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The Danube The Danube: Environmental monitoring of an international river By Libor Jansky, Masahiro Murakami, and Nevelina I. Pachova United Nations a University Press TOKYO u NEW YORK u PARIS ( The United Nations University, 2004 The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations University. United Nations University Press The United Nations University, 53-70, Jingumae 5-chome, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-8925, Japan Tel: þ81-3-3499-2811 Fax: þ81-3-3406-7345 E-mail: [email protected] General enquiries: [email protected] http://www.unu.edu United Nations University Office in North America 2 United Nations Plaza, Room DC2-2062, New York, NY 10017, USA Tel: þ1-212-963-6387 Fax: þ1-212-371-9454 E-mail: [email protected] United Nations University Press is the publishing division of the United Nations University. Cover design by Rebecca S. Neimark, Twenty-Six Letters Printed in Hong Kong UNUP-1061 ISBN 92-808-1061-8 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data The Danube : environmental monitoring of an international river / By Libor Jansky, Masahiro Murakami, and Nevelina I. Pachova. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 9280810618 (pbk.) 1. Water resources development—Political aspects—Danube River Region. 2. Water resources development—Environmental aspects—Danube River Region. 3. Environmental monitoring—Danube River Region. 4. Gabcˇı´kovo- Nagymaros Project. Title. I. Jansky, Libor. II. Murakami, Masahiro III. Pachova, Nevelina I. HD1697.5.D358J36 2004 333.91062 009496—dc22 2004004570 Contents Listoftables........................................................... viii Listoffigures.......................................................... ix Listofappendices..................................................... xi Acknowledgement. ................................................. xii Preface................................................................. xiii Chronology of events. ................................................. xvi 1 Introduction ......................................................... 1 Water– a blessingora curse.................................... 1 International freshwater management: Conflicts and resolutionmechanisms........................................... 2 The Gabcˇı´kovo-NagymarosProject(GNP)..................... 4 Environmentalmonitoring:A possiblesolution?............... 5 Whyandwhat?................................................... 6 2 Transboundary river problems ..................................... 9 3 The Gabcˇı´kovo-Nagymaros Project ............................... 12 Legalsetting...................................................... 12 v vi CONTENTS Physicalsetting .................................................. 16 Water management in the Danube River basin . .......... 16 PhysicalcharacteristicsofthemiddleDanube .............. 23 History of regulation works in the middle reaches of the Danube . ....................................................... 25 Physicalimpactsofearlyregulationworks.................. 26 Geopolitical setting. ...................................... 27 Technicalcharacteristics ........................................ 29 Environmental Impacts of GNP: conflicting claims. .......... 32 4 Environmental monitoring of an international river ............. 34 Principlesofenvironmentalmonitoring........................ 34 Joint environmental monitoring on areas affected by the Gabcˇı´kovo Part of the Gabcˇı´kovo-NagymarosProject........ 39 Legal and institutional framework and objectives. .......... 39 Technical and scientific information bases for assessment oftheenvironmentalimpactsoftheGNP................... 43 Hydrologicalregimeofsurfacewater..................... 48 Surfacewaterquality....................................... 50 Hydrological regime of groundwater . ................. 53 Groundwaterquality....................................... 59 Soilmonitoring............................................. 62 Forestmonitoring........................................... 68 Biotamonitoring............................................ 77 Other monitored components. ........................ 91 Jointmonitoringresults....................................... 96 Hydrologicalregimeofsurfacewater..................... 96 Surfacewaterquality....................................... 97 Hydrological regime of groundwater . ................. 98 Groundwaterquality....................................... 100 Soilmonitoring............................................. 100 Forestmonitoring........................................... 101 Biotamonitoring............................................ 102 Evaluationandrecommendations............................ 103 5 Managing international waters: Concluding remarks ............ 110 Acronymsandabbreviations......................................... 113 References............................................................ 115 CONTENTS vii Glossary................................................................ 129 Appendices ............................................................ 135 Index................................................................... 166 List of tables Table 1 Functions of rivers and related water quantity and qualityproblems......................................... 37 Table 2 Indicative variables related to water quality issues . 38 Table 3 List of stations for surface water level and discharge monitoring............................................... 51 Table 4 List of stations for surface water quality monitoring . 54 Table 5 Jointly agreed limits for surface water quality classification.............................................. 55 Table 6 List of stations for groundwater quality monitoring . 63 Table 7 Groundwater quality limits for drinking water. 64 Table8 Listofstationsforsoilmoisturemonitoring........... 69 Table9 Listofstationsforforestmonitoring................... 78 viii List of figures Figures followed by (c) are in color, grouped together in the center pages Figure1 TheDanubeRiverBasin................................. 17 Figure 2 Danube river profile: Dams along the river. ........... 20 Figure 3 Longitudinal cross section of the middle Danube . 24 Figure 4 The Gabcˇı´kovo-Nagymaros system of locks as originallydesigned........................................ 30 Figure 5 Gabcˇı´kovoPartoftheProject........................... (c) Figure 6 Surface water discharge at the Bratislava-Devı´n profile1993–1997......................................... (c) Figure 7 Surface water quantity: Joint monitoring network. (c) Figure 8 Surface water quality: Joint monitoring network . (c) Figure 9 Surface water and groundwater levels: Monitoring networkinSlovakia...................................... (c) Figure 10 Groundwater level differences between 1992 and 1962 (c) Figure 11 Groundwater level differences between 1995 and 1992 (c) Figure 12 Groundwater regime: Joint monitoring network . (c) Figure 13 Groundwater quality: Joint monitoring network . (c) Figure 14 Soil moisture monitoring: Joint monitoring network . (c) Figure 15 Soil moisture monitoring: Changes in the upper part of Zˇ itny´ Ostrov........................................... (c) Figure16 Forestmonitoring:Jointmonitoringnetwork........... (c) Figure 17 Monitoring of Biota: Joint monitoring network . (c) ix x LIST OF FIGURES Figure 18 Groundwater level differences between 1997 and 1993 (for Q ¼ 1000 m3=s)..................................... (c) Figure 19 Groundwater level differences between 1997 and 1993 (for Q ¼ 2000 m3=s)..................................... (c) Figure 20 Groundwater level differences between 1997 and 1993 (for Q ¼ 3000 m3=s)..................................... (c) List of appendices AppendixNo.1........................................................ 136 Treaty Concerning the Construction and Operation of the Gab- cˇı´kovo-Nagymaros System of Locks (Hungary/Czechoslovakia), signed in Budapest on 16 September 1977. [Reproduced from the text provided by the United Nations Treaty Series.] AppendixNo.2........................................................ 150 Special Agreement for Submission to the International Court of Justice of the Differences between the Republic of Hungary and the Slovak Republic Concerning the Gabcˇı´kovo-Nagymaros Project – jointly notified to the Court on 2 July 1993. [Repro- duced from the text provided by the Plenipotentiary of the Slovak Republic for the Construction and Operation of the Gabcˇı´kovo-Nagymaros Hydropower Scheme.] AppendixNo.3.......................................................