con- The Algiers - Hodna - Soummam Damietta, have developed a major 1964, which trapped all the sediments certed water resources manage- Basin Committee is, for example, promontory at their Mediterranean transported by the River in its up- ment on the natural river basin made up of 24 Members equally mouth. stream part. scale; representing the Administration, Local Authorities and the various categories The Rosetta Promontory continued Two Dolos revetments along the sides N Developing the water information of users. growing up till the beginning of the of the promontory were executed from system; th 1986 to 1991 to control the shoreline THE BASIN AGENCIES’ 20 century. Since 1900, the water N Formulating surface and ground retreat. WATER TAXES flow and sediments carried out by the water resources management Rosetta branch have decreased due to However erosion is not the only trou- plans and developing decision- At the beginning of 2008, the French climate change, the construction of ble encountered, sedimentation of its making supporting tools; Development Agency financed an dams and control works along the Nile outlet is increasing due to the reduc- institutional and legal assistance to N Managing the system of water River itself, the continuous use of tion of the water flow and is causing improve the water abstraction tax taxes on the use of public water water for irrigation and man activities serious shoaling which hinders the adopted since the creation of the resources; on the river banks. The eastern and economy of the area and disturbs the Algerian River Basin Agencies (ABH) N western parts of the Rosetta promon- ecosystem of the Rosetta branch. Providing financial assistance to in 1996, as an economic incentive actions aiming at saving water tory retreated about 5 km from 1900 to Dr. Ibrahim Abd El Magid El Shinnawy tool for better water resources mana- and safeguarding its quality; 2000 with an average rate of about Coastal Research Institute, Egypt gement. [email protected] 50m/year. N Implementing and promoting This assistance was provided by the www.nwrc-egypt.gov projects aiming at rationalizing International Office for Water and the Twinning on water quality the use of water resources and at Seine-Normandy Water Agency. preventing their pollution. management It allowed two executives of the The twinning project on the manage- Giorgio Pineschi, project’s permanent THE BASIN COMMITTEE: Algiers-Hodman-Soummam ABH to ment of water quality in Egypt, pre- resident adviser. A SPACE FOR DIALOGUE ON WATER come for studying the water tax prac- sented by the consortium made up of The aim of the Basin Committee is to tices at the Seine-Normandy Water It especially includes testing the Italy, France and Austria, was selected discuss and formulate opinions on all Agency. development of a management plan by the evaluation committee and the water issues in the river basin, and in In-depth thinking about the evolution of for the Aswan Dam Authority and an Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources. particular on: the water tax in Algeria led to the pro- institutional assistance for the control I Appropriateness of planned hy- posal of texts, drawn up with the main This 2-year project (budget: Euros of accidental pollution, which will be draulic work and infrastructures; Algerian interested parties. It is espe- 1,300,000) will be coordinated by carried out by French experts. I Water-related disagreements that cially necessary to strengthen the rela- tions between planning and water tax. Meeting for contract negotiation in Cairo can occur between users; with the Egyptian partners I The distribution of water between The latter, now only applied to the the various users; industries, which represent less than 2% of the abstracted volumes, must I Actions for the quantitative and become an incentive tool for water qualitative protection of the saving applied to all the uses of the resource; resource. I The action programs of the River Mekki Abrouk Basin Agency. General Director Algiers - Hodna - Soummam River Basin Agency [email protected] www.abhahs.com
42 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 43
The Mediterranean Morocco Middle East
Cooperation between Propositions to overcome the French and Moroccan a deadlock in the Middle East Basin Agencies "Water and Peace for The situation is already Nine executives of the seven Moroc- Aquatic Environments of December the People", released on alarming: salinity is rising can Agencies and of the State Secre- 2006. 11 September 2008 by in the Euphrates and half tariat in charge of water participated in Following a seminar on concerted UNESCO Publishing, of- the population of the a one-week study, in Toulouse, in June groundwater management, which had fers a practical guide that region’s large cities lacks 2008, at the invitation of the Adour- taken place in Beni Mellal in April suggests concrete ways to drinking water supply. A Garonne and Rhone-Mediterranean 2007, another seminar was held in resolve water crises in the report published in 2005 and Corsica Water Agencies. This Lyons in December 2008 on measure- Middle East. Analyzing by UNDP indicated that meeting mainly dealt with the calcula- ment tools and networks. each situation, the author 80% of Iraqi families liv- tion and recovery of water taxes and examines the conflicts in the Upper ing in rural areas drank unsafe water. the allocation of aids to water users. There are frequent cooperation con- Jordan River between Israel and Syria The book "Water and Peace for the tacts between the Adour-Garonne, Indeed, the French Agencies have a around the Golan Heights, between People" is also published in Arabic Rhone-Mediterranean and Corsica 40-year experience in this matter. Israel and Lebanon over the Wazzani and Hebrew. and Seine-Normandy Water Agencies, Spring, and the longstanding water Buy the book at: In Morocco, the application of the on the one hand, and the Oum er Rbia, dispute between Palestinians and http://publishing.unesco.org water law of 1995 is progressive to be Loukkos, Tensift, Souss Massa and Israelis. Challenges confronting bearable and the taxes on water, irriga- Sebou Agencies, on the other hand, Léna Salamé Turkey, Syria and Iraq in sharing water UNESCO tion, electricity and supply are now bound by twinning agreements. of the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers are Water Sciences Division generalized and those on domestic Julien MARTINEZ also assessed. [email protected] and industrial pollution are being Adour-Garonne Water Agency established. [email protected] Michel DEBLAIZE "Management and Hydro-diplomacy The French specialists underlined the Regional Delegate of Montpellier "of Water in the Middle East" new requirements of the European Rhone Mediterranean and Corsica Water Agency [email protected] How to limit the effects of climate For launching this book, on the occa- Framework Directive of 2000, inte- change in the Mediterranean area? sion of the French-speaking Book grated into the French Law on Water and www.eaurmc.fr How to sustainably manage the scarce Exhibition in Beirut, a Conference water resources of the region? How to gathered more than 250 leaders of the provide water to the populations in Area on 25 October 2008, with the sufficient quantity and quality? How to participation of FAO, the Arab League, accustom users to water-saving the Union for the Mediterranean area, behaviors? How to remove the possi- as well as Jean-François DONZIER, bility of a water war in the Middle East INBO Permanent Technical Secretary. by inciting Governments to adopt par- Editions "L'Orient - Le Jour" ticipative policy? What are the new Imm Kantari Corner - B.P. 11-2488 Beyrouth - Liban regional hydro-diplomatic facts? How to ensure equitable water use among www.lorient-lejour.com the countries of the area?
The nine Moroccan executives The book that Fadi Georges Comair, during their visit in Toulouse Director of Water and Electric Resources of Lebanon, has just published, tries to answer these ques- tions, by highlighting the urgency of EUROPE-INBO establishing a new world order based Invitation on the culture of water, to preserve Regional Session Europe: peace and food security in this area of 17 March 2009 - 14:30 - 19:00 the world. ROUNDTABLE "European Experience in Transboundary Basins" Sutluce - Istanbul www.ewp.eu
43 INBO Newsletter n° 17 - December 2008 - January 2009 INBO 17 18/02/09 11:20 Page 44 www.inbo-news.org
Participate in the sessions
th Word Water Forum – Istanbul 5 "Basin Management and Transboundary Cooperation" 20 - 21 March 2009 in Sutluce A - Kagithane Hall
The website of river basin management over the world The International Network of Basin Organizations The World Water Forum of Istanbul - 16 - 22 March 2009 The Regional Networks of Basin Organizations: • Africa - ANBO • Latin America - LANBO • North America - NANBO • Asia - NARBO • Central Europe - CEENBO • Eastern Europe, Caucasus, Central Asia - EECCA-NBO • The Mediterranean - MENBO "EUROPE-INBO" : European Water Framework Directive implementation The Network of International Commissions and Transboundary Basin Organizations
Privileged links with websites: worldwaterforum5.org / worldwatercouncil.org gwpforum.org / iowater.org / emwis.net unesco.org / eau-international-france.fr
Secretariat: International Office for Water 21, rue de Madrid - 75008 PARIS - FRANCE Tel.: +33 1 44 90 88 60 - Fax: +33 1 40 08 01 45 Mail: [email protected] N° ISSN : 1265-4027
Publishing Director: Christiane RUNEL "INBO Newsletter" is published with the support of the French Water Agencies, Editing - Translation: Gisèle SINE the French Ministry of Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development Production: Frédéric RANSONNETTE and Regional Planning and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs Printing: Murcar Graphique - Paris