Water crisis hits home

by Jozsef Gayer

In Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), the need to address water problems is as urgent as anywhere else in the world. Broadly speaking, the region's problems include pollution and water quality deterioration, water resource issues and institutional and financial concerns.

Water problems in CEE
Ecosystems in CEE are at risk due to land conversion, changes in hydrological regimes, pollution by inadequately controlled agricultural discharges and the low level of wastewater collection and treatment. Water quality improvement and pollution control, including protection of surface and groundwater and the marine environment of the Baltic and Black seas, are urgent tasks for the region. Rehabilitation of degraded areas, such as old military camps and industrial sites, is also essential for preserving the region's water resources.

Another group of problems for the region involves coping with floods and droughts and satisfying water demands. Flood management is a constant concern in Poland, Lithuania and all countries located in the Danube River basin. But high water is a problem all over the region.

Ironically, long-term droughts are a problem in the same areas that are plagued by flooding. The total loss of water from plant transpiration and evaporation from the ground, known as "evapotranspiration," is high in several parts of the Danube Basin, and may exceed the total volume of precipitation. One example of a drought caused by evapotranspiration in CEE can be observed along the Tisza River, where the streams in the catchment area are low. In the Baltics, the annual runoff from the Vistula and Odra basins in dry years may be about 50 percent less than the mean annual value.

Water management in CEE
The institutional arrangements for managing water in CEE are too complicated, not transparent and not financially self-supporting, according to Janusz Kindler and Laszlo Somlyody, who contributed to the 2000 series of reports entitled Water for the 21st Century: Vision to Action. The principles of river basin management are well known across the region, and some countries even have river basin agencies. But those agencies are often not well incorporated into the overall government structure, according to Kindler and Somlyody.

The situation is expected to improve as the countries of the region seek to align themselves with the European Union's Water Framework Directive. The directive offers a clear mechanism for reform of institutions dealing with water management.

Because rivers in the region pass through many countries, flood control along them requires international solutions. In August 2002, Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy took steps toward achieving such a solution. He launched an initiative for regional cooperation in addressing floods among countries located in the Danube, Odra and Elbe river basins.

Paying for better management
Achieving alignment with EU regulations on water will be costly. Investment needs in the area of water supply and water sanitation are enormous in both the rural and urban areas of CEE. Kindler and Somlyody estimate that the investment required to meet EU directives ranges between USD 500 and 1,000 per capita in the countries of the region. This is obviously a huge sum when compared to the average, per-capita, gross domestic product of CEE countries.

Finding means for financing the work that is needed, and using subsidies efficiently, are therefore essential for countries seeking to accede to the EU. Developing the economies in this region could also make it easier for these countries to pay for improvements in their water infrastructure. And CEE countries will have to build their capacity to handle certain types of work, including integrated water resources management, environmental economics and wastewater management.

One important international effort that affects CEE directly is the EU Water Initiative, a strategic partnership between the EU, Africa and 12 countries from Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. The aim of this initiative is to create a higher efficiency of water-related development by providing a platform to coordinate and streamline activities. The EU, which says it is the largest donor in the field of water with an average of EUR 1.4 billion a year, has announced that it wants to serve as a major driving force to meet goals set at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in relation to water.

CEE countries are increasingly playing a role in international water initiatives. Along with these various international efforts, these countries are addressing water issues as they work toward compliance with the EU Water Framework Directive, which will reshape water protection and water management in the region.