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Danube river basin: Progress with the environmental programme
~
Pergamon
Sci Tech Vol. 40, No. 10. pp. 1-8. 1999
PIT: S0273-1223(99)00666-6
Pnnled in Oreat Brita.n. All nghls reserved 0273- )223/99 $20.00 + 0 00
DANUBE RIVER BASIN: PROGRESS WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMME T. Botterweg* and D. W. Rodda** • Danube PCU, Vienna International Centre. P.D. Box 500. A-1400. Vienna. Austria **1. The Chestnuts. Walton-on-Thames. Surrey KTI2IEE.UK
ABSTRACT An Internationally funded Programme, involving the European Commission, the Global Environment Facility managed by UN Development Programme. the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconsttuction and Development, is addressing river basin problems in a unique situation. The solution of these should lead to the prevention of pollution and bener water quality. protected ecosystems, sustainable water resources and more effiCIent sewerage and waste water treatment facihties for the 90 million population hving in the region and the reduction of pollution impact on the Black Sea into which the Danube River flows. The paper introduces current Programme activities. the challenges being met and progress. Work is described for implementing a monitoring strategy, an accident emergency warning system and implementation of the 1994 Strategic Action Plan. The applied research activity is explained. The Programme is a major activity With many clements addressing a wide range of envll'onmental problems in the catchment of a major international waterway. iC 1999 Published by ElseVier Science Ltd on behalf of the IAWQ. All rights reserved
KEYWORDS Europe; Danube; environment; strategy; international co-operation. INTRODUCTION A previous paper, (Rodda, 1994), has provided infonnation about the early years of the Environmental Programme for the Danube River Basin. Funding of an international programme commenced in 1992 and, according to a work plan for the tasks to be implemented, the first phase ended in 1995. The work plan set out the objectives and tasks and detailed the co-ordination required. In this, responsibility for the Environmental Programme was given to a Task Force set up to steer the work and a Co-ordination Unit to deal with day-to-day matters and to manage the various projects. A total of II countries were involved. Funding has continued with support from European Commission Phare and Tacis programmes and the Global Environment Facility co-ordinated by the UN Development Programme (GEFIUNDP). The number of countries in the Programme increased to 12 when Bosnia-Herzegovina joined in 1996. Three main aspects drive the Environmental Programme forward. First evidence from investigations in the basin demonstrated the serious water pollution of many of the Danube's tributaries coupled with significant environmental degradation in the catchments. Action to reduce pollution is a priority and most significantly because of its impact on Black Sea water quality. Second the need to prepare and agree a basin-wide
2
T. BOTfERWEG and D. W. RODDA
strategy as a basis for future action. Third the riparian countries of the Danube basin countries signed a Convention on Co-operation for the Protection and Sustainable Use of the Danube River in Sofia, Bulgaria in June 1994. This will enter into force in October 1998. There is a need to strengthen the Institutes that should have responsibility for its implementation. Thus in the short-tenn, the objective is to establish a basis for integrated management of the environment in the catchment. In the long-tenn, the objective is to achieve sustainable use and development in the river basin. The imminent entry into force of the Convention and the 1994 Strategic Action Plan and its review enables the Danube countries to develop closer relationships with the international community in working towards the objectives agreed. The aim will be to handover Environmental Programme activities and results to the International Commission when it is ready. The main activities are briefly described in Table 1. Table I. Main programme activities TODi~lFundin.. A~cident Emerge~y Warmng
System. EClPhare Momtonng, Laboratory and Informanon Management. EC/Phare Apphed Research. EClPhare Pollution assessments and National ReVIews. Various InstItutIonal Development. GEF & EClPhare
1994 Strategic ACllon Plan.
GEF & EC/Phare Strategic ActIon Plan Implementation Pro-gramme EClPhare ITacis
Exnert Groun details AEWS Task Force Sub.Group estabhshed comprismg nparian country experts. Chaired bv a Hun..arian exnert. As AEWS, but dlfferent experts. Chaired by a Romanian expert. The organisation includes three working groups with specific tasks. Review workshops held as necessary.
Obiedive To enable a rapid, mternalIonal warning to be given of severe, accidental pollubon and other ernerl'.encies. To strengthen national and regIonal capacities for momtoring and to deliver infonnation for water quality management.
To support implementation of pnonty policy, lega~ and management action on environmental issues. All projects are defmed and managed by tbe To revIew all environment problems. GEF IS currently focussmg on tbe needs for fundmg age~ies witb tbe assistance of tbe IlOllution reduction throul!hout the Basin. Co-ordination Unit. All projects are defmed and managed by the To strengthen msntutlons, human resources Non-Governmental Organisations fundIDg agencIes with the assistance of the and (NGO) networks. To generate better Co-ordination Unit. policy awareness and environmental develonment within sector nunistries. Special group set up for the purpose m 1994; To prOVIde a comprehensive, forward· and regional for mel 6 limes and reported to tbe Task Force 3 looking strategy tunes. Next edition m preparatIon WIth GEF transboundary envIronmental action. fundln..; due 1999. AU projects are defined and managed by tbe Implementation of short and medium-tenn funding agencies WIth the assistance of the actions in 1994 StrategIc Action Plan. Co-ordination Unit.
Strategic action plan The Plan marked a major step forward for the Environmental Programme in 1994 and was well received by the I I Danube countries. All their Environment Ministers and the Environment Commissioner for the European Commission approved it. After considerable discussion the goals set were: • • • •
to reduce the negative impacts in the Danube River Basin and on river ecosystems and the Black Sea, to maintain and improve the availability and quality of water in the Danube River Basin, to establish the control of hazards from accidental spills, To develop regional water management co-operation.
In addition to these, it was decided that sewerage and wastewater treatment, discharges from industry, emissions from agriculture and the conservation and management of wetlands and floodplain areas should be the priorities for action, but to be reviewed periodically. In order to phase the work over time, 12 targets were set for the short-term (3 to S years), 12 for the medium-term (up to 10 years) and 3 for the long-term (even longer than 10 years). For meeting these, a range of actions was described for the five main actors (public authorities, municipal water companies,
Danube River Basin
3
industrial enterprises, the public and NGOs and agricultural enterprises), as these would be responsible for development and implementation of the solutions. Two aspects in the formulation of this Plan were vital. First, agreement had to be obtained between the countries on the overall strategy. The priority sectors, the targets and the actions had to be as realistic as possible, bearing in mind the legislative, administrative, technological, scientific and economic resources available in each country. Second, the appropriate links had to be established between the various actors and actions. An example of a matrix describing links between actors and actions in water management devised for the Programme and which gave direction to the targets and actions required, is given in Table 2. The drafting ofthis Plan was a major challenge; several workshops and discussions were held during 1994; many national and international experts were involved. All Programme reports were studied. A series of consultations with the public were arranged in each country with media in attendance. All this proceeded with no increase in co-ordinating staff resources. Table 2. Links between the actors and the actions to water management problems ACTORS Cities Public Authorities
·· · ·
Public & Private Enterprises
General Public &
NGOs
Invest m infrastructure Establish standards of drinking water service Ensure adequate pricing pohcies and tariffs Optimise water allocation and distribution
· ·
Operate waste waler treatment facilities Pre-treat industrial waste
·· · ·
Pay for water service Conserve water Adopt environmental consumption standards Manage household hazardous wastes Support effective regulations
·
· ,
·
· · · ·
· ·
ACTIONS Rural Towns and VillaEe5 Manage sanitalion and drinking water protection progranunes Optimise water allocation and distribution Develop local cooperation between neighbouring countries Control seepage from solid waste disPosal mto groundwater DISpose of hazardous waste safely Pay to protect drinking water sources Adopt environmental consumption standards Manage household and farm wastes Support effective regulations
Industry
· · · ·
Regulate hazardous waste Regulate waste water discharges Administer effective water and pollution fees Optimise water allocation and distribution
· ·
Pre-treat industrial waste Reduce and treat industrial waste
· ·
Support water quality objectives Support effective regulations
· ·
· ·
Agriculture and Livestock Admmister training and extension programmes Administer effective water fees Optimise water allocation and distribution
·
Adopt imported practices for use of fertilisers and agrochemicals Manage livestock manure
· · · ·
Support water quality objectives Manage livestock manure Promote organic fanning Support effective regulations
Indications on the usefulness of the 1994 Plan suggest that although good progress has been made on the development of a monitoring strategy and the set-up of an emergency warning system, meeting some of the other targets set became difficult without the financial requirements having been identified. The crucial aspect that led to difficulties was the time it took during 1995 for a range of National Action Plans for setting out nationally agreed priorities and estimated costs to be produced. This has now been addressed in the Global Environment Facilily-financed Pollution Reduction Programme. A further difficulty developed because ofthe slower rate at which international donors were able to commit grant funds for the work. Also, expectations in 1994 concerning the dale when the Convention would be ratified were aimed too high, so that legal basin-wide decisions could not be agreed. This has been settled, as the Convention is due to enter into force in October 1998. With a new set of National Action Plans in being, a second edition of the Strategic Action Plan due in 1999 and an International Commission to implement the Convention in place. better progress to meet objectives should be achieved over the next 5 years.
4
T. BOTTERWEG and D. W. RODDA
WATER QUALITY ISSUES Monitoring By 1994 decisions had been reached on an optimum monitoring strategy for the Transnational Monitoring Network (TNMN). The challenge to be met in such a river basin is to produce time-series of comparable data on water and sediment quality related to river flow and volume. These are required in order to produce realistic information on levels of pollution and loads of polluting substances passing international boundaries to infonn on progress to improve water quality and to implement the new Convention. The strategy involved establishing a network of stations (a total of 114 were fmally agreed based on existing sites) and National Reference Laboratories and Information Centres in countries to co-ordinate TNMN activities. The task for defining and implementing the various components of the strategy was assigned to an Expert Group (see Table 1). In order for progress to be made each Laboratory or Centre was fully equipped with 'state of the art' equipment for sampling, analysis and data management. Selected staff throughout the basin were trained in the necessary tests and routines. Senior managers responsible for water quality policy and management attended workshops on Total Water Quality management as practised in Western Europe. Representative databases are now being set up in each country. These will provide harmonised sets of data and reports for decision-makers and researchers. The value of the data will be enhanced using sophisticated statistical verification routines such as Aardvark, commercially available from WRc in the United Kingdom. There are seven main files in the database structure for determinand names, analytical methods, analysed data, analyst remarks, sampling data, sampling methods, descriptions of sampling stations and locations. Routines for the input of data cater for a wide range of formats in existing systems not derived from the TNMN via a data file exchange fonnat facility. The effort involved and continuing to establish this monitoring strategy is considerable. A high degree of co• operation has been necessary between all involved; this has been a remarkable feature of the work. Particular challenges involved; • • • •
achieving a consensus on laboratory practices; designing routines to accept non-TNMN data; commissioning sampling operations particularly where data on additional determinands are required; ensuring hannonised and verified sets of data become available and can be published.
The most significant challenge has been to merge the international and the various national strategies for monitoring in the basin and to encourage countries to meet the institutional and fmancial commitments involved. Linking the strategies can only take place as policies on water quality management are given sufficient priority and decision-makers and laboratory managers learn and modify practices and routines. Full benefits may take several years to be realised. Implementation and operation of the TNMN is, however, well advanced. Monitoring will soon become the full responsibility of the International Commission. Accident emergency warning system The System addresses the organisation and operation of integrated international and national alerting procedures, which are activated once notice of an accident of sudden pollution has been received. Its general objective is to increase public safety by protecting drinking water sources and other water uses. The system was commissioned in April 1997. The agreed requirements for the System set-up are: • •
Communicating infonnation according to a common fonnat about sudden changes in water characteristics (for example caused by accidental pollution or unpredictable changes in water level) particularly where significant adverse transboundary impact is threatened, Involving all riparian countries, the main river and its tributaries.
Danube River Basin
5
A series of Principal International Alert Centres referred to as PIACs, one in each of the Danube countries, is the operational unit responsible for co-ordinating all information and communications. An operations manual has been prepared for PIAC use. Operations are triggered by the receipt of a message from national, regional or district authorities or from a PIAC in one of the other riparian countries about an event or accident. PIACs operations include the following main tasks: •
• •
Communicate information internationally in an agreed common format and agreed languages on reported sudden pollution incidents affecting waters in the Danube catchment by satellite reliably and without delay on a 24-hour basis; With the support of a specially designed model (The Danube Basin Alarm Model - see reference to Applied Research) to simulate the movements of spilled substances, experts assess the effects or impact of reported accidental pollution; Make decisions on action to be taken.
The System is modelled on the one operating in the Rhine catchment. Effective operation of the alarm system will depend on the Danube countries' own resources to meet the institutional and financial challenges involved in maintaining the system and improving its capabilities as new methods for simulating the effects of pollution events are researched and better communications become available. The System has been operational since April 1997. Currently efforts are applied to improving the operations and the value of the Danube Alarm model. IMPLEMENTAnON OF THE 1994 STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN Strategic action Implementation Programme Details of the Implementation Programme were approved at the Task Force meeting in July 1996 and the projects are being commissioned, as funds become available. Nearly 50 projepts have been devised by the Danube countries. To qualify for international funding the topics selected addressed particular cross border concerns or environmental issues common in the basin. Examples of topics addressed include the need for neighbouring countries sharing a particular sub-basin to agree on water rights and the evaluation of the feasibility of cleaner manufacturing processes in industry as industrial waste is the main source of toxic micropollutants in the Danube River system. The concept for the Implementation Programme was based on the premise that there are several significant environment problems in the basin that can be grouped according to their concern and within each group, projects can be clustered to form a coherent and multi-national suite. The projects were based on selected tributaries across the basin so that all countries are involved. Table 3 below shows how a matrix for the projects was constructed; the shading shows the tributary basins selected for action. Table 3. Selected tributaries and their riparian countries Tisza Austria Czech R Slovakia Slovenia Croatia Hun a Ukraine Romania Moldova Bul aria
Prut
Jiu
Yantra
6
T. BOTTERWEG and D. W. RODDA
Project proposals were canvassed from riparian states and grouped according to a particular priority to be ad~essed. Some involve a high degree of international co-operation while others focus on problems at a ?atlOnal level of concern as a demonstration for other Danube countries. The Implementation Programme mcludes for support to the continuing basin-wide projects for implementing a monitoring strategy, an early warning system, the inventory of priority pollutants and the range of public relations projects such as the production ofnewsletters e. g. Danube Watch. The result ofthis unique approach is a grouping ofprojects as follows: • • • • •
Contaminants and Public Health for focussing on the impact ofpollution on human health; Sustainable Land Use for examining appropriate sustainable land use practices; Sustainable Use of Water Resources for developing international co-operation in water management and the resolving competing interests; Wetlands and Nature Conservation for demonstrating the value of wetlands as natural systems for moderating the impact of water pollution especially from diffuse run-off; Institutional Capacity Building for solving organisational and social concerns through the raising of awareness on the effects of pollution and how to prevent and reduce it, and achieving co-operation across borders to deal with mutual environmental problems
One example of a project in the Sustainable Use of Water Resources group aims to demonstrate the value of integrated water management in a river system. Such a need exists in the Tisza River, a major tributary flowing from Northern Ukraine through Hungary and joining the Danube in Yugoslavia. There are tributaries of the Tisza flowing from Slovakia and Romania. A project has been devised and is supported by the EC Phare and Tacis programmes to promote international co-operation in this catchment and to identify the conlent of an integrated plan for the sub-basin that is in compliance with the proposed EC Water Framework Directive. The project will involve all Tisza basin countries except downstream Yugoslavia, as it does not receive support under the EC Phare Programme. Yugoslavia is invited to participate in the project at its own cost. Issues to be addressed include water quality management, resource allocation, navigation needs and flood control, river basin planning, financial planning and social, economic and development issues. The project started in 1998 and the main output will be the Tisza River Basin Management Plan. In another project under the Contaminants and Human Health group, a study has been commissioned by Phare to evaluate the feasibility of cleaner manufacturing processes and treating industrial wastes within the municipal system or separately. The results of this project will provide guidance on the removal of toxic micropollutants currently entering rivers in the Danube catchment.
Progress to commission the projects involved is dictated by the available donor funds. The projects commissioned so far are few and are in mid-term; useful results are expected over the next 12 months. They are all supported by the EC Phare and Tacis programmes. APPLIED RESEARCH The overall aim of the Applied Research in the Environmental Programme was to provide policy makers with the scientific information they needed to develop environmentally sound management in the Basin. The policy of involving Danube Research Institutes in the work meant that projects were awarded to consortia of research institutes thereby encouraging co-operation among scientists in the basin and the application of funds to strengthen the Institutes' capacity. All 14 projects were supported by EC Phare and were awarded following competitive tender action altogether involving some SO or more Institutes. The co-operation achieved in the basin has proved to be very successful and is a highlight of this activity. The projects were as follows (with the appointed contractors): • • •
Quality of sediments and bio monitoring. Vituki Pic., Hungary. Impact of radionuclides in surface waters and sediments. Vituki PIc., Hungary. Nutrient application in agriculture: protection of water resources against diffuse nutrient pollution. ISPIF SA, Romania.
Danube River Basin
• • • • • • • • • •
7
Removal of phosphates from detergents. Senator Consult, Hungary. Biodiversity study of the Danube River. Comenius University, Slovak Republic. Present and possible future role in nutrient removal from surface water in wetlands, floodplains and reservoirs. Research and Engineering Institute for Environment, Romania. Slovak Ecological risk assessment of pollution by heavy metals and organic pollutants. Hydrometeorological Institute, Slovak Republic. Water quality targets and objectives for surface waters. Vituki Pic., Hungary. Danube regional pesticides study. National Centre of Hygiene, Bulgaria. Setting-up demonstration centres for sustainable agriculture in the Danube basin and regional study on market aspects. ETC Leusden, The Netherlands. EROS 2000 (Romania) and EROS 2000 (Bulgaria). National Institute of Marine Geology and GeoEcology, Romania and Institute of Oceanology, Bulgaria. Development of a Danube basin alarm model in support of the Accident Emergency Waming System. Vituki, Hungary. Nutrient balances for Danube countries and options for surface and groundwater protection. Technical University Vienna, Austria.
The content of the projects had been recommended at a Workshop in July 1994 by a consensus of Danube country experts drawn from the riparian countries. The projects were commissioned in 1995 and project periods ranged from 6 months to 4 years. In 1997 a conference was organised at Sinaia, Romania where project managers presented results and agreed upon future key actions in applied research. All these projects have been completed, but it is intended to continue to commission research as long as funding is available. A key project was to develop a Danube Basin Alarm Model in support of the Accident Emergency Waming System. The objective was to simulate the transport and decay of substances released during accidental spills. The information generated would enhance communication of knowledge about incidents and support assessment ofthe consequences. Most specifically, the model would provide a quick insight into the location of the material in the spillage, in the concentrations to be expected and in the probable length of the plume. The model design was based on the experiences from the Rhine River and the useful support was received from the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine and The Netherlands. The outputs of the model include spatial distributions along the main axes presented as a colouring of river stretches by an on• screen map; and on screen, in print as graph and in tabular form, the outputs also comprised spatial distributions along the main river axis for a user-selected path, spatial distributions between river banks for user-selected locations, time functions of concentrations for user-selected locations on the axis of the river system. Subject to further funds being made available the model calibration can be improved by applying the results of specific tracer measurements in order to obtain detailed information on dispersal processes. The Sinaia meeting concluded by recommending topics for future research as follows: • • • •
river basin planning and basin-wide management systems having regard to the proposed EC Water Framework Directive; priorities for erosion and sedimentation an ecological approach for water quality assessment emission control for effluent discharges and master planning for wastewater treatment
Overall, the Applied Research activity has demonstrated the benefits of deploying the wide range of environmental expertise available in the basin and has produced some valuable work. The resources applied have been well spent in bringing the expertise together in jointly managed projects. It is expected that research projects will continue, as funds become available. Even closer links between the research and the priorities for action underlined in the Strategic Action Plans should enable new projects to point the way forward to the solution of the major issues of concern.
8
T. BOTTERWEG and D. W. RODDA
REGIONAL CO-OPERAnON The Danube River Protection Convention The Danube River Protection Convention is planned to enter into force in the course of October 1998 as nine countries have ratified. The ratification process is also in a final stage in Bulgaria and Moldova, leaving Ukraine as the last potential member that still has to make considerable progress to complete ratification. During the last two years many efforts have been made by the interim International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River with support by the EC Phare programme, to have everything prepared for an immediate transfer of tasks from the Environmental Programme to the International Commission. This implies that as soon as the International Commission is officially installed, the Task Force Expert Sub• groups will immediately become Expert Groups under the direction of the International Commission. Furthermore an Emission Expert-group and a Strategic and Legal Expert-group has been established under the International Commission. The Environmental Programme Task Force will then cease to exist and will become an advisory body to the International Commission called the Programme Management Task Force (PMTF). The PMTF will work alongside the International Commission to develop action programmes, to co-ordinate donor assistance and to search for investors and funds. The Co-ordination Unit will remain in place to accommodate staff appointed by donors, which are active in the support of the Convention. A new aspect of regional co-operation is the creation of an international platform for the whole Black Sea watershed. As a first step, a Technical Working Group has been formed to enquire into harmonisation of methods and results. It is expected that this initiative, presently supported by the GEF programme and UNEP, will finally result in the establishment of a permanent for Black Sea basin-wide co-operation. CONCLUDING REMARKS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Since the Danube Environmental Programme started in 1992 there has been a gradual improvement in the people-driven capacity and the development and implementation of technical/scientific measures for achieving environmental improvements. This has been accompanied by a gradual increase in the level of co• operation being achieved. Thus in October 1998 there is a real opportunity that full co-operation under the direction of a legally based International Commission will be noticed. This is considered to be one of the main achievements. The EU enlargement process is another bonding process, which should aid the basin• wide action required. Slovenia, Czech Republic, Hungary in the Danube basin are among the lead countries for joining. The accession process is designed to merge these countries environmental laws among others with those of the EU. The authors of this paper acknowledge the helpful co-operation of alI colleagues involved in Environmental Programme in various ways and particularly members of the Task Force, the EC Phare and Tacis aid programmes and the GEF management. The views expressed in the paper are those of the authors and do not represent the views of Environmental Programme funders or the Danube Institutes participating. REFERENCES Rodda, D. W. (1994). The Environmental Programme for the Danube River Basin. Wat. Sci. Tech., 30(5),135-145. Report by the Task Force for the Environmental Programme for the Danube River Basin.• Annual Reports for 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 for the Environmental Programme submitted to the Task Force.• Proceedings of the Danube Applied Research Conference (1997), held at Sinaia, Rornama.• Convention on Co-operation for the Protection and Sustainable Use ofthe Danube River (1994).·
Strategic Action Plan for the Danube River Basin. 1995-2005 (1994).
(* these documents are lodged in the library of the Co-ordination Unit in Vienna)
Pergamon
Sci Tech Vol. 40, No. 10. pp. 1-8. 1999
PIT: S0273-1223(99)00666-6
Pnnled in Oreat Brita.n. All nghls reserved 0273- )223/99 $20.00 + 0 00
DANUBE RIVER BASIN: PROGRESS WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMME T. Botterweg* and D. W. Rodda** • Danube PCU, Vienna International Centre. P.D. Box 500. A-1400. Vienna. Austria **1. The Chestnuts. Walton-on-Thames. Surrey KTI2IEE.UK
ABSTRACT An Internationally funded Programme, involving the European Commission, the Global Environment Facility managed by UN Development Programme. the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconsttuction and Development, is addressing river basin problems in a unique situation. The solution of these should lead to the prevention of pollution and bener water quality. protected ecosystems, sustainable water resources and more effiCIent sewerage and waste water treatment facihties for the 90 million population hving in the region and the reduction of pollution impact on the Black Sea into which the Danube River flows. The paper introduces current Programme activities. the challenges being met and progress. Work is described for implementing a monitoring strategy, an accident emergency warning system and implementation of the 1994 Strategic Action Plan. The applied research activity is explained. The Programme is a major activity With many clements addressing a wide range of envll'onmental problems in the catchment of a major international waterway. iC 1999 Published by ElseVier Science Ltd on behalf of the IAWQ. All rights reserved
KEYWORDS Europe; Danube; environment; strategy; international co-operation. INTRODUCTION A previous paper, (Rodda, 1994), has provided infonnation about the early years of the Environmental Programme for the Danube River Basin. Funding of an international programme commenced in 1992 and, according to a work plan for the tasks to be implemented, the first phase ended in 1995. The work plan set out the objectives and tasks and detailed the co-ordination required. In this, responsibility for the Environmental Programme was given to a Task Force set up to steer the work and a Co-ordination Unit to deal with day-to-day matters and to manage the various projects. A total of II countries were involved. Funding has continued with support from European Commission Phare and Tacis programmes and the Global Environment Facility co-ordinated by the UN Development Programme (GEFIUNDP). The number of countries in the Programme increased to 12 when Bosnia-Herzegovina joined in 1996. Three main aspects drive the Environmental Programme forward. First evidence from investigations in the basin demonstrated the serious water pollution of many of the Danube's tributaries coupled with significant environmental degradation in the catchments. Action to reduce pollution is a priority and most significantly because of its impact on Black Sea water quality. Second the need to prepare and agree a basin-wide
2
T. BOTfERWEG and D. W. RODDA
strategy as a basis for future action. Third the riparian countries of the Danube basin countries signed a Convention on Co-operation for the Protection and Sustainable Use of the Danube River in Sofia, Bulgaria in June 1994. This will enter into force in October 1998. There is a need to strengthen the Institutes that should have responsibility for its implementation. Thus in the short-tenn, the objective is to establish a basis for integrated management of the environment in the catchment. In the long-tenn, the objective is to achieve sustainable use and development in the river basin. The imminent entry into force of the Convention and the 1994 Strategic Action Plan and its review enables the Danube countries to develop closer relationships with the international community in working towards the objectives agreed. The aim will be to handover Environmental Programme activities and results to the International Commission when it is ready. The main activities are briefly described in Table 1. Table I. Main programme activities TODi~lFundin.. A~cident Emerge~y Warmng
System. EClPhare Momtonng, Laboratory and Informanon Management. EC/Phare Apphed Research. EClPhare Pollution assessments and National ReVIews. Various InstItutIonal Development. GEF & EClPhare
1994 Strategic ACllon Plan.
GEF & EC/Phare Strategic ActIon Plan Implementation Pro-gramme EClPhare ITacis
Exnert Groun details AEWS Task Force Sub.Group estabhshed comprismg nparian country experts. Chaired bv a Hun..arian exnert. As AEWS, but dlfferent experts. Chaired by a Romanian expert. The organisation includes three working groups with specific tasks. Review workshops held as necessary.
Obiedive To enable a rapid, mternalIonal warning to be given of severe, accidental pollubon and other ernerl'.encies. To strengthen national and regIonal capacities for momtoring and to deliver infonnation for water quality management.
To support implementation of pnonty policy, lega~ and management action on environmental issues. All projects are defmed and managed by tbe To revIew all environment problems. GEF IS currently focussmg on tbe needs for fundmg age~ies witb tbe assistance of tbe IlOllution reduction throul!hout the Basin. Co-ordination Unit. All projects are defmed and managed by the To strengthen msntutlons, human resources Non-Governmental Organisations fundIDg agencIes with the assistance of the and (NGO) networks. To generate better Co-ordination Unit. policy awareness and environmental develonment within sector nunistries. Special group set up for the purpose m 1994; To prOVIde a comprehensive, forward· and regional for mel 6 limes and reported to tbe Task Force 3 looking strategy tunes. Next edition m preparatIon WIth GEF transboundary envIronmental action. fundln..; due 1999. AU projects are defined and managed by tbe Implementation of short and medium-tenn funding agencies WIth the assistance of the actions in 1994 StrategIc Action Plan. Co-ordination Unit.
Strategic action plan The Plan marked a major step forward for the Environmental Programme in 1994 and was well received by the I I Danube countries. All their Environment Ministers and the Environment Commissioner for the European Commission approved it. After considerable discussion the goals set were: • • • •
to reduce the negative impacts in the Danube River Basin and on river ecosystems and the Black Sea, to maintain and improve the availability and quality of water in the Danube River Basin, to establish the control of hazards from accidental spills, To develop regional water management co-operation.
In addition to these, it was decided that sewerage and wastewater treatment, discharges from industry, emissions from agriculture and the conservation and management of wetlands and floodplain areas should be the priorities for action, but to be reviewed periodically. In order to phase the work over time, 12 targets were set for the short-term (3 to S years), 12 for the medium-term (up to 10 years) and 3 for the long-term (even longer than 10 years). For meeting these, a range of actions was described for the five main actors (public authorities, municipal water companies,
Danube River Basin
3
industrial enterprises, the public and NGOs and agricultural enterprises), as these would be responsible for development and implementation of the solutions. Two aspects in the formulation of this Plan were vital. First, agreement had to be obtained between the countries on the overall strategy. The priority sectors, the targets and the actions had to be as realistic as possible, bearing in mind the legislative, administrative, technological, scientific and economic resources available in each country. Second, the appropriate links had to be established between the various actors and actions. An example of a matrix describing links between actors and actions in water management devised for the Programme and which gave direction to the targets and actions required, is given in Table 2. The drafting ofthis Plan was a major challenge; several workshops and discussions were held during 1994; many national and international experts were involved. All Programme reports were studied. A series of consultations with the public were arranged in each country with media in attendance. All this proceeded with no increase in co-ordinating staff resources. Table 2. Links between the actors and the actions to water management problems ACTORS Cities Public Authorities
·· · ·
Public & Private Enterprises
General Public &
NGOs
Invest m infrastructure Establish standards of drinking water service Ensure adequate pricing pohcies and tariffs Optimise water allocation and distribution
· ·
Operate waste waler treatment facilities Pre-treat industrial waste
·· · ·
Pay for water service Conserve water Adopt environmental consumption standards Manage household hazardous wastes Support effective regulations
·
· ,
·
· · · ·
· ·
ACTIONS Rural Towns and VillaEe5 Manage sanitalion and drinking water protection progranunes Optimise water allocation and distribution Develop local cooperation between neighbouring countries Control seepage from solid waste disPosal mto groundwater DISpose of hazardous waste safely Pay to protect drinking water sources Adopt environmental consumption standards Manage household and farm wastes Support effective regulations
Industry
· · · ·
Regulate hazardous waste Regulate waste water discharges Administer effective water and pollution fees Optimise water allocation and distribution
· ·
Pre-treat industrial waste Reduce and treat industrial waste
· ·
Support water quality objectives Support effective regulations
· ·
· ·
Agriculture and Livestock Admmister training and extension programmes Administer effective water fees Optimise water allocation and distribution
·
Adopt imported practices for use of fertilisers and agrochemicals Manage livestock manure
· · · ·
Support water quality objectives Manage livestock manure Promote organic fanning Support effective regulations
Indications on the usefulness of the 1994 Plan suggest that although good progress has been made on the development of a monitoring strategy and the set-up of an emergency warning system, meeting some of the other targets set became difficult without the financial requirements having been identified. The crucial aspect that led to difficulties was the time it took during 1995 for a range of National Action Plans for setting out nationally agreed priorities and estimated costs to be produced. This has now been addressed in the Global Environment Facilily-financed Pollution Reduction Programme. A further difficulty developed because ofthe slower rate at which international donors were able to commit grant funds for the work. Also, expectations in 1994 concerning the dale when the Convention would be ratified were aimed too high, so that legal basin-wide decisions could not be agreed. This has been settled, as the Convention is due to enter into force in October 1998. With a new set of National Action Plans in being, a second edition of the Strategic Action Plan due in 1999 and an International Commission to implement the Convention in place. better progress to meet objectives should be achieved over the next 5 years.
4
T. BOTTERWEG and D. W. RODDA
WATER QUALITY ISSUES Monitoring By 1994 decisions had been reached on an optimum monitoring strategy for the Transnational Monitoring Network (TNMN). The challenge to be met in such a river basin is to produce time-series of comparable data on water and sediment quality related to river flow and volume. These are required in order to produce realistic information on levels of pollution and loads of polluting substances passing international boundaries to infonn on progress to improve water quality and to implement the new Convention. The strategy involved establishing a network of stations (a total of 114 were fmally agreed based on existing sites) and National Reference Laboratories and Information Centres in countries to co-ordinate TNMN activities. The task for defining and implementing the various components of the strategy was assigned to an Expert Group (see Table 1). In order for progress to be made each Laboratory or Centre was fully equipped with 'state of the art' equipment for sampling, analysis and data management. Selected staff throughout the basin were trained in the necessary tests and routines. Senior managers responsible for water quality policy and management attended workshops on Total Water Quality management as practised in Western Europe. Representative databases are now being set up in each country. These will provide harmonised sets of data and reports for decision-makers and researchers. The value of the data will be enhanced using sophisticated statistical verification routines such as Aardvark, commercially available from WRc in the United Kingdom. There are seven main files in the database structure for determinand names, analytical methods, analysed data, analyst remarks, sampling data, sampling methods, descriptions of sampling stations and locations. Routines for the input of data cater for a wide range of formats in existing systems not derived from the TNMN via a data file exchange fonnat facility. The effort involved and continuing to establish this monitoring strategy is considerable. A high degree of co• operation has been necessary between all involved; this has been a remarkable feature of the work. Particular challenges involved; • • • •
achieving a consensus on laboratory practices; designing routines to accept non-TNMN data; commissioning sampling operations particularly where data on additional determinands are required; ensuring hannonised and verified sets of data become available and can be published.
The most significant challenge has been to merge the international and the various national strategies for monitoring in the basin and to encourage countries to meet the institutional and fmancial commitments involved. Linking the strategies can only take place as policies on water quality management are given sufficient priority and decision-makers and laboratory managers learn and modify practices and routines. Full benefits may take several years to be realised. Implementation and operation of the TNMN is, however, well advanced. Monitoring will soon become the full responsibility of the International Commission. Accident emergency warning system The System addresses the organisation and operation of integrated international and national alerting procedures, which are activated once notice of an accident of sudden pollution has been received. Its general objective is to increase public safety by protecting drinking water sources and other water uses. The system was commissioned in April 1997. The agreed requirements for the System set-up are: • •
Communicating infonnation according to a common fonnat about sudden changes in water characteristics (for example caused by accidental pollution or unpredictable changes in water level) particularly where significant adverse transboundary impact is threatened, Involving all riparian countries, the main river and its tributaries.
Danube River Basin
5
A series of Principal International Alert Centres referred to as PIACs, one in each of the Danube countries, is the operational unit responsible for co-ordinating all information and communications. An operations manual has been prepared for PIAC use. Operations are triggered by the receipt of a message from national, regional or district authorities or from a PIAC in one of the other riparian countries about an event or accident. PIACs operations include the following main tasks: •
• •
Communicate information internationally in an agreed common format and agreed languages on reported sudden pollution incidents affecting waters in the Danube catchment by satellite reliably and without delay on a 24-hour basis; With the support of a specially designed model (The Danube Basin Alarm Model - see reference to Applied Research) to simulate the movements of spilled substances, experts assess the effects or impact of reported accidental pollution; Make decisions on action to be taken.
The System is modelled on the one operating in the Rhine catchment. Effective operation of the alarm system will depend on the Danube countries' own resources to meet the institutional and financial challenges involved in maintaining the system and improving its capabilities as new methods for simulating the effects of pollution events are researched and better communications become available. The System has been operational since April 1997. Currently efforts are applied to improving the operations and the value of the Danube Alarm model. IMPLEMENTAnON OF THE 1994 STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN Strategic action Implementation Programme Details of the Implementation Programme were approved at the Task Force meeting in July 1996 and the projects are being commissioned, as funds become available. Nearly 50 projepts have been devised by the Danube countries. To qualify for international funding the topics selected addressed particular cross border concerns or environmental issues common in the basin. Examples of topics addressed include the need for neighbouring countries sharing a particular sub-basin to agree on water rights and the evaluation of the feasibility of cleaner manufacturing processes in industry as industrial waste is the main source of toxic micropollutants in the Danube River system. The concept for the Implementation Programme was based on the premise that there are several significant environment problems in the basin that can be grouped according to their concern and within each group, projects can be clustered to form a coherent and multi-national suite. The projects were based on selected tributaries across the basin so that all countries are involved. Table 3 below shows how a matrix for the projects was constructed; the shading shows the tributary basins selected for action. Table 3. Selected tributaries and their riparian countries Tisza Austria Czech R Slovakia Slovenia Croatia Hun a Ukraine Romania Moldova Bul aria
Prut
Jiu
Yantra
6
T. BOTTERWEG and D. W. RODDA
Project proposals were canvassed from riparian states and grouped according to a particular priority to be ad~essed. Some involve a high degree of international co-operation while others focus on problems at a ?atlOnal level of concern as a demonstration for other Danube countries. The Implementation Programme mcludes for support to the continuing basin-wide projects for implementing a monitoring strategy, an early warning system, the inventory of priority pollutants and the range of public relations projects such as the production ofnewsletters e. g. Danube Watch. The result ofthis unique approach is a grouping ofprojects as follows: • • • • •
Contaminants and Public Health for focussing on the impact ofpollution on human health; Sustainable Land Use for examining appropriate sustainable land use practices; Sustainable Use of Water Resources for developing international co-operation in water management and the resolving competing interests; Wetlands and Nature Conservation for demonstrating the value of wetlands as natural systems for moderating the impact of water pollution especially from diffuse run-off; Institutional Capacity Building for solving organisational and social concerns through the raising of awareness on the effects of pollution and how to prevent and reduce it, and achieving co-operation across borders to deal with mutual environmental problems
One example of a project in the Sustainable Use of Water Resources group aims to demonstrate the value of integrated water management in a river system. Such a need exists in the Tisza River, a major tributary flowing from Northern Ukraine through Hungary and joining the Danube in Yugoslavia. There are tributaries of the Tisza flowing from Slovakia and Romania. A project has been devised and is supported by the EC Phare and Tacis programmes to promote international co-operation in this catchment and to identify the conlent of an integrated plan for the sub-basin that is in compliance with the proposed EC Water Framework Directive. The project will involve all Tisza basin countries except downstream Yugoslavia, as it does not receive support under the EC Phare Programme. Yugoslavia is invited to participate in the project at its own cost. Issues to be addressed include water quality management, resource allocation, navigation needs and flood control, river basin planning, financial planning and social, economic and development issues. The project started in 1998 and the main output will be the Tisza River Basin Management Plan. In another project under the Contaminants and Human Health group, a study has been commissioned by Phare to evaluate the feasibility of cleaner manufacturing processes and treating industrial wastes within the municipal system or separately. The results of this project will provide guidance on the removal of toxic micropollutants currently entering rivers in the Danube catchment.
Progress to commission the projects involved is dictated by the available donor funds. The projects commissioned so far are few and are in mid-term; useful results are expected over the next 12 months. They are all supported by the EC Phare and Tacis programmes. APPLIED RESEARCH The overall aim of the Applied Research in the Environmental Programme was to provide policy makers with the scientific information they needed to develop environmentally sound management in the Basin. The policy of involving Danube Research Institutes in the work meant that projects were awarded to consortia of research institutes thereby encouraging co-operation among scientists in the basin and the application of funds to strengthen the Institutes' capacity. All 14 projects were supported by EC Phare and were awarded following competitive tender action altogether involving some SO or more Institutes. The co-operation achieved in the basin has proved to be very successful and is a highlight of this activity. The projects were as follows (with the appointed contractors): • • •
Quality of sediments and bio monitoring. Vituki Pic., Hungary. Impact of radionuclides in surface waters and sediments. Vituki PIc., Hungary. Nutrient application in agriculture: protection of water resources against diffuse nutrient pollution. ISPIF SA, Romania.
Danube River Basin
• • • • • • • • • •
7
Removal of phosphates from detergents. Senator Consult, Hungary. Biodiversity study of the Danube River. Comenius University, Slovak Republic. Present and possible future role in nutrient removal from surface water in wetlands, floodplains and reservoirs. Research and Engineering Institute for Environment, Romania. Slovak Ecological risk assessment of pollution by heavy metals and organic pollutants. Hydrometeorological Institute, Slovak Republic. Water quality targets and objectives for surface waters. Vituki Pic., Hungary. Danube regional pesticides study. National Centre of Hygiene, Bulgaria. Setting-up demonstration centres for sustainable agriculture in the Danube basin and regional study on market aspects. ETC Leusden, The Netherlands. EROS 2000 (Romania) and EROS 2000 (Bulgaria). National Institute of Marine Geology and GeoEcology, Romania and Institute of Oceanology, Bulgaria. Development of a Danube basin alarm model in support of the Accident Emergency Waming System. Vituki, Hungary. Nutrient balances for Danube countries and options for surface and groundwater protection. Technical University Vienna, Austria.
The content of the projects had been recommended at a Workshop in July 1994 by a consensus of Danube country experts drawn from the riparian countries. The projects were commissioned in 1995 and project periods ranged from 6 months to 4 years. In 1997 a conference was organised at Sinaia, Romania where project managers presented results and agreed upon future key actions in applied research. All these projects have been completed, but it is intended to continue to commission research as long as funding is available. A key project was to develop a Danube Basin Alarm Model in support of the Accident Emergency Waming System. The objective was to simulate the transport and decay of substances released during accidental spills. The information generated would enhance communication of knowledge about incidents and support assessment ofthe consequences. Most specifically, the model would provide a quick insight into the location of the material in the spillage, in the concentrations to be expected and in the probable length of the plume. The model design was based on the experiences from the Rhine River and the useful support was received from the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine and The Netherlands. The outputs of the model include spatial distributions along the main axes presented as a colouring of river stretches by an on• screen map; and on screen, in print as graph and in tabular form, the outputs also comprised spatial distributions along the main river axis for a user-selected path, spatial distributions between river banks for user-selected locations, time functions of concentrations for user-selected locations on the axis of the river system. Subject to further funds being made available the model calibration can be improved by applying the results of specific tracer measurements in order to obtain detailed information on dispersal processes. The Sinaia meeting concluded by recommending topics for future research as follows: • • • •
river basin planning and basin-wide management systems having regard to the proposed EC Water Framework Directive; priorities for erosion and sedimentation an ecological approach for water quality assessment emission control for effluent discharges and master planning for wastewater treatment
Overall, the Applied Research activity has demonstrated the benefits of deploying the wide range of environmental expertise available in the basin and has produced some valuable work. The resources applied have been well spent in bringing the expertise together in jointly managed projects. It is expected that research projects will continue, as funds become available. Even closer links between the research and the priorities for action underlined in the Strategic Action Plans should enable new projects to point the way forward to the solution of the major issues of concern.
8
T. BOTTERWEG and D. W. RODDA
REGIONAL CO-OPERAnON The Danube River Protection Convention The Danube River Protection Convention is planned to enter into force in the course of October 1998 as nine countries have ratified. The ratification process is also in a final stage in Bulgaria and Moldova, leaving Ukraine as the last potential member that still has to make considerable progress to complete ratification. During the last two years many efforts have been made by the interim International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River with support by the EC Phare programme, to have everything prepared for an immediate transfer of tasks from the Environmental Programme to the International Commission. This implies that as soon as the International Commission is officially installed, the Task Force Expert Sub• groups will immediately become Expert Groups under the direction of the International Commission. Furthermore an Emission Expert-group and a Strategic and Legal Expert-group has been established under the International Commission. The Environmental Programme Task Force will then cease to exist and will become an advisory body to the International Commission called the Programme Management Task Force (PMTF). The PMTF will work alongside the International Commission to develop action programmes, to co-ordinate donor assistance and to search for investors and funds. The Co-ordination Unit will remain in place to accommodate staff appointed by donors, which are active in the support of the Convention. A new aspect of regional co-operation is the creation of an international platform for the whole Black Sea watershed. As a first step, a Technical Working Group has been formed to enquire into harmonisation of methods and results. It is expected that this initiative, presently supported by the GEF programme and UNEP, will finally result in the establishment of a permanent for Black Sea basin-wide co-operation. CONCLUDING REMARKS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Since the Danube Environmental Programme started in 1992 there has been a gradual improvement in the people-driven capacity and the development and implementation of technical/scientific measures for achieving environmental improvements. This has been accompanied by a gradual increase in the level of co• operation being achieved. Thus in October 1998 there is a real opportunity that full co-operation under the direction of a legally based International Commission will be noticed. This is considered to be one of the main achievements. The EU enlargement process is another bonding process, which should aid the basin• wide action required. Slovenia, Czech Republic, Hungary in the Danube basin are among the lead countries for joining. The accession process is designed to merge these countries environmental laws among others with those of the EU. The authors of this paper acknowledge the helpful co-operation of alI colleagues involved in Environmental Programme in various ways and particularly members of the Task Force, the EC Phare and Tacis aid programmes and the GEF management. The views expressed in the paper are those of the authors and do not represent the views of Environmental Programme funders or the Danube Institutes participating. REFERENCES Rodda, D. W. (1994). The Environmental Programme for the Danube River Basin. Wat. Sci. Tech., 30(5),135-145. Report by the Task Force for the Environmental Programme for the Danube River Basin.• Annual Reports for 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 for the Environmental Programme submitted to the Task Force.• Proceedings of the Danube Applied Research Conference (1997), held at Sinaia, Rornama.• Convention on Co-operation for the Protection and Sustainable Use ofthe Danube River (1994).·
Strategic Action Plan for the Danube River Basin. 1995-2005 (1994).
(* these documents are lodged in the library of the Co-ordination Unit in Vienna)