Groundwater Governance in Serbia
by
Prof. Dr Milan Dimkić, Dušan Djurić, Miodrag Milovanović
Jaroslav Černi Institute for the Development of Water Resources Belgrade, Serbia Danube River Basin Surface area: 800,000 km2 Population: 80,000,000
About 95% of Serbia’s territory falls within the Danube River Basin. Serbia is a relatively rich in groundwater reserves, deposited in different aquifer systems unequally distributed along the territory.
The major groundwater reserves are accumulated in thick Quaternary and Neogene intergranular aquifers. Alluvial aquifers of large rivers (the Danube, Sava, Velika Morava and Drina) are particularly important and widely used for drinking water supply. Karstic aquifers dominate in south-western and eastern regions of Serbia.
1. Bačka and Banat region (comprising N and E parts of Pannonian basin); 2. Srem, Mačva and Sava/Tamnava region (SW Pannonian basin and NW Dinarides); 3. Southwestern Serbia (SW Dinarides), 4. Western Serbia (W Dinarides), 5. Central Serbia (Serbo-Macedonian massif and Shumadia-Kopaonik-Kosovo zone), and 6. Eastern Serbia (Dachian basin and Carpathian-Balkan arch) Groundwater Governance problems
Serbia is country in transition.
Legal system is in a process of harmonization with EU legislation
GDP cca 4000 Euros/capita
1.Problem with institutional capacities on all levels (national, regional, local). 2.Inadequate monitoring 3.Financial problems (drinking water tariff is about 0,5 Euros/m3)
4.Problems with GW quantities in northern part of Serbia 5.Local problems with GW quality (Morava valley). Groundwater monitoring – quantity and quality
Groundwater quantity is being systematically monitored by State
Hydrometeorological Service and groundwater quantity by SEPA Sanitary control of the water quality for drinking purpose is under
responsibility of Ministry of Health and Republic Institute for Public Health and its regional offices. All waterworks аre also controlling basic chemical and bacteriological quality of raw and treated water samples. Groundwater use in Serbia
Water supply from different groundwater types
0,1 18,1 Alluvial aquifers
Main water-bearing aquifer, Lower Quarter 8,8 Neogene
56 Karstic
17 Fissured
Roughly 90% of the population of Serbia has access to the public water supply, and some 75% of water for public water supply is abstracted from groundwater resources. In some areas, currently tapped resources are unable to quantitatively meet the population’s water demand, and there are some problems with drinking water quality, particularly in the northern part of Serbia, due to the lack of treatment. Groundwater is also used for irrigation, water supply of industry, etc. but in lesser quantities. Serbian groundwater legislation
The ministry in charge of groundwater governance is the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, but some
responsibilities also lie within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Mining and Spatial Planning, the Ministry of Energy, Development and Environmental Protection, and some other ministries. The most important act dealing with groundwater is the Water Law. By its entering into force in 2010, the governmental policy recognized
groundwater issues and their specifics in a proper way. Major tasks on the implementation of the Water Law are related to the protection of groundwater sources, the maintenance and upgrading of existing sources, and the development of new sources. Water Law (adopting principles of WFD) introduces water management planning, through preparation of the documents, including:
1. The Water Management Strategy for the territory of the Republic of Serbia; 2. The Water Management Plans;
3. The annual Water Management Program; etc,
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WFD
Serbia became a full member of the ICPDR in 2003. Since then, Serbia is actively engaged in the implementation of: The Danube River Basin
District Management Plan (DRBMP 2009), the RBMPs for sub-basins of the Tisza River (finished in 2010) and the Sava River (2012). By adopting the Water Act in 2010, Serbia accepted standards, terminology and goals declared by the WFD. Set of bylaws has been
prepared, among them the Code on designation of surface water and groundwater bodies (Official Gazette of the RoS 96/10). 153 groundwater bodies (GWB’s) have been identified in the Serbia.
Quantitative status
Chemical status Recently conducted or ongoing projects
In recent years several large projects for groundwater assessment and protection have been initiated or conducted in order to improve the status and standards of the national water sector and establish a series of general criteria. These activities include: study of aerobic-anaerobic conditions in major alluvial aquifer
systems, study of well ageing at numerous alluvial water sources,
study that will help establish a new national groundwater monitoring network, surveys for the development of new water supply sources,
optimization of artificial recharge for wider application in practice, management of major transboundary aquifers,
assessment of the potential impact of climate change, etc.
Study of aerobic-anaerobic conditions in alluvial aquifer systems
Effect of bank filtration on Belgrade Groundwater Source DOC reduction
River water DOC = 2.5 mg/l Raw well water DOC = 1 mg/l
Median concentrations of detected pharmaceutical in Danube River and its associated wells along the
river bank near town Kovin
(Source: Institute for the Development of Water Resources “Jaroslav Černi” 2012.) 10
Study of well ageing at numerous alluvial water sources
LHR – local hydraulic resistance KLHR – kinetics of local hydraulic resistance B – biological agent Γ – geometry of aquifer grains and screen openings
S LHR f Eh,, Fe Ventr ,, B ventr.
KLHR f Eh,, Fe Ventr B ,...Г
1.E-02 1.E-02 (Abramov) (Abramov) (Sichardt) (Sichardt) (Kovacs) (Kovacs) 1.E-03 1.E-03 (m/s) (m/s) perm perm , v , v en en v
vperm v 1.E-04 1.E-04
BWS wells
1.E-05 1.E-05
0 200 400 600 0 50 100 150 200 11 Eh (mV) Eh (mV) Instead conclusion…
General activities in the area of groundwater in Serbia which lie ahead could be summarized as: Enforcement of GW legislation (implementation of the Water Law and related by-laws, establishment of safeguard protection zones…);
Preparation of studies and planning documents (development of the River Basin Management Plans, Groundwater Balance, Groundwater Monitoring
System Design); Development of groundwater monitoring and information system as a part of Water Management Information System;
Achievement of systemic and financial prerequisites for adequate use and protection of groundwater resources;
Development of regional groundwater sources (regional water supply systems for Vojvodina, review and upgrading of sources for Belgrade’s
water supply, improvement of water supply in the Morava valley); Improvement of protection of groundwater bodies and protection of groundwater sources of water supply.
Water for Sustainable Development and Adaptation to Climate Change
New UNESCO Category II Center established at the "Jaroslav Cerni" Institute for the Development of Water Resources, Belgrade, Serbia, with aim to: foster scientific coordination and exchange of information among different organizations involved in sustainable water resources management and the
development of adaptation strategies due to climate and social changes;
disseminate, generate and provide scientific and technical information on water resources management issues;
evaluate implications of global change and develop adaptation strategies through the design of new indicators;
promote development of regional research programs;
undertake effective capacity-building activities.