International River Basin Sheets

"EUROPEAN ACTION ON WATER SCARCITY AND DROUGHT"

DATA COLLECTION - QUESTIONNAIRE

Purpose of the questionnaire

A number of Member States requested to initiate a European action on water scarcity and droughts during the Environment Council of 9 March 2006. The Commission presented a first analysis of these issues during the Environment Council of 27 June 2006 and proposed to strengthen the diagnosis, on the basis of complementary data to be provided by Member States and stakeholders and to prepare a first interim report at technical level to be discussed with the Water Directors in December 2006. Further to the Water Directors' meeting on 2 June in Salzburg, the Water Directors agreed 'to support the Commission's further analysis and data collection and to fill the gaps identified by Member States and the Commission'.

The gaps identified concern the analysis of (i) the problems: magnitude, causes and impacts of water scarcity and droughts as well as (ii) the implementation of existing instruments (CAP, WFD, regional and structural funds) to address these problems.

This questionnaire provides the basis for the data collection. Where appropriate, these data could be integrated in WISE.

Instructions for filling in the questionnaire

The questionnaire consists of a box with:

A. Contact details of the official completing the form:and the contact point for the water scarcity group Please indicate these information in the questionnaire.

B. Information on water scarcity situations and drought episodes: Please give us concrete figures at country or river basins level. In case of information which was already included in your Art. 5 report and in order to avoid duplicating Water Framework directive reporting, please mention where we can find this information in the report (pages, sections, etc.).

The definition of Water scarcity and droughts is the one given in the Information note, provided by the Commission for the Environment Council of 27 June 2006.

'In this document, "water scarcity" refers to long-term water imbalances, combining arid or semi-arid climate (low water availability) with a level of water demand exceeding the supply capacity of the natural system. Aridity and droughts are natural aspects of the Earth’s climate, but aridity is a long-term average feature while droughts are a deviation from an average situation, for a limited period of time. Aridity is defined by long-term low precipitation rates, often together with high evaporation rates, and results in a limited availability of water resources. Droughts, on the contrary, can be considered as a temporary decrease of the average water availability. Droughts can occur anywhere in Europe by definition in both high and low rainfall areas and in any season, whereas aridity concerns only the Mediterranean region (semi-arid characteristics). The impact of droughts can be exacerbated when occurring in a region with already low water resources, with mismanagement of water resources and with imbalances between water demands and the supply capacity of the natural system. It is essential to differentiate between transitory periods of water deficiency, due to an exceptional drought, and long-term imbalances of available water resources and demand.'

C. Information on current implementation of existing EU instruments: Please give us concrete figures on the use of EU instruments or explain why they were not useful in your case.

Period covered: Data and information are given for for the current (2000-2006) and, whenever possible, next (2007-2013) programming periods. .

Geographic scale: Information is given for the country except for the countries where variability between river basins is too important; there, information is given at river basin scale.

Deadline:

A first Interim report will be submitted to the Water Directors on 30 November – 1 December. Therefore we need first data by mid-September in order to prepare a draft report to be discussed by the Strategic coordination Group on 8-9 November 2006.

We would kindly like to ask you for your cooperation in completing the questionnaire. Please return the completed questionnaire by 11 September 2006 to ([email protected], [email protected] and to [email protected]

If you have any questions when completing the questionnaire, please contact [email protected], [email protected] [email protected] Country:

WATER SCARCITY & DROUGHTS

A. Contact person: Questionnaire completed by:

Name: Martin Skriver Country: Denmark Organisation: Danish EPA E-mail: [email protected] Telephone: +45 32 66 01 00

B. Information on Water Scarcity & Droughts

B.1. WATER SCARCITY: You can answer for your whole country or by river basin (in this case one table per basin)

DELINEATION OF THE PROBLEM AND AFFECTED POPULATIONS: Water scarce zones: Population 5.200.000 Area in km² 43.000 Comments Largest population density in urban areas in and around the cities of Copenhagen and Aarhus.

IDENTIFICATION OF THE KEY PLAYERS and CAUSES: Causes of long-term imbalances: % of volume abstracted in the country or by river basin You can answer for each year 2005- 2004 -2003 – 2002- 2001 or on average Domestic sector Dominant around Copenhagen and other larger cities, abstraction exceeds sustainable recharge by up to 300 %. Tourism - Industries - Energy (cooling of power plants) - Irrigation Dominant in Western Jutland, abstraction exceeds sustainable recharge by up to 70 %.. Others -

Comments Domestic sector dominant in urban areas, despite a general lowering of house hold water consumption by 20 % over 10 year period.

IMPACTS: WHO IS AFFECTED? IN WHAT WAYS AND TO WHAT EXTENT? Impacts of these long-term imbalances: Please identify (direct and indirect) environmental, economic and social impacts and how they occur in a qualitative, quantitative and monetary terms where possible and appropriate. Economic (damages, losses, higher prices): - Consumers and households - Tourism (X) Industry - Energy - Agriculture X Others Social: Employment - Equality of treatment - Public health and safety - Others -

Environmental: Surface waters X Groundwaters X Coastal waters - Wetlands X Soils X Biodiversity X Others - Others

Comments

B.2. DROUGHTS: You can give a list of drought events (within a period of 30 years) and fill in one table per drought event or for the major damaging ones.

DELINEATION OF THE PROBLEM AND AFFECTED POPULATIONS: Major damaging droughts in your country: Date (year) Duration (days) Population Area affected in km² Comments

IDENTIFICATION OF THE KEY PLAYERS and CAUSES: Influence of human actions on drought impact: You can answer for each drought episode Role of water users: % of volume abstracted (or consumed?) Domestic sector Tourism Industries Energy (cooling of power plants) Irrigation Other factors:

Comments

IMPACTS: WHO IS AFFECTED? IN WHAT WAYS AND TO WHAT EXTENT? Impacts of each drought episode: Please identify (direct and indirect) environmental, economic and social impacts and how they occur in a qualitative (high, low, medium), quantitative and monetary terms where possible and appropriate. Try to describe the impacts: suspend irrigation, restriction on drinking water, stop hydropower plant, stop discharges from industry Economic (damages, losses, higher prices): Consumers and households Tourism Industry Energy Agriculture Others

Social: Employment Equality of treatment Public health and safety Others

Environmental: Surface waters Groundwaters Coastal waters Wetlands Soils Biodiversity Others Others

Comments

C. Information on the use of EU funds Where appropriate, please indicate the way you are using the EU instrument, what budget is/was is going to be allocated for your country for measures addressing water scarcity and droughts .For the current programming period 2000-2006, and whenever possible for the next 2007-2013 programming period, please indicate the nature of the projects funded addressing water scarcity and droughts and the corresponding expenditures (total costs per EU instrument, ratio : total costs/national budget available per EU instrument). .

C.1. Common Agricultural Policy Rural Developments programmes

Comments: please indicate possible gaps in the use of this tool

C.2. Structural Funds and the Cohesion Funds Structural Funds:

Cohesion Funds:

Comments: please indicate possible gaps in the use of this tool C.3. LIFE

C.4. European union Solidarity Fund

C.5. Community Mechanism for Civil Protection

D How do you think that the WFD could help in the future to adress scarcity and drought issues

What are you expectation coming from the WFD implementation for: - Water scarcity: Implementing environmental objectives for groundwater will, especially with respect to quantitative status, call for closer scrutiny of the relation between groundwater and surface water in and around urban areas.

- Drought events: Drought events are generally not considered to be problem in Denmark today. Recurring and prolonged dry spells in recent summers can signal.

Comments: please indicate possible gaps in the use of WFD for: - water scarcity The economic aspects will have to be investigated in relation to the importance of the groundwater abstractions, the provisions for this are available in the WFD.

- droughts: - Water Pricing Have you developed a water pricing policy which provides 'adequate incentives for users to use water resources efficiently'? If yes, please provide with the description including tariffs for the different sectors (agriculture, drinking water, industrial water,…).

Yes, very much so. The use of water pricing has generally had a positive effect on both water use and loss in distribution systems. Typical water price/m3 around 5 EURO, consisting of:

20 20 water

2 wastewater water tax 14 wastewater tax 44 VAT

In addition you can mention which national instruments (legislative, financial or technical) are established in your country for addressing Water scarcity & Droughts

Mostly, through financial incentives (levies) and technical (reduction of water loss in distribution systems).

Any other information -

Thank you for your cooperation! Please return the questionnaire/s [email protected], [email protected] [email protected]