The net

work ne

wsletter

RIOB

INBO

RIOC

RESEAU INTERNATIONALDES ORGANISMES DE BASSIN

4th QUARTER OF 1996 N° 4

The International Networkof Basin Organizations(INBO)

was created duringthe constitutive meeting

held in May 1994 in Aix-les-Bains(France) at the invitation of theFrench Ministry for the Environmentand the six Water Agencies.

The Network objective is to en-able exchanges of experiences bet-ween basin organizations on allcontinents and to implement com-mon activities.

It also aims at promoting theprinciples of a global and integratedmanagement of water resourceswhile respecting natural media andmeeting all requirements.

This management:

● is organized on the scale of lar-ge river basins,

● is supported by the participationof local authorities and of variouscategories of users, gathered inRiver Basin Committees, and

● develops a financial solidarity inbasins by applying the “user-polluter-pays” principle.

These important options are developed in the “Declaration ofMembership” of INBO, which wasofficially approved during the lastGeneral Assembly held, fromMarch 27 to 29, 1996, in Morelia(Mexico) at the invitation of theMexican Authorities.

The works of this GeneralAssembly, which gathered up to450 participants, were opened byHis Excellency Ernesto ZEDILLO,President of the United States ofMexico.

Mr. Eduardo MESTRE RODRIGUEZ, Regional Manager of the Lerma River - Chapala Lakebasin (National Water Commissionof Mexico) was elected President ofthe International Network of BasinOrganizations until the nextAssembly to be held in Spain inApril 1997.

The 80 delegates - governmen-tal administrations, river basin orga-nizations and multilateralcooperation agencies, from the 40countries, officially approved the“Declaration of Morelia”.

The 16 interested countriesof Latin America also decided toset up a regional cooperationsubnetwork among them.

The General Assembly was also the occasion of organizing aworking day on the topic“Information necessary for deci-sion-making”. This topic is particu-larly important to design a globalpolicy for water resources manage-ment. Recommendations, that willbe particularly useful for the newbasin organizations being set up inmany countries, were drawn up.

Permanent Technical Secretariat(IOW)Fax : (33-1) 40 08 01 45

INTERNATIONAL NETWORKOF BASIN ORGANIZATIONS

RED INTERNACIONALDE ORGANISMOS DE CUENCA

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MORELIA:68ORGANIZATIONS FROM 32 COUNTRIESBECAME INBO MEMBERS

www.oieau.fr/riob

From now onall information

on INBO will be available

on theon theWEBWEB

www.oieau.fr/riobMr. ZEDILLO, President of the United States of Mexico opensINBO’S General Assembly

2

“DECLARATION OF MORELIA”ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON MARCH 29, 1996INBO :

OBJECTIVES OF A GLOBAL WATER MANAGEMENT

The delegates emphasizedthat the questions brought tolight are complex and that theanswers must at one and thesame time make it possible :

● to control natural catas-trophes and the risk of ero-sion, floods or drought by ta-king into account the manage-ment of water and space,

● to reliably meet the needs ofurban and rural populations forwater of good quality; in orderto improve hygiene, healthand to prevent important out-breaks of disease,

● to ensure sufficient food byimproving drainage of agricul-tural lands and irrigation,

● to harmoniously develop industry, energy production,recreational activities and in

certain sectors, tourism and waterway transport,

● to prevent and control pollu-tion of all kinds and origins inorder to preserve aquatic eco-systems, especially with aview to protecting fauna andoptimizing fish breeding forhuman consumption, to meetall the requirements of diffe-rent uses and more generally,to preserve the biodiversity ofaquatic media.

It is obvious that theseproblems can no longer be tack-led on a sectoral or local basis,or indeed separately, in fact thesearch for solutions must transitby an integrated approach,respectful of the natural mediumand aiming at a sustainable water resources utilization.

LIAISON BUREAUThe fourth meeting of INBO’s

Liaison Bureau was held in Tulcea(Romania) on July 5, 1996 at theinvitation of APELE ROMANE. Itwas chaired by Mr EduardoMESTRE-ROGRIGUEZ (Mexico).

Messrs Raimundo GARRIDO(Brazil), Amani KOUADIO (IvoryCoast), Gheorghe LASCU(Romania), Enrique NOAIN (Spain),Alain DUCHEIN (France) andAndrzeij BADOWSKI (Poland) atten-ded as well as Mr J.F. TALEC (IOW)as member of the PermanentTechnical Secretariat. Messrs MimaiPOPOVICI, Evgeiy SECARA and al-so Mrs Gentiana SERBU and LaviniaBERILA, representing the RomanianAuthorities, also attended.

The main objective of this mee-ting was to prepare the works of theLiaison Bureau of November 1996(Yamoussoukro - Ivory Coast),which has to prepare the meeting ofthe General Assembly in Spain inSpring 1997.

PROJECTS TO BE DEVELOPEDMoreover, the Bureau consi-

dered that some projects initiatedas part of INBO had to be maintai-ned :

● the “network newsletter”, theprinciple of which is excellent,has to be pursued,

● the international training pro-gramme dedicated to the esta-blishment of basin organizationswhich will be coorganized byFrance and Spain in 1997,

● AQUADOC-INTER for which itis suggested to work with theINTERNET network,

● the establishment of INBO’s in-formation base.

● 1998 General AssemblyBrazil is candidate for the or-

ganization of this event.The issue of subscriptions

was again discussed, an amountof US $ 1,000 was proposed.

PRINCIPLES TO BE APPLIEDIn accordance with the final

resolutions of the constitutivemeeting of INBO, May 1994 inAix-les-Bains (France), the dele-gates recommended that, in order to reach these objectives,the following procedures regar-ding the management of inlandwater resources, which they arealready applying or are willing toapply in due time, be implemen-ted all over the World:

● organization of an integra-ted water resources mana-gement at river basin levelaimed at preventing dange-rous natural risks and catas-trophes, at rationally and equi-tably meeting the differentuses for a sustainable econo-mic development, and at pro-tecting and restoring the aqua-tic media;

● establishment of financialsystems based on the “Pol-luter-User-Pays” principleand on the basin commoncause concept for financing

long-term development, equip-ment and protection pro-grammes;

● establishment of partner-ship procedures, associatingNational Authorities and possi-bly competent internationalinstitutions with local Authori-ties, water users and repre-sentative non-governmentalorganizations to the planningand management of basin organizations;

● building information capaci-ty of those partners’ represen-tatives in order for them to ful-ly assume their responsibilitiesand missions within the frame-work of the basin policy.

Moreover, they recommendedthat agreements and strate-gies, programmes, financialsupport and monitoring be de-signed at river basin level andthat cooperation agreementsbe signed between the ripa-rian countries of large trans-boundary rivers, lakes or seas.

THREE RECOMMENDATIONSThe delegates agreed that

they would promote the above-mentioned principles in theirown country and to internationalinstitutions in which they partici-pate, to bi- and multi-lateral cooperation agencies and, generally speaking, to all interested parties.

During the General Assem-bly’s deliberations, particular at-tention was drawn to the follo-wing items :

● The necessity to found theoverall management of wa-ter resources on data sys-tems that are complete, reliable, representative andeasily accessible, and organi-zed in basin observatories andstandardized to allow for syn-theses and comparisons to bemade both at national level ineach country and at internatio-nal level.

● The benefit of an organizedexchange of all useful infor-mation to facilitate the crea-tion or the development of ba-sin organizations, with regardto institutional documentation(AQUADOC-INTER network),educational and awarenessraising tools, the agenda of in-teresting events or the list ofcompetent experts to be calledupon, in particular.

● The importance of trainingexecutives of administrations,basin organizations, of institu-tions in charge of water mana-gement and development andalso, under appropriate forms,basin committee members, local elected officials, repre-sentatives of users’ associa-tions or interested non-govern-mental organizations.

E. Mestre-RodriguezINBO ChairmanFax : (52-42) 134142

On the occasion of the nextLiaison Bureau of our network,on November 7-8, 1996, theAuthorities of Ivory Coast invitedthe Water Ministers of all coun-tries of West Africa, to study the

means of involving Africa morein INBO’s works.

Amani KouadioMinistry of EconomicInfrastructuresFax : (225) 34 72 59/34 72 55

AFRICAN REGIONAL NETWORK

Eighty representatives ofgovernmental administrations incharge of water management intheir country and of basin organi-zations that are established or arebeing set up, in 40 countries, toge-ther with interested bi- and multi-lateral cooperation agencies, ga-thered in Morelia (Mexico) fromMarch 27 to 29, within the frame-

work of the (INBO) InternationalNetwork of Basin Organizations’first General Assembly, in order toreflect upon the most adaptedmeans for attaining a rational, ba-lanced and overall management ofinland freshwater resources to en-sure the quality of life on our planetand the sustainable socio-econo-mic development of our societies.

Meeting of the Liaison Bureau in Morelia

3

“INFORMATION NECESSARY FOR DECISION-MAKING”

The representatives of admi-nistrations in charge of watermanagement and of basin orga-nizations -established or in theprocess of being so- of 40 coun-tries, together with the interna-tional cooperation agenciesconcerned, gathered in Morelia(Mexico) on March 28, 1996,

within the framework of INBO’sGeneral Assembly. Their aimwas an exchange of expe-riences and a reflection on thebest means of access to the “information necessary fordecision-making” in the watersector.

INFORMATION NEEDSIn order to attain an overall

management of water resources,at river basin level in particular,they emphasized the prime importance for decision-makersto have easy access to complete,representative and reliable infor-mation on the following:

● the state of surface andgroundwater resources,from both a quantitative and aqualitative viewpoint, also sea-sonal and yearly variations,

● the situation of biotopesand aquatic media and theirdegrees of sensitivity,

● water uses (withdrawals),drinking water supply for thepopulation in particular, and

pollution sources (discharges)whether point or non-point,

● the risks of recurring extre-me phenomena such asfloods or drought and acciden-tal pollution.

It was established that thisinformation is often dispersed,heterogeneous and incomplete... and that it is rarely compa-rable and adapted to the prere-quisites for objective decision-making. Moreover, it is a factthat public, para-public and evenprivate organizations can haveaccess to this information butlack of sufficient means for exchanging, gathering, standar-dizing, summarizing and for capitalizing it amongst them.

PRACTICAL RECOMMENDATIONSThe participants recommen-

ded that, in each situation andconsidering all the national andlocal characteristics, special reflection should be devoted tothe organization of the primecontracting of monitoring net-works and data banks, to finan-cing, as well as to a suitable rolefor specific basin organizationswith regard to other possible ac-tors.

It is absolutely necessary toexamine the :● nature of useful information

(parameters, indexes, integra-tors, frequency, representativi-ty, standards)

● means used for collecting,monitoring and analyzing,as well as for controlling thequality of data produced, of

their transmission (in real-time, when necessary, for ma-jor risks forecasting) and fortheir storage,

● forms in which informationshould be made accessibleto decision-makers (databanks, reports, maps, dia-grams, ...) or to techniciansand scientists,

● broadcasting and circula-ting means (tele-processing,publications, diffusion to thegeneral public, ...),

Real and complete “sys-tems” must be designed andused to assess the resource anduses,especially regarding quali-ty, and organized to constituteglobal observatories.

SETTING UP RIVER BASIN OBSERVATORIES

are, by far, at medium and long-term, the most important and re-curring items of expenditure.Thus, it appears unreasonableto invest without ensuring positi-ve means for optimum andcontinuous functioning of thesystems over a long period of time which, of course, requiressubstantial, appropriate and unceasing financial resources.

It is important to avoid excessive sophistication byusing advanced technologiesinstead of reflecting on a soundorganization and straightforwardsolutions that usually are themost efficient. Information sys-tems only operate when skilledoperators are in charge; satellitelinks, models, automatic analy-zers, etc... are only used to faci-litate the tasks of the servicesnot to replace them. Solutionsare not found by using technolo-gical gadgets.

Moreover, if the informationis to be useful, it must not remain in the form of raw data,but be retrieved in the form ofeasy-to-understand data whichcan be handled by all the diffe-rent categories of users.

The information must be organized according to require-ments, whether it be for the stu-dy of a “white book”, master-plans for water managementand development, for action pro-grammes, budgetary simulationsor the basis for water charges,for delivering administrative authorizations or studying pro-

jects, for regulation of publicworks, warning systems or evenfor evaluating the results of ap-plied policies and monitoring theenvironment, finally for informingthe general public.

In addition, if the data is tobe utilized, it must be madeavailable in the most appropriateforms.

If it is generally consideredthat Public Authorities must bethe contracting authorities formonitoring networks and asso-ciated information systems andthat from then on, access tothem must be open and free forthe various users. However, dueto additional costs for proces-sing and circulating the informa-tion, it would appear quite nor-mal that the processed data bepaid for.

Common standards must also be defined to gather thecomparable information produ-ced by different actors in orderto organize real observatories atthe level of national or trans-boundary river basins and tocentralize the summarized infor-mation necessary for determi-ning governmental policies.

Information systems for sha-red rivers and aquifers would beimproved by being designed in aglobal and consistent way onthe watershed scale within theframework of agreements bet-ween riparian countries.

IN CONCLUSION

The participants of theINBO’s General Assembly heldin Morelia, recommended thatconcerned Public Authoritiesand bi- and multi-lateral coope-ration agencies supporting pro-jects related to water resourcesmanagement and utilization:

● consider that setting upcomplete information sys-tems, corresponding to theabove-mentioned specifica-tions, is a prerequisite,

● precise clearly which insti-tutional bodies are respon-sible for the permanent orga-nization and operation of suchsystems,

● guarantee not only suffi-cient means for correspon-ding investments, but alsothe compulsory financialtechniques which will secu-re their long-term continuity,

● encourage the developmentof means and specific engi-neering proficiency in thisfield.

● support the works that aimat defining common stan-dards and nomenclaturesfor data administration in order to exchange, compareand summarize the informa-tion between partners at all re-levant observation levels,

● promote the setting up ofobservatories for water re-sources and their use at river basin level, should thesebasins be national or trans-boundary, and the organiza-tion of national and coherentinformation systems with the-se basin observatories.

Paul HaenerPermanent TechnicalSecretariatFax : (33-4) 93 65 44 02

The exact definition of eachactor’s role as well as the ques-tion of financing and its continui-ty is of prime importance.

Gathering this information,requires a complex and consis-tent organization of monitoringnetworks, analyses laboratories,data transmission and theirchecking and monitoring, mana-gement of data banks, their accessibility and their “products”.

For this, permanent meansmust be made available andtheir optimizing ensured, in or-der to obtain at minimum publiccost, all the relevant information,limiting this however, to the strictnecessary.

It should be pointed out thatif investment costs for obtainingappropriate information (sta-tions, laboratories, tele-trans-mission, automatization ...) arehigh, the qualification of interve-ning experts (training) and thefunctioning and operating costs

TECHNICAL SEMINAR OF MARCH 28, 1996

4

“MASTERPLANS FOR BETTERMANAGING OUR RIVERS”

WORKSHOP ON COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ADMINISTRATIONS,TULCEA 30 AUGUST-2 SEPTEMBER 1996INBO :THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK

Approaches and proceduresshould be based on dialogueand a consensus between all interested parties, various governmental administrative departments, local authoritiesand “users”.

The representation of everybo-dy who directly or indirectly needswater for undertaking activitiesmust be ensured and foreseen bylegislation. It is important that theparticipation of the public be reco-gnized in the legal texts and thatclear guidelines be defined withrespect to its development.

Nevertheless, the legal fra-mework should also provide themechanisms necessary for sol-ving conflicts which could possi-bly occur.

Management mechanismsshould be established not onlyfor ordinary situations but also tomitigate situations of crisis oremergency and to deal with

accidents or water scarcity.

A better coordination of activi-ties with an objective of integratedriver basin management, will beachieved by defining priorities andtheir hierarchical organization.

Finally, the legal framework,as well as masterplans, must al-low evolutions to reflect the rea-lities and diversity of “field” situations.

When the choice is made ofsetting up a specific basin orga-nization, it is then advisable toaccurately study the followingpoints:

● limits of respective responsibi-lities between this institutionand authorities in charge (aftersimulating a real situation),

● mechanisms to be developedto ensure the preparation andapproval of action plans, theircontrol and follow-up and theirup-dating.

The first INBO workshop onComparative Analysis of Adminis-trations took place in Tulcea fromAugust 30 to September 2, 1996,at the invitation of both theRomanian authorities and APELEROMANE, in coordination with theFrancophone Network of Riverand Lake Ecosystem Managers.

The meeting gathered 32 par-ticipants from 12 countries and international organizations whom,at the conclusion of their work,proposed the following recom-mendations in order to improvethe management of national andinternational rivers, by means ofMasterplans in particular.

USERS’ PARTICIPATIONAll users concerned should

be officially involved in the deci-sion-making process.

Who is a “User”? A “user” utilizes water

(industrialists, electricity produ-cers, farmers, population). Thisnotion can be extended topeople using water for recreatio-nal purposes (fishermen, leisu-re, etc...).

Why consult the users? Acceptation and thus the

feasibility of a long-term projectand its successful completionrequire the following steps:

● approval of project objectivesby the users,

● sharing of the long-term vision,

● definition of priorities by theusers,

● getting the means, financialones in particular, necessaryto achieve the objectives.

In addition, during the debates, it appeared that dia-logue with the users was thebest means to solve conflicts onwater use: “Dialogue is the be-ginning of wisdom”.

A dialogue should take intoaccount the impact of the deci-sions to be made. The more am-bitious the project, or far rea-ching, the more widespread dia-logue should be. On the contra-ry, a project of local interest willneed a more reduced and preci-se dimension.

Dialogue must be organizedin the most decentralized waypossible while taking localconstraints and specificities intoaccount.

In a general manner:

● The extent of public participa-tion in all planning processesmust be unanimously appro-ved.

● Representatives of local electedofficials and of all users mustparticipate in the works regar-ding Development Schemes,with the help of experts from theAdministration and specializedconsulting firms.

● Information must be clearly dis-tinguished from dialogue. In thefirst case, the administrationshares information with the public, it is a one-way process.Dialogue, implies a two-way

process: the administration lis-tens and takes the formulatedcomments into account.

● The public participation pro-cess must be accessible to awide range of people concer-ned: it is an open process thattakes the diversity of the inter-ested parties into account (representativeness).

● In some States, it is necessary

to change from a merely cen-tralized approach to a deci-sion-making process based ona wider decentralization.

● Particular attention should begiven to NGOs. Some of themare mere protesters, butothers are well established inthe field and can become part-ners in programmes involvingan active participation of thepopulation.

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATIONWater has no national or

administrative boundary. Managingresources shared between severalneighbouring States should takethis reality into account and be or-ganized on the scale of the catch-ment area concerned.

Managing a common resour-ce - which can lead to conflicts -implies the participation of all ri-parian states to define the rightsand duties of each of them.

The consistency of nationaland international programmes isa prerequisite to optimizing re-sults. It requires the harmoniza-tion of:● objectives that must be

consistent,● actions at sector and multisec-

tor levels.The sectoral and multisecto-

ral interdependence and compa-tibility are prime notions to betaken into account when prepa-ring national and internationalprogrammes.

An informal cooperation canbe established between basinorganizations of 2 neighbouringcountries to efficiently solve a lo-cal crisis, but this will never leadto large-scale enterprises nor tothe mobilization of importantfinancial means.

Setting up a formal frame-work can ensure long-term com-mitments whose constraints willbind the successive local deci-sion-makers.

An international agreementsigned by a State might imply aprogressive adaptation of natio-nal regulations to meet theagreement requirements.

This framework is a prere-quisite for mobilizing suitablemeans at the level of each coun-try. Setting up a structure mightbe envisaged. The prime condi-tion is that this structure must begiven an official status to imple-ment programmes requiring important financial means fromvarious financing agencies.

The setting up of a light struc-ture (secretariat, logistics) is adynamic and low cost solution.

Setting up a larger interna-tional organization implies a pre-definition of the delegation ofresponsibilities accepted by theStates.

The mandate of this organi-zation may comprise:● information organization and

dissemination,● assistance to operators in a

crisis,● contribution to solving specific

problems that exceed thenational territory,

● planning of actions at the levelof the international basin thatwill be consistent with nationalprogrammes,

● mobilization of national and international financial means.

FUNDING OF PROJECTS A reliable document must be

prepared with the earliest pos-sible assistance of all potentialfunding organizations: States,Regions, Departments, LocalCommunities, BasinOrganizations, the EuropeanUnion and other internationalOrganizations, or NGOs. Loanscan also be requested from ins-titutional and private banks.

A request to banks impliesthat the developer will provideguarantees as to reimbursement,possibly through a financial parti-

cipation of the users. This has adirect impact on the living stan-dard of the population and thusrequires that people be properlyinformed of the positive or negati-ve consequences of the project.

In the case of a joint ventu-re, it is necessary to plan a preli-minary agreement for itsimplementation but also for themanagement and operation ofthe infrastructure thus set up.Gentiana Serbu Apele RomaneFax : (40-1) 312 21 74/323 85 21

5

The meeting permitted topresent several representativecases located in different re-gions in the world, in particular:in Europe, the Rhine and theDanube; in Africa, the Nile, theSenegal, Gambia, Niger riversand Lake Chad; in Asia, theIndus and the Mekong; in NorthAmerica, the boundary waters ofthe United-States with Canadaand Mexico; in South America,the lake Titicaca; in Australia,the hydraulic development of theSnowy Mountains.

This highlighted the evolu-tion of the concepts and prac-tices in this complex andsensitive field which raises more

and more problems in all regions in the world.

If useful lessons can bedrawn from each case, SouthernAfrica represents a particularlyinteresting and innovating expe-rience as regards the manage-ment of shared water resources,through the 1995 agreements aspart of the SADC.

Two series of resolutionswere prepared for the NaturalResources Committee and theU. N. Social and EconomicalCouncil.Ms. Marcia BrewsterUnited Nations (DDSMS)Fax : (1-212) 962 1270

UNITED NATIONS MEETING OF THE SPECIAL WORKINGGROUP ON SHARED WATER RESOURCES,NEW YORK, MAY 14 - 15, 1996

The International Conferen-ce on Managing Water Resources for Large Cities andTowns took place in Beijing on18-21 March 1996. It brought together more than 150 interna-tional experts from some 50countries in order to prepare HABITAT II to be held in Istanbul.

The conference based itsconsiderations on the followingprinciples:

❶ Freshwater is a finite vul-nerable resource, essen-tial to sustain life, deve-lopment and the environ-ment. Effective and sustai-nable water resources ma-nagement and long-termplanning will require:

● reliable arrangements for datacollection, dissemination,monitoring, assessment andforecasting,

● consideration of the long andshort term demands,

● sustainable development poli-cies with respect to catchmentand aquifer systems.

● legal, technical and financialmeans, as well as public informa-tion and education programmes.

❷ Water development andmanagement should bebased on a participatoryapproach, involving users,planners and policy-ma-kers at all levels, represen-ted at some form of watercouncil or water parlia-ment.

● The basic unit of water re-sources management is theriver basin. Effective imple-mentation of an integrated water resources managementplan would benefit from theestablishment of a public orsemi-public autonomous basinorganization.

❸ Women play a central partin the provision, manage-ment and safeguarding ofwater.

❹ Water has an economicvalue in all its competinguses.

❺ Mobilizing financial resources is crucial to effective water resourcesmanagement.

Jean-Michel CheneUnited Nations (DDSMS)Fax : (1-212) 963 1270

EURO-MEDITERRANEANCONFERENCE ON LOCAL WATERMANAGEMENT

At the invitation of theFrench Government and theEuropean Commission, a Euro-Mediterranean Conference onlocal water management is to beheld in Marseilles on November25-26, 1996, and will gather theconcerned Ministers of the 15countries of the European Unionand their counterparts from the12 other riparian countries of theMediterranean who signed theBarcelona declaration.

Experts will prepare somereflections during four work-shops dealing with such topicsas agricultural water manage-ment, domestic and industrialwater, training for water profes-sionals and the strengthening ofinstitutions.

A preparatory meeting of theexperts took place in Cairo onOctober 21-22, 1996.

François Harambat (IOW)Fax : (33-4) 93 65 44 02

ILEC will organize, in coope-ration with Argentinian authori-ties, the 7th International Confe-rence on the Conservation andManagement of Lakes, on Octo-ber 27-31, 1997.

The city of “San Martin delos Andes”, on the upstream endof Lake Lácar, has been desi-gnated as the venue of thismeeting, which for the first timewill be held in South America.

The Conference is particular-ly concerned with the role of envi-ronmental education and publicinformation as well as with lakewater resources assessment andmonitoring, sustainable utilizationof lakes, and with the design,construction and management ofman-made reservoirs.Instituto Nacional de Ciencia yTécnica HídricasFax : (54-1) 480 0094

WATER RESOURCESFOR LARGE CITIESTHE BEIJING DECLARATION

ILECINTERNATIONAL LAKE ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE FOUNDATION

Opening ceremony of INBO’s General Assembly in Morelia onMarch 27, 1996

INTEGRATED MANAGEMENTIS DEVELOPING

Latin American countriesare strongly involved in the in-tegrated management of theirwater resources.

Very present during the re-cent General Assembly of theInternational Network of BasinOrganizations (INBO) inMorelia (Mexico, March 1996),where 16 countries were re-presented, they decided to es-

tablish a Latin American sub-network as part of INBO.

This will permit to developthe exchange of information andexperiences in order to streng-then river basin structures inLatin American countries.

E. Mestre-Rodriguez CNAFax : (52-42) 134142

6

AFRICA

Guinea has almost 1,070classified watercourses amongwhich are found thirteen maininternational rivers of WestAfrica whose hydrographicbasins are shared by Guineaand most States of the region.Owing to its particular climaticand geographic characteristicsGuinea is called the “Waterreservoir” of West Africa. Thisled Guinea to assume its res-ponsibilities in a more determi-ned manner than in the past aswell as the rights inherent in thissituation on a national or inter-national scale.

This explains why Guineahas become a member of theregional organizations for riverbasin management(Organization for theDevelopment of Gambia River -OMVG, Authority of Niger RiverBasin - ABN...).

Since 1987, Guinea has alsoendeavoured to redefine its le-gislation on natural resources.

A new Water Law could be pre-pared thanks to the assistanceprovided by FAO. It was passedon February 14, 1994. This lawstates the general framework ofthe country’s water resourcesmanagement.

This Law sets up the appro-priate national institutions ne-cessary for its application, suchas: the National WaterDirectorate in charge of waterresources assessment, plan-ning, legislation and regulation,as well as of international co-operation, under the supervisionof the Ministry of NaturalResources and Energy; theNational Water Commission (in-terministerial and advisory orga-nization), the Hydraulic Fund...

The main texts of applicationthat are already written willshortly be submitted to theGovernment for approval.

Lansana Fofana (DNH)Fax : (224) 41 49 13

GUINEALEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR WATERRESOURCES MANAGEMENT

NORTH AMERICAQUEBECTHE CHAUDIERE RIVER BASIN AGENCY

The Chaudiere River BasinCommittee presented its final re-port on March 26, 1996. It madepublic eight guiding principles fora real integrated and global wa-ter management in Quebec. TheCommittee considers that thegovernment adhesion to theseprinciples and their applicationby a suitable structure will leadto an important redefining of wa-ter management and preserva-tion for the citizens of Quebec.These principles are as follows:

❶ A watercourse river basin isthe most appropriate natural unitfor water management.

❷ A complete and up-datedknowledge of the state of the river basin water resources is aprerequisite to effective mana-gement.❸ Water management must ta-ke into account the interdepen-dence of several uses on the river basin territory, while pro-moting dialogue with all users.❹ Water policy and manage-ment must aim at protecting andrestoring the ecosystems tohealth.❺ As water is an essential resource for life, users have topay for its use or deterioration.

❻ A responsible water mana-gement of the river basin mustaim at a complete operationaland financial autonomy.❼ The main trends in watermanagement must be supportedby population involvement.❽ Local, regional and nationallegislation must be adapted toachieve these objectives.

Among the recommenda-tions made, we must retain theestablishment of the first WaterAgency in Quebec, as a pilotproject which will be presentedto the National Assembly in au-tumn 1996 for validation.

The project of the ChaudiereWater Agency has established,after a public consultation, a water masterplan (SDE) takinginto account all water uses ofthe territory.

The project of the ChaudiereWater Agency will permit to as-sess whether it is pertinent ornot to equip Quebec with otheragencies for the 10 main riverbasins.

Jean Maurice LatulippeMinistry for the Environmentand Fauna Fax : (1-418) 644 2003

MAURITIUSINTERMINISTERIAL SEMINARON WATER MANAGEMENT

A seminar on “integratedmanagement of water re-sources”, jointly organized bythe Ministry of Energy andWater Resources of Mauritiusand the Mission for Cooperationand Cultural Action of theFrench Embassy, was held inGrand Baie from May 29 to 31,1996. It gathered about sixtyparticipants representing the dif-ferent Ministries concerned andthe categories of water users(farmers, consumers, industria-lists, NGOs ...)

IOW’s experts presented theFrench example of managementby catchment area, with the tes-timonies of two members ofFrench River Basin Committees:Mr LANDAIS, industrialist(SEINE-NORMANDY) and

Mr GLASEL, farmer (RHONE-MEDITERRANEAN-CORSICA).

In addition, the current expe-rience carried out in the Frenchneighbouring Reunion island forsetting up a River BasinCommittee and a SDAGE(Masterplan for WaterDevelopment and Management)was also widely discussed.

The adopted recommenda-tions will be soon submitted tothe Ministers’ Council ofMauritius.

The participants of the semi-nar particularly insisted on thecreation of a “National WaterCommittee”.Jean-François Talec (IOW)Fax : (33-4) 93 65 44 02

BURKINA FASONAKANBE RIVER (WHITE VOLTA),A DELICATE CONTEXT:

It has to meet the waterneeds of Ouagadougou, it isequipped with more than 450installations and reservoirs on itscatchment area, and a largedam (200 Mm3) is under study...all this on a non perennial riverwhich only flows from June toOctober!!!

Such a context requires coordination and dialogue withinstrong structures that widely associate water users.

The Burkinabe Ministry ofWater and Environment therefo-re requested the InternationalOffice for Water and Adour-Garonne Water Agency, with the

support of the French Ministry ofCooperation, to design a newinstitutional organization to meetthe needs of public decision-makers, users and NGOs.

The setting up of a BasinCommittee on the Nakanbe andof a self-supporting body, mana-ging the resource at basin level,

is now envisaged.

Athanase P.O. CampaoreDirector Generalof Water ResourcesTél. : (226) 32 45 24

7

The Scientific InformationCentre (SIC) of the InterstateCoordination Water Commission(ICWC) for the Aral Sea Basin wasestablished on December 5, 1992.

Located in Tashkent(Uzbekistan), SIC carries outscientific investigations forCentral Asian States in order toimprove environmental and watermanagement in the basin: com-mon water management policy,common programme for savingand increasing water resourcesin the Amudarya and Syrdarya ri-ver basins, water transfers fromother basins into the Aral Sea,environmental sanitation of the

region and how to overcome theconsequences of the Aral Seadeterioration and of water re-sources depletion, monitoringsystems for both river basins.

In addition, SIC ICWC is res-ponsible for: cooperation on theuse of water saving technologiesand on the improvement of irriga-tion systems, publishing a perio-dical to inform regional waterorganizations, and for the coordi-nation of international projects onregional water management inCentral Asian States.Victor A. Dukhovny (SIC ICWC)Fax : (7-3712) 650 558

A national symposium on“Integrated approach to themanagement of water and soilin Purna river basin” was organized in Nagpur onFebruary 2-4, 1996.

Purna River Basin hasunique features, as out of the7,500 sq.km watershed, an areaof about 3,000 sq.km is occu-pied by saline groundwater. Thesituation of drinking water sup-ply is highly critical.

Surface water developmentin the region is negligible, in spi-te of the fact that average rain-fall is 800 mm per year. Thus,the region is lagging in socio-

economic development. This situation can only improve if efforts are made by all concer-ned, by integrated planning andby developing water resourcesin the area.

The symposium reassertedthe principle laid down in theNational Water ResourcesPolicy (1987), that all develop-ment projects should be formu-lated within the framework of amasterplan for a river basin/sub-basin. Dr. S. M. DhabadgaonkarVisvesvaraya Regional Collegeof EngineeringFax (91-712) 223 230/223 969

Indonesia, as one of the mostdensely populated countries inthe world, is now entering the eraof industrialization. Industrial de-velopment had a good impact onthe economic development of thecountry and on the working opportunities for the population.But, because of limited treatmentfacilities and urbanization, deve-lopment had a dangerous impacton the environment. The waterquality of certain rivers has signi-ficantly deteriorated.

Thus, a crash programme became necessary. The Ministerof State for Population and Envi-ronment in cooperation with theMinister of Home Affairs and theGovernors of the eight priorityprovinces established PROKA-SIH, abbreviation of PROGRAM-ME KALI BERSIH (Clean RiverProgramme) in June 1989. Its objective is to improve river waterquality by decreasing the pollu-tion load entering riverbeds during the dry season and bycreating public awareness on a

clean and healthy environment.Nowadays, PROKASIH is im-

plemented on more than 40 ri-vers in 17 provinces in Indonesia,including 6 rivers in East Java. Itis focussing on controlling point-sources of water pollution fromindustries and will be followed byother sources such as domesticand agricultural pollution sources.

In 1993, Jasa Tirta launchedthe Clean River Campaign (Safa-ri Kali Bersih) along the Brantasriver.

After six years, PROKASIHhas managed to reduce industrialpollution and to improve river water quality. Although the stan-dards of pollution abatementmentioned in the masterplan ha-ve not yet been achieved, the positive point of the programmeis effective pollution control activi-ties based on a high commitmentof Local Governments and on public participation.Ir. Trie M. SunaryoJasa Tirta Public CorporationFax : (62-341) 551 976

ASIAINDONESIA“CLEAN RIVER” PROGRAMME (PROKASIH) IN EAST JAVA

INDIAPURNA RIVER BASIN

Perum Jasa Tirta (PJT) is apublic corporation establishedby the Governmental Decree of1990. It is a public service forthe utilization of the water poten-tial in the Kali Brantas basin tomeet the demands of manypeople.

However, as a public corpo-ration, PJT has to follow theprinciple of business manage-ment in order to make profits tobe used in the public interest.

PJT has been levying a “wa-ter service fee” from users since1991 under a “cost recovery

system” to cover the costs ofoperation and maintenance ofwater resources structures inthe area.

So far, flood control and water quality management arestill exempted from this opera-tion and maintenance fee. Theparties that participate are theState Electricity Company(PLN), Local Government WaterEnterprises (PDAM), industriesand commercial agriculture.Ir. HariantoJasa Tirta Public CorporationFax : (62-341) 551 976

CENTRAL ASIATHE ARAL SEA

COST RECOVERY SYSTEMCleaning of a river in Indonesia

The Tom River basin covers 6Russian regions and belongs to theOb basin, the longest Russian river.Its surface area reaches 62,000km2, its length is over 800 km. Thisbasin comprises 342 rivers of morethan 10 km. Population is 3 millioninhabitants and 90 % of the totalsurface area is located on Keremo-vo and Tomsk territories.

Intensive use of natural resources, especially coal, hascaused the present crisis. Due towater resources depletion andpollution, the Tom has becomethe “dirtiest” river of Russia.

More than 2,100 million of m3

of wastewater are yearly dischar-ged, 474 of which are badly trea-ted and 83 are not treated at all.Water is polluted by petroleum ba-sed products, nitrates, nitrites, nitrogenous materials and phe-nols which cause the deteriorationof the population’s health.

Tomsk and Keremovo Adminis-trations have decided to improvethe structure for water resourcesmanagement. Therefore, an agree-ment was signed by the Frenchand Russian Ministries for the Envi-ronment to set up an experimentalRiver Basin Agency for Tom river.An Executive Directorate for watersupply in the basin was establishedin 1994 and will be reorganized asa River Basin Agency.

Then, the Tom River Basin

Committee was created in No-vember 1994 with the assistanceof French specialists and of Tom-sk and Keremovo Roskomvods.

The committee members arerepresentatives of the most impor-tant users, from Regional adminis-trations and State organizations incharge of water management.

In compliance with the coope-ration programme, 3 groups of experts participated in a trainingprogramme in France in order tostudy the experience and activi-ties of the Water Agencies.

A seminar and a study tourwere organized in 1995 to studythe English, German and Dutchexperiences.

Following this training, someprinciples were laid down: need toimprove management structures(creation of River Basin Agencies),monitoring of all tributaries, prepa-ration and implementation of priori-ty programmes and planning, mea-sures for water protection.

The River Basin Committeealso carried out, with the Frenchenterprise “Beture-Environment”,an evaluation of potable waterand wastewater treatment in Ke-removo, Tomsk and Novokouz-netsk towns, within the frameworkof TACIS programme.Valentin NajdanovTom River Basin CommitteeFax : (7-3842) 25 92 54

WESTERN SIBERIANEW ORGANIZATIONS IN THE TOM RIVER BASIN IN RUSSIA

8

LATIN AMERICA

A new body will take chargeof the main river of this region ofSanta Catarina State and of itstributaries. It is the RegionalCommittee for the Managementand Monitoring of the Itajaí-Açuriver basin.

Its establishment was deci-ded in March 1996 during a mee-ting of the Blumenau Industrial

and Commercial Association(ACIB) which gathered represen-tatives of the State and of the 47municipalities concerned to findsolutions to the problems en-countered in the maintenance ofthree dams with a system of floodcontrol, and to organize dialogue.

Extract of the “Santa CatarinaNewspaper” of March 9, 1996.

The objective of the ChecuaProject is to control erosion andrehabilitate degraded soils.

In phase I, the project hascentered its work on the recla-mation of an area located 80 kmNorth of Bogota which includesthe hydrographic basins of Che-cua, Sutatausa and Ubaté ri-vers, and Cucunuba Lagoon ata height above sea level compri-sed between 2,600 and 3,400 mand with a surface area of60,700 ha.

Phase II, whose duration willbe 4 years (1995-1998), aims atprotecting the basin of FuqueneLagoon, located 20 km North ofabove area, a surface area of9,000 ha in which installationswill be built to control the ero-sion process.

In the past, rural populationsused lands in an inadequatemanner and generally exertedan abnormal and harmful pres-sure on natural resources. Thisled to a strong erosion on mostof the basin area. But, thanks tothe measures developed by the

project, 17,000 ha of Checuabasin could be reclaimed and43,000 ha are at present in thecourse of being rehabilitated inthe other basins.

It has been necessary to interest the inhabitants of the region in environmental issues.Thus, rural communities havebeen associated since the begin-ning to the planning and applica-tion of methods for erosioncontrol and reforestation. Up tonow, 8,000 households, i.e.40,000 persons, have participa-ted in the project implementation.

The important advantagesthat will result from the project canbe summarized as follows: increa-se in agricultural land potential,improvement of the food supplyfor the population, decrease inflood hazards in downstreamareas, reduction of sedimenttransport as well as a reduction of the cost of watertreatment for human consumption.Diego Bravo BordaRegional Autonomous Corporation of Cundinamarca Fax : (57-77) 334 8793

The Tempisque River basin,located in the North-West ofCosta Rica, covers 5,454 km2,i.e. more than 54 % of the Gua-nacaste province with 190,400inhabitants.

The main problems encoun-tered in the basin are: the uncon-trolled use of the resources, thelack of planning for the develop-ment of production activities, theuse of pesticides and agrochemi-cal products that cause pollution,discharges from sugar factories.

Destruction of wetlands, deforestation, soil compaction ormonocultivation have led to theloss of rain water and thus to resource scarcity.

A commission for the rehabili-tation of Tempisque river wascreated in April 1993. In Septem-ber 1994, the Ministry of NaturalResources, Energy and Mines(MINAE today) decided to set upan inter-institutional and multi-disciplinary “Management Unit”to carry out basin management.

The creation of the CIVILCOUNCIL OF TEMPISQUE BASIN in which representativesof municipalities, enterprisesand NGOs participate, has ledto works being started again inthe basin and to a permanentfollow up of the sustainable ma-nagement project.

Actions will be carried out toassist communities’ projects, espe-cially in the most degraded areas,and an environmental educationand professional training program-me will be implemented to providethe communities with the necessa-ry management tools.

The Management Unit hasparticipated in several projectson the Liberia river and Pichesand Panteon torrents with theLower-Tempisque communitiesand in the management of wet-lands in Balsan district.Mrs Maureen BallesteroFax : (506) 257 0697

COLOMBIACHECUA PROJECT

ECLAC The Ministry for the Environ-ment and Renewable Natural Resources has set up, through theSole Authority of Rio Tuy basin, asystem for monitoring surface wa-ter quality in Rio Tuy basin.

A first monitoring programmestarted in November 1995 andcontinued up to April 1996, with25 weeks of uninterrupted work.75 samples were withdrawn, witha total of 1,336 measurementsdealing with solids, chemical oxy-gen demand (COD) and bioche-mical oxygen demand (BOD). Ithas been the start of a perma-nent monitoring system based on

on-site measurements and ana-lyses in laboratories.

The monitoring network com-prises 9 stations on the riversand deals with the industrial discharges chosen to comply with a priority action programme.

A multiparameter equipmentis used for the field measure-ment of pH, conductivity, dissol-ved oxygen and temperature ofair and water. Observations necessary for result interpreta-tion are also noted.José Gregorio FernandezRio Tuy Basin AgencyFax : (58-2) 541 0000

VENEZUELAMONITORING THE QUALITY OF RIO TUY WATER

BRAZILA BASIN COMMITTEE FOR ITAJAÍ-AÇU RIVER

PANAMATERRITORIAL ENVIRONMENT AND WATER COMMISSION OF BUGABA

COSTA RICATHE TEMPISQUE RIVER BASIN

The first basin organization,called the Territorial Environmentand Water Commission, was es-tablished in Panama by the muni-cipal decree of May 14, 1996 andwas ratified by Mr. ManuelAquiles Caballero, mayor of Bu-gaba, and Mrs. Milagrosa Ortega,executive secretary.

It is an autonomous bodywhich depends on the municipali-ty of Bugaba and is supported bythe Ministry of Health, the Natio-nal Institute of Drinking WaterSupply and Sanitation, the Natio-nal Institute of Renewable Natu-

ral Resources, the Council of Municipal Representatives, theMinistry of Rural Developmentand the Institute of Water Re-sources and Electricity.

This Commission is to be anexample so that other regionsprotect and rehabilitate theiraquatic ecosystems.

From the legislative point ofview, the #35 decree of Septem-ber 22, 1996 created the newNational Water Commission.Eduardo CastroFax : (507) 77 05 494

The United Nations Econo-mic Commission for LatinAmerica and the Caribbean hasrecently published documentswhich are of interest to INBO: ● Management procedures for

sustainable development,● Public Policies for sustainable

development : integrated riverbasin management,

● Report of an experts’ groupmeeting on the implementationof Agenda 21 as regards inte-grated water resources mana-gement in Latin America andthe Caribbean,

● Progress made in the applica-tion of the recommendations gi-

ven in Chapter 18 of Agenda21 on integrated water resources management in LatinAmerica and the Caribbean.

THE CIRCULAR LETTER N° 4 OF ECLAC continues the discus-sions on the participation of the pri-vate sector in public water services.

ECLAC is also announcingthat its work will be centered onintegrated water resources ma-nagement at the level of hydro-graphic basins and on price usein water resources management.Axel Dourojeanni, Terence R.Lee & Andrei S. Jouravlev(ECLAC)Fax : (562) 208 1946/208 0252

9

CUBACAUTO RIVER BASIN

The Cauto is the largestCuban river. With a length of343 km, its drainage basin co-vers 8,969 sq. km. and com-prises the territories of severalprovinces, Santiago de Cuba,where it springs, Holguin, LasTunas and Granma, its mouthbeing located in the latter.

Water regulation has beenreached with hydraulic infra-structures built to meet waterdemands for irrigation, industryand human consumption.

Salinity increase is one ofthe main problems encounteredin the Cauto as regards its wa-ter quality.

Hydraulic infrastructuresand monitoring networks arebeing independently operatedby each province involved.Water balance -quantity andquality- is measured at nationallevel.

The country’s economic de-velopment and its human im-pact on natural resources haveled to the creation of a “FocalPoint” in charge of:

● quantity and quality control,management supervision andwater resources planning,

● controlling water allocation tousers,

● coordinating the actions of thebasin provinces to improvethe operation of monitoringand observation networks,

● operating hydrologic forecas-ting systems, and improvingthe geological and hydrogeo-logical knowledge with an in-tegrated and muldisciplinaryapproach.

Daniela Mercedes ArellanoAcostaNational Centre of Hydrologyand Water QualityFax : (537) 33 06 80

CAUTORiver Basin

CAPRE

EL SALVADORTHE RIO ACELHUATE BASIN

REDNAMACIVTH NATIONAL MEETING

The National River BasinManagement Network (REDNA-MAC), created by the MinisterialResolution of May 31, 1993, is acoordinating body in charge ofpromoting and disseminating actions related to river basin ma-nagement. REDNAMAC has al-ready organized nationalmeetings in the cities of Lima,Huaraz and Cajamarca.

The largest irrigation sys-tems of the country: Poechoa,San Lorenzo, Tinajones; conser-vation units such as the nationalreserve of Manglares deTumbas, the national park ofCerros de Amotapa as well asdry woods, soil erosion pro-blems and land desertification inthe upstream part of basins,Ayabaca and Huancabamba for

instance, are regional aspectsthat could benefit from an analy-sis within the framework of riverbasin management at nationallevel.

REDNAMAC organized itsfourth meeting from October 22to 26 in Piura with the support ofthe Regional Institute of WaterResources Management (IRAGER). It dealt with the pre-

cise definition of the role of thenational network and of regionalsub-networks, and exchangedexperiences on the various aspects of basin management inPeru in order to encourage thesetting up of as many regionalnetworks as possible.Ignacio RenaventIRAGERFax : (51-74) 32 8645

Presently, CAPRE is workingon the preparation and follow upof training programmes for mem-ber countries in the potable watersupply and sanitation sector.

For more than a year, CAPREhas been implementing a trainingprogramme with the assistance ofthe Institute of Potable WaterPipes and Sewage Mains of Cos-ta Rica. This programme is finan-ced by IDB and French Coopera-tion, within a Cooperation Agree-ment with NANCIE. A trainingcourse on wastewater was held inFrance from September 2 to November 15, 1996 for 16 partici-pants of the region.

It consisted in training trai-ners on design and maintenanceof sewage networks and waste-water pumping systems, waste-

water treatment plants, monito-ring of receiving media and onsystems for industrial effluenttreatment.

CAPRE also organized twoimportant meetings at regionallevel:● The VIth Meeting of the Regio-

nal, Technical Training Com-mittee that was held in SanJosé de Costa Rica from June24 to 27, 1996.

● The VIth Meeting of the Regio-nal Technical Committee forWater Quality, organized inTegucigalpa - Honduras, fromAugust 18 to 21. This enabledboth Committees to adjusttheir programmes to meet regional priorities.

Iliana Arce Umaña (CAPRE)Fax : (506) 222 3941

The basin of Acelhuate river,a tributary of the Lempa, the lon-gest river of the country, ap-proximately covers 733 km2, i.e.3.5 % of the national territory. Itis mainly composed of dry plainssurrounded by volcanoes.

It crosses the metropolitanarea of San Salvador (MASS),whose present populationreaches 1.5 million inhabitants.The basin lands are mostly usedfor agricultural production, main-ly coffee, sugar cane and ce-reals. The pressure exerted bythe population on land and urba-nization have caused the ero-sion of soils and torrent bedsand water pollution.

At present, the Acelhuate isan open sewer as many informalurban settlements have develo-ped on its banks.

SUSTAINABLE MANAGE-MENT OF ACELHUATE RIVERBASIN: A “SHARED MANA-GEMENT”

Three governmental institu-tions share Acelhuate basin ma-nagement: the Ministry of PublicWorks (MOP) in charge of urbansewerage, the Ministry ofAgriculture and Stockbreeding

(MAG) responsible for erosioncontrol and the NationalAdministration of Potable WaterSupply and Sanitation (ANDA)in charge of wastewater discharges.

There is no institution res-ponsible for land use regulation.

Up to now, municipalitiesand communities have not inter-vened in the present manage-ment scheme, nor the LempaExecutive Commission (LEC)responsible for energy produc-tion.

A pilot programme has beenproposed.

But, owing to the institutionalcontext of the country, a redu-ced action has been retained toprogressively lead to permanentlarger actions.

The works should be carriedout with the active collaborationof communities which would establish a project coordinationcouncil, directed by SanSalvador municipality.Mario Lungo & José F. OportoNational Foundation forDevelopmentFax : (503) 229 5427

10

LATIN AMERICAMEXICOTHE RIVER BASIN COUNCIL OF MEXICO VALLEY

Mexico City

Freshwater

Wastewater

Basin councilof MEXICOValley

LOCAL WATER COMMISSIONSIN THE NORTH BORDER REGION

The 1995-2000 National Wa-ter Plan is reorganizing the watersector in Mexico according to anew division of the national terri-tory into 13 administrative basinregions which include the 37 hy-drological regions of the country.

According to the 1995-2000National Water Plan, the “NorthBorder” region is composed of thehydrological regions “Bravo-Conchos” and “Cuencas Cerradasdel Norte”. At the beginning of1994, a coordination agreementwas signed between the FederalGovernment and the five Statesconcerned regarding the creationof the Rio Bravo Basin Council.

This region is the largest ofthe country with a surface areaof 315,403 km2. It justifies thecreation of a Local Water Com-mission (LWC) in each basin :Casa Grandes, Conchos, SanJuan, Upper-Bravo and Lower-Bravo river basins.

These Local Water Commis-sions will be composed of repre-sentatives of all users of the river

basin, of representatives from federal and state authorities andfrom municipalities. Their objecti-ve will be to establish a dialogueon actions for an integrated waterresources management and tostrengthen financial solidarity inorder to solve the water problemsof the river basin.

The Local Water Commissionof each river basin will be compo-sed of a quarter of representa-tives of the users, the Federal government, the State govern-ment and from the municipalities.

One of the main duties of theLocal Water Commissions will beto elaborate local water plans.

The period needed to elabo-rate local water plans, to be ap-proved and implemented, has tobe long enough so that studiesand dialogue are properly carriedout but sufficiently short so thatmembers of Local Water Com-missions are not demotivated.Jose Luis Montalvo EspinozaCNA, Northern RegionFax : (52-31) 21 21 62

EQUATOR : WATER LAW DRAFTAfter the establishment of

the new institutional organizationof the water sector and the set-ting up of the National Councilfor Water Resources (CNRH),Equator is undertaking legal andinstitutional reforms for an inte-grated water resources manage-ment.

By adopting a new WaterLaw, the Government expect to:

● pass from local and sectoralwater planning and projects toan integrated and multisec-toral approach by taking thehydrographic basin as ma-nagement unit in accordancewith the general environmentalprotection policy,

● organize River Basin Councilswhich would be organizationsresponsible for regional planning

and coordination and would be-nefit from the participation of thedifferent basin actors,

● strengthen the authority incharge of protection, controland penalties regarding thepollution of wastewater discharged into the rivers,

● transfer operational func-tions to regional organiza-tions and reinforce their ca-

pacity for commercial mana-gement,

● organize awareness campaigns to encourage water savings and water quali-ty protection,

● encourage the interventionof private investors for asound use of water rights.

Juan Carcelén Falconi (CNRH)Fax : (593-2) 543 092

PERUTHE SANTA RIVER BASIN

In order to meet the food de-mands of the population, the Per-uvian State has just implementedtwo special irrigation projects inthe Santa river basin to developnew lands: Chinecas (44,420 ha)and Chavimochio (130,553 ha).

However, the water volumenecessary for irrigation exceedsthe Santa flow rate in the lowwater season.

The new withdrawals maycause a serious decrease in thevolume of water brought to the seaand disrupt the biological balanceof the Chimbote port coastline.

Faced by these problems,the Peruvian Government set upthe Autonomous Authority ofSanta River Basin on December14, 1994. It is entrusted with theplanning, coordination and pro-motion of activities for a sounddevelopment and use of natural

resources but also with carryingout an evaluation and makingpropositions to improve waterand soil management and envi-ronmental conservation.

The Charter for the organi-zation and operation of the Autonomous Authority was approved on March 29, 1996.

It considers that lagoon development in the upstreampart of the basin is an alternativesolution for better allocating theresources between the basinprojects. Therefore, INADE andELECTROPERU have evalua-ted the development of the 8 lagoons of the White Cordillerato store, in a first phase, a watervolume of 227 Mm3 for energyand agricultural purposes.Alejandro Alvarado SalasAutonomous Authority of SantaRiver BasinFax : (51) 312 950

Mexico City’s metropolitanarea, one of the most densely po-pulated regions in the world withalmost 18 million inhabitants, thatis 19.4 % of the Mexican popula-tion, is located in Mexico Valley, aclosed basin covering 9,600 km2.

In order to meet the increa-sing demand, it is necessary toimport water from neighbouringbasins, overcoming a height of1,100 m by pumping andconveying it by pipes over a dis-tance of 120 km.

The basin, which remained clo-sed until 1789, has nowadays 3outlets draining 46.5 m3/s of wasteand storm water to be used in an irrigation project of 85,000 ha loca-ted 90 km NW of the city. One ofthese outlets, the modern Sistemade Drenaje Profundo (Deep Draina-ge System) features a central tun-nel 50 km long, ranging from 100 to217 m in depth along with a net-work of lesser ducts with a jointlength of 70 km.

Hopefully, by the end of theyear 2000, 4 treatment plantsshould have been installed and wor-king within the metropolitan area with a joint capacity of 73.5 m3/s.

These facts have turned Mexi-co Valley into a top priority arearegarding pollution control and regulation.CREATION OF THE BASINCOUNCIL

On August 16, 1995, authori-ties from the Federal Government,the Federal District and the Statesof Hidalgo, Mexico, Puebla andTlaxcala signed a coordinationagreement to set up a BasinCouncil for Mexico Valley.

This Council was establishedas a bureau that will coordinatejoint actions undertaken by theNational Water Commission(CNA), government offices at alllevels and private users in the ba-sin to guarantee present and futu-re potable water availability, to un-dertake sanitation projects inMexico Valley and Tula river watershed, to generate emergen-cy reserve storage and to arrangethe financial support needed forthese accomplishments, in accor-dance with Mexico’s new planninginstruments: the 1995-2000 Natio-nal Water Plan and the Water Resources Management Project.Sergio Moreno Mejia (CNA) Fax : (52-5) 650 5798

11

ALGERIASTATUTES AND MISSIONS OF BASIN ORGANIZATIONS

NEW WATER POLICYAfter a long period of reflec-

tion and dialogue, the Ministry ofPublic Works and RegionalPlanning has just completed awhole stock of statutory mea-sures which will enable it to im-plement the new water policy.

These texts bring innova-tions of great importance on thefollowing points:● Consideration of water as pro-

perty of the national communi-ty.

● Integrated water resourcesmanagement on the scale ofthe river basin.

● Strengthening of arrange-ments aiming at water re-

sources preservation, layingdown obligations as regardsthe treatment of urban and in-dustrial effluents.

● Setting up of planning tools,such as masterplans on natio-nal and regional scale.

● Strengthening of the sanitationobligation.

● State incentive and assistanceas regards water saving.

● Widening the system ofconcession of public servicesto private legal entities havingthe necessary qualifications.

Ahmed AjabiMinistry of Public Works andRegional PlanningFax : (213-2) 58 50 38

MOROCCOSIGNING OF AN AGREEMENT ON WATER

On the occasion of the visit ofMrs C. LEPAGE, French Ministerfor the Environment, on last 18and 19 April to her Moroccancounterparts, Messrs BENOMAR,Minister for the Environment, andMEZIANE, Minister of PublicWorks, a cooperation agreementon Global Water Managementwas signed by Messrs JELLALI,Director General of Water, and P. ROUSSEL, Director of Water.

The main projects that wereretained are the setting up of apilot organization for the manage-ment of OUM ER R’BIA basin, ofwhich the International Office forWater will be coordinator on theFrench side in collaboration withNANCIE, and flood prevention.

Mohamed JellaliDirector General of WaterFax : (212-7) 77 86 96

SPAIN

Due to the particular climaticconditions of the greater part ofthe Spanish territory, water avai-lability with suitable quality is thebasic constraint to development.A secure water supply hasbeen, is and will be the prerequi-site to any activity.

Handicapped by an unfavou-rable hydrological context, theSpanish society endeavoured topalliate its water shortage bymaking huge efforts to improvethe scarce and irregular waterresources.

Many hydraulic infrastruc-tures were built by original insti-tutions. The role played by Syn-dicates of irrigation users is wellknown as they ensure the effi-ciency of irrigation systems andtheir organization and operationhave been a model for many irri-gation schemes over the world.

Yet, the long Spanish tradi-tion of river basin management,that the Water Administrationhad to adopt in order to solvethe conflicts generated by thecomplex hydraulic problems, isless known.

The Royal Decree of March 5,

1926, established HydrographicConfederations, and another Decree passed at the same periodcreated the Ebro River BasinConfederation, the Ebro being themain river of the Spanish territory.

The principle of respecting ri-ver basin unity, was the essentialelement of water resources ma-nagement in the new Water Lawof 1985. In order to reconcile thisbasic principle with the new Spa-nish territorial organization, whichprovided Regional AutonomousCommunities with wider power,the new Water Law differentiatesthe case of a river entirely loca-ted on the territory of a sole Com-munity which is entrusted with itsmanagement, from the Hydrogra-phic Confederations which areresponsible for the managementof intercommunity river basins.

In the future, the Hydrogra-phic Confederations will have toadapt themselves to the newconditions imposed by a dyna-mic environment.Carlos M. Escartin HernandezState Secretariat for Water andCoastal AreasFax : (34-1) 597 85 06

TAGUS BASINThe Hydrographic Confedera-

tions have managed Spanish water resources for more than 70years. Pioneers of river basin organizations, they have kept anoperation scheme close to thepresent one all along their histo-ry. At first, these organizationsbelonged to the Ministry of Deve-lopment, then to the Ministry ofPublic Works and now, for thefirst time, they are added on theorganizational chart of the newMinistry for the Environment,created by the Royal Decree of

March 5, 1996.

The new Ministry comprises aState Secretariat for Water andCoastal Areas composed of theGeneral Directorate of HydraulicWorks and Water Quality whichsupervises the HydrographicConfederations, the General Di-rectorate of Coastal Areas andthe Spanish Technological andGeomines Institute.José Antonio Llanos BlascoTagus Hydrographic ConfederationFax : (34-1) 554 55 02

DOURO BASINAUTOMATIC SYSTEM FOR HYDROLOGICAL INFORMATION

The Hydrographic Confede-rations must adapt the naturalresource to requirements in order to achieve an always moreefficient management of wateruse, from water supply, irriga-tion, hydropower and industry,etc., to flood control in rivers.

Thus, it is necessary to havea widespread, quick and real sys-tem for getting information on theflowrate evolution in rivers anddam-reservoirs to take the neces-sary operating measures.

Thanks to new technologies,based on mathematical modelsand computerized support, anambitious automatic informationprogramme could be implemen-ted. It takes into account thespecific characteristics of Douroriver basin. Rainfalls are scarceand mainly under the form ofsnow in the mountains.

Floods occur even when norain falls as they are caused by a rise in temperature that melts snow.THE “HYDRODOURO” NET-WORK

The Hydrodouro Networkwas built during these last 3years as an integrated part ofthe SAIH system that the Gene-ral Directorate of Hydraulic

Works is in the process of instal-ling in all the river basins of thepeninsula. This system is usedat basin level.

The first studies of this pro-ject were initiated in May 1991and work started in December1992. The system became ope-rational in April 1994, when the ir-rigation campaign was launched.

Thanks to the HydrodouroNetwork, the knowledge of para-meters necessary for properlyoperating the State canals canbe obtained by remote sensingand in real-time.

All data converge by telecom-munication means into a DataProcessing Centre, housed in therestored building of lock 42 on theCanal of Castille near Valladolid.This centre also houses a smallhydraulic museum.

Investment now amounts to1,700 million pesetas. It has beenfinanced by the General Directo-rate of Hydraulic Works. Informa-tion is to be used by all people,starting with the teams of theDouro Hydrographic Confedera-tion, going on with Syndicates ofirrigation users, Administrationsand civil defence departments, tofinally end with Universities andresearch teams.Antonio J. Alonso BurgosDouro Hydrographic ConfederationFax : (34-83) 30 91 42

THE RIVER BASIN, FRAMEWORK FOR WATER MANAGEMENT

THE MEDITERRANEAN

The decree of theGovernment Council of March 6,1996 defined the river basinsand laid down the statutes of pu-blic management institutions aswell as those related to the 5River Basin Committees and theNational Water Council.❶ The 5 River Basin Agenciesare public institutions which ope-rate under an industrial andcommercial management andwhich carry out a mission of pu-blic service linked to water resources management.❷ The River Basin Committees

form the adapted framework fordialogue in which members arecommissioned to discuss andexpress their views on all water-related issues in the river basin.

Each River Basin Committeehas 24 members and is equallymade up of representatives fromthe Administration, local authorities,and of the different potential users.❸ The National Water Councilcompletes this institutional struc-ture. It is chaired by the Head ofGovernment and composed ofthe Ministers of all sectorsconcerned with water.

12

EUROPEFRANCE

In 1991, “Electricity of France”(EDF) and Adour-Garonne WaterAgency signed a partnershipagreement for sharing the mana-gement of the basin resourcesand especially planned to:● adapt the equipment and ma-

nagement of some hydroelec-tric installations of EDF, in order to find medium-term solutions for recharging thelow water flow in a few badsections of the basin by relay-reservoir discharges.

● establish the conditions forEDF to provide the Agency with its technical and scientificskills related to the Agencyfield of action.

AN ORIGINAL ORGANIZATION

The establishment of aCommon Technical Mission(CTM) EDF-Water Agency iscertainly one of the most innova-ting aspects of this agreement.

In reality, its action coversthe following topics:● Comparison of water needs

with available resources tocarry out discharges of relay-storage reservoirs,

● Execution and coordinationof the studies decided incommon. CTM can act as acommon office by directly car-rying out studies.

● Role of observer and wat-cher.

The Common Technical Mis-sion is a joint team making deci-sons with one accord. It is com-posed of representatives of bothorganizations and of a full-timeEDF engineer on secondment tothe Agency who coordinates, or-

ganizes and manages activitieson his own and with impartiality.

The financial means neces-sary for the good running of thisstructure and for the implementa-tion of its programme are equallyprovided by both organizations.A RICH AND DIVERSIFIEDACTIVITY

The covenant between EDFand the Agency was signed at atime when a serious drought hitthe Adour-Garonne Basin. Sothis agreement first dealt withlow water replenishment andwater resources mobilization.

Some changes have occur-red since. It was particularly thecase of the water law of January3, 1992 which dealt with the pre-paration of the Masterplan forWater Development and Mana-gement (SDAGE).

Within this framework, CTMsaw its field of action widenedby taking into account the quali-tative and ecological aspects ofaquatic media.

Among the main topics whichwere discussed, agreements onreservoir discharge, follow up ofsluicing and flushing of dams, oralso the drawing up of plans forthe collection and treatment offloating wastes, were retained.

The Common Technical Mis-sion is an original organization, without any equivalent in France.It enables privileged and perma-nent exchanges between both organizations and ensures theconsistency of their action poli-cies.Franck DarthouCommon Technical Mission Fax : (33-5) 61 36 37 28

ADOUR-GARONNEA COMMON TECHNICAL MISSION BETWEEN“ELECTRICITY OF FRANCE”AND THE WATER AGENCY

RHINE-MEUSEA TRANSBOUNDARY SCIENTIFIC COOPERATIONA GOOD EXAMPLE OF AN APPROACH TO THE STUDY OF MOSELLEAND SARRE RIVERS

High decreases in dissolvedoxygen content have been ob-served these last few years inthe Sarre and especially in theMoselle. They occurred in lowwater periods, during summer,and were accompanied by thesudden disappearance of plank-tonic algae. These had not beenseen before.

Beyond borders, the techni-cal organizations of all countriesconcerned have been coopera-ting since 1961 within Internatio-nal Commissions for the protec-tion of Moselle and Sarre rivers(CIPMS).

The first investigations led to:● outline the geographic extent

of the problem,● observe that our present

knowledge is insufficient tocheck whether the actions ofpollution control that havestarted are enough to suffi-ciently improve the situationand to decide on possible ad-ditional actions.

The partners have agreedon the necessity for a 3-year research programme, the imple-mentation and coordination of

which was entrusted to the Inter-national Water Centre (NANCIE), whose multidiscipli-nary competence is well-known.

German, French and Bel-gian research teams, speciali-zed in modelling, biology andhydrology, are involved in thisprogramme.

The States also strengthenedthe routine measurements madein these watercourses. The Rhi-neland-Palatinate Lander madeits laboratory boat available.

This cooperation is a goodexample of the management oftransboundary watercourses.

The mutual skills of theteams involved and technologytransfer have demonstrated theimportance of developing this type of partnership regardingscientific as well as cultural andpolitical aspects.

The results of this workshould be available in 1997. Theexpertise capacity and experien-ce that developed during thisproject can be used in othergeographic areas that face thesame difficulties.Jean-Pierre SchmittNANCIEDaniel AssfeldSecretary to CIPMSFax : (33-3) 83 15 87 99

INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION FORTHE PROTECTION OF MEUSE RIVERTHE RHINE-MEUSE RIVERBASIN COMMITTEE COMMITSITSELF

Keeping up with the spirit ofHelsinki Agreement of March17, 1992, an international co-operation agreement was si-gned on April 26, 1994 in Char-leville-Mezieres (France) for pro-tecting the Meuse, thus creatingan International Commission.

One of the original aspects ofthis agreement is that the signa-tories to this agreement are theBelgian Regions and not the Fe-deral Realm of Belgium, at the si-de of the French Republic andKingdom of the Netherlands.

It is the first internationalagreement that commits the Bel-gian Regions, due to the recentchanges in the Constitution.

Another important aspect tobe noted is that one of the signatories to this agreement,the Brussels-Capital Region, isnot located in the Meuse River

basin but almost a third of its in-habitants drink Meuse water.

Due to these particularities,local decision-makers and eco-nomic actors-water users had tobe associated to the Commis-sion on the French side.

The Rhine-Meuse River Basin Committee, real local waterparliament, fitted the bill. Therefo-re, the French delegation com-prises two personalities chosenby the Rhine-Meuse River BasinCommittee in addition to itsChairman at the side of State re-presentatives.

This experience in interna-tional cooperation is not new forthe Rhine-Meuse river basin, asit has been involved for severaldecades in international work regarding the protection of theRhine, Moselle and Sarre rivers.Claude GaillardChairman of the Rhine-MeuseRiver Basin CommitteeFax : (33-3) 87 60 49 85 THE MEUSE River

13

RHONE-MEDITERRANEAN-CORSICAGENEVA LAKE :A FRANCO-SWISS TRANSBOUNDARY COOPERATION

Since 1950, French and Swissspecialists have been gathered inthe General Union of people of theRhone and applied themselves todescribe the state of the waters ofGeneva Lake and of the Rhone,with a view to incite riparian Statesto control pollution.

The International Commissionfor the Protection of Geneva LakeWater (CIPEL) was born in 1960on these foundations. It is an organization that sprung from thewill of France and Switzerland towork together for defining andmanaging the monitoring pro-gramme of the largest alpine lakeand its watershed.

Furthermore, the internationalagreement invested the Commis-sion with the responsibility to pre-pare every year a series of opera-tional recommendations, basedon the monitoring of the state ofGeneva Lake, to propose trendsof action to both countries as regards pollution control.

THE ROLE OF THE WATERAGENCY

The Rhone-Mediterranean-Corsica Water Agency (RMC)plays an essential role in theCommission:

● In the political field Its Director is an ex-officio

member of the Plenary Commit-

tee, alternately chaired by a representative of each govern-ment, which gathers every yearthe most important administrativeand political authorities of thethree Swiss cantons (Geneva,Vaud and Valais) and of the twoFrench riparian departments (Ain,Upper-Savoy). He is also Chair-man of the Technical Subcom-mission for a three-year period.

● In the technical fieldSpecialists from the Water

Agency participate in the Tech-nical Subcommission and inworking groups.

Thereby, the Agency is in themost favourable position to ensu-re the consistency of the actionscarried out by CIPEL within its ac-tion programme on the eutrophi-cation control of the Lake.

● In the financial fieldSwitzerland and France res-

pectively provide 3/4 and 1/4 ofthe financing. The Agency en-sures, equally with the FrenchMinistry for the Environment, thefinancing of the French share(MFF 2.5) of the monitoring pro-gramme. The Ministry for Forei-gn Affairs bears the Frenchcontribution to the financing ofthe secretariat.

The Agency is the essentialrelay between local, departmen-

tal, regional and even nationaldecision-makers, in order to ap-ply the stated recommendations.

It does so by referring to itsaction programme and to Gene-va Lake Action Plan for year

2000, called “Lake Geneva, tomorrow” which is one of themain components.

Jean-Paul Chirouze RMC Water Agency Fax : (33-4) 72 71 26 01

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

8000

7000

6000

5000

4000

3000

2000

1000

0 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995

Start of phosphate removal in the treatment plant

Phosphate forbidden in washing products

P tot (µg/l) P tot (tons)

Modelling: forecast of the effect of phosphate removal from washing products

Objective to be achieved for limiting plankton growth

r h ô n e m é d i t e r r a n é e c o r s e

SEINE-NORMANDYTHE WATER ACADEMY

The Water Academy was established in March 1994 on theinitiative of the French Ministry forthe Environment and WaterAgencies. It is entrusted with theorganization of a prospective andmultidisciplinary reflection on wa-ter resources management, whiledirecting a platform for informa-tion exchange and for a scientificwatch. Its secretariat is run by theSeine-Normandy Water Agency.

The Academy members,chaired by Pr DAUSSET, NobelPrize of Medicine, have definedtwenty or so topics of reflectionto be developed in the future.

One of the topics chosen during their meeting in Toulouseon March 1, 1996 is of particu-lar interest to INBO members. Itdeals with the comparison ofexperiences gained in riverbasin organization all over theworld. Case studies should bewritten on INBO river basinsfrom the available documenta-tion. It concerns the analysis ofstructures and means of actionset up in these test river basins(the Rio Bio Bio in Chile, the RioDoce or the Paraiba do Sul inBrazil, the Valencia Lake inVenezuela, the Rio Grande ofTárcoles in Costa Rica, the RioLerma in Mexico, the Brantas inIndonesia, in Poland, Hungaryand Russia) in order to comparethem with management expe-riences which have been exis-ting for a long time in France,England, Spain and the Ruhr.

A first analysis should permitto present, by the end of 1996, areport to be submitted to thereactions of the different actorsconcerned and which could beused as a basis for a reflectionon new trends, encountered dif-ficulties and corrective actions tobe taken.

It also seems interesting tothoroughly examine the prac-tices of the industrial sector.This category of water users isone of the first concerned whena water charge system is imple-mented in a river basin.

Industrial discharges areconcentrated and localized. Thisincreases their impact on the en-vironment but make their treat-ment easier, and industry is in abetter position to integrate envi-ronmental costs. As an example,industrial discharges in theSeine-Normandy river basin are

nearly equivalent to domestic discharges, but 90% of them arecontrolled as compared to only40 % for communities which have to cope with the problem ofcollecting effluents.

The reflection topic that wasmostly put forward by theAcademy members concernsthe relations between water,town and town planning. 23towns throughout the world havealready been studied. The re-sults of these observations willbe presented during a sympo-sium at UNESCO on April 10and 11, 1997. Pierre Henry de VilleneuveSeine-Normandy Water AgencyFax : (33-1) 41 20 16 09

Evolution of Phosphorus contentin GENEVA LAKE

14

“POVODIE DUNAJA”, theDanube River Basin companywas established in 1966. A Sta-te-owned company since 1990,it deals with the managementand maintenance of water-courses and operation of hydraulic works. It administratesa territory of 5,896 km2, repre-senting 12% of Slovakia.

The company deals with themanagement of water works,protection against floods, supplyof surface water and control ofits quality, project investment,design and implementation.

The project for rehabilitatingthe Morava between Tvrdoniceand Devín (STP Morava) is anexample of the relation betweenwater management and the envi-ronment. The Danube River BasinCompany has been working on

this project since 1994 in coopera-tion with the Research Institute ofWater Management (Vyskumnyústav vodného hospodárstva) inBratislava and the Institute of Zoo-logy and Eco-zoology of the Slo-vak Academy of Sciences.

A tributary of the Danube, theMorava has a relatively low flowrate and when it began to beused intensely in Central Europe,the river basin became a forbid-den frontier zone with Austria andthe Czech Republic, with strictlycontrolled activities. The river wasshortened by building up damsand, today, the flood-prone areasbetween the dams only represent20% of the initial threatened area.In 1993, the Slovak basin wasentered on the list of the world’smost important marshlands(Ramsar convention).

The objectives ofSTP Morava, the completion ofwhich is scheduled for 1998,are:

● to compare the current state ofthe environment and water-development regulations withthose existing at the beginningof the twentieth century and tofind out the main trends in thedevelopment of the river sys-tem,

● to determine the optimum values of biotic indicators to besecured when implementingessential water-managementactivities,

● to find model solutions andprognoses for developing thearea that are compatible withenvironmental protection andrehabilitation,

● to establish environmental management, rehabilitationand revitalization measurescompatible with flow regula-tion.

The results of the researchwill be the basis for an alternati-ve development of the Moravaand its river basin. The limits ofthe actions planned in this terri-tory will be stated in the final re-port, that is why this project willbecome a basic document forregulating activities and modifi-cations of any kind within theterritorial unit considered.

The STP Morava is linked tothe project for “biodiversity pro-tection” of the World Bank.Peter RusinaThe Danube River BasinBratislavaFax : (42-7) 722 547/720 077

HUNGARY WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

About 96 % of Hungariansurface water resources origina-te from the upstream neighbou-ring countries.

Groundwater recharge areasalso extend beyond the bordersof the country, expanding to theridges of the CarpathianMountains.

About 80 % of the country’ssurface water resources comefrom the Danube and Drava rivers, while the Tisza river pro-vides 20 % of the resources, al-though it covers 50 % of thecountry’s territory.

Hungary can hardly controlthe quality of the water arrivingin the country from abroad.Unfortunately, all transboundarywaters are polluted to a certainextent, with the exception of tho-se from Austria.

ORGANIZATION The Ministry of Transport,

Communication and WaterManagement is in charge of water quantity and quality pro-tection, water utilization control,flood and land drainage control,river and lake development, pre-vention of damages caused bywater.

Three administrative bodies,headed by a Deputy StateSecretary, are responsible forthe administration of water af-fairs within this Ministry.

The National WaterAuthority (OVF) is a nation-wideorganization of the Ministry ofTransport, Communication andWater Management. In additionto its own duties, OVF providesadministrative and professionalguidance and supervises the

Regional Water Authorites.

There are 12 RegionalWater Authorities, one for eachcatchment area. They are thereal “basin” organizations. Theirmain administrative task is themanagement of water resourcesin accordance with the WaterLaw and their main regulatorytask is water right licensing.

They also have major tech-nical duties such as water distri-bution, operation andmaintenance of watercourses,flood control and protection ofinfrastructures and water reser-voirs of national importance, andriver navigation.

A national organization, theFlood Defence and LandDrainage Control Organization(ABKSZ), is also under the su-pervision of the National WaterAuthority.

Water quality control of sur-face and ground waters, inclu-ding related regulatory andsurpervisory tasks, is within thecompetence of the Ministry forthe Environment and RegionalPolicy, which has established 12Environmental Inspectorates,whose borders are also basedon catchment areas.

The Regional WaterAuthorities and theEnvironmental Inspectorates cooperate in making water re-sources available and in stu-dying the issue of withdrawallicenses.Miklos VargaNational Water Authority (OVF)Fax : (36-1) 212 0775

VISIT OF A MEXICANPARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION

Following INBO’s GeneralAssembly, a Mexican parliamen-tary delegation, headed by Mr. Montes, Chairman of theWater Commission, and compo-sed of Messrs Almada, Cordobaand Castillo and Mrs Casco, stu-died the Hungarian experiencesin water management from Au-gust 13 to 15, 1996.

On August 13, the delegationwas received by the HungarianParliamentary Committee for Environmental Protection.

The programme of visits wasorganized by the National Water

Authority: the Parliament mem-bers visited Siófok city where thewater development of Balaton La-ke was presented, then Keszthelytown, at the centre of the SmallBalaton technical services in Wes-tern Transdanubia. They were im-pressed by the large surfaceareas devoted to the protection ofBalaton Lake water quality.

The visit of the MetropolitanWater Supply Company of Buda-pest ended the programme.Kálmán PappNational Water AuthorityFax : (36-1) 212 0775

23% of the 93,000 km2 of theHungarian territory are endan-gered by floods. This area in-cludes a quarter of the popula-tion and one third of cultivableland. Flood threat is the greatestafter the Netherlands in Europe.

Owing to the climatic and geo-graphic conditions of the Carpa-thian basin and surrounding moun-tains, floods can occur all yearround. Floods, caused by ice melt,are also very dangerous and mustbe reckoned with. These rivers ha-ve a torrent regime upstream andin the event of a quick snow meltor heavy rainfalls their water levelcan rise quickly by several metres,sometimes within a few hours. TheKoros rivers are particularly dan-gerous because their level can riseby 8-10 metres within 28-36 hours.

As topographic conditionsprevent flood storage in moun-tainous regions, earth dikes ha-ve been built on 4,000 km alongthe rivers. Floods are thus heldand the water level can be 3 to 8metres higher than the surroun-

ding area, that is to say that thepopulation is exposed to aconstant danger.

The dikes are mainly exploi-ted by State water services butonly 58% of them meet safetystandards. Therefore, it has beennecessary to retain the peakflood of torrents. Thus, the sys-tem of emergency flood retentionreservoirs was developed.

The reservoir is a flat area,limited by circular dikes, that canonly be used in an extreme situation to avoid disaster.Otherwise, it is used for agricul-tural and sylvicultural purposes.

In Hungary, there are ten sitesfor retention reservoirs represen-ting a total area of 218 km2 and atotal volume of 363 million of m3.They had to be used eight timesbetween 1966 and 1995. This me-thod has proven to be successfuland efficient.Dr. Miklós VargaDr. Lajos SzlávikNational Water AuthorityFax : (36-1) 212 0775

THE USE OF EMERGENCY FLOODRETENTION RESERVOIRS

SLOVAKIAPROJECT FOR THE MORAVA REHABILITATION

15

In 1995, Ukraine establishedmeasures for financing the implementation of the new riverbasin system. A GovernmentalDecree was drafted by the 7Regional Administrations of theSouth Bug river basin to createthe State Regional Environ-mental Commission with the aimof drawing up a strategy for wa-ter resources management.

Under the conditions of eco-nomic reform, with the new mar-ket economy, a specialmechanism was needed to fi-nance water protection. In ac-cordance with the existinglegislation, the funds comingfrom payments for water utiliza-tion, water pollution and for vio-lations of water legislation go tothe budgets of some 600 go-vernmental bodies of the basin.But, under conditions of econo-mic crisis, this income is usedfor different purposes than waterprotection.

Therefore, this income mustbe centralized into a special ac-count, and appropriate changesin the existing legislation areneeded.

Another problem is the lackof a clear delimitation of respon-sibilities between ministries

regarding water resources ma-nagement. The State Committeefor Water Management is res-ponsible for building hydraulicworks, regulating flowrates inthe basin rivers and controllingwater resources utilization. TheWater ManagementDepartments of the South Bugriver basin are supervised bythis Committee and have suchtasks as: work planning, exploi-tation of water systems, monito-ring, water allocation andauthorizations for water withdra-wals.

The research on the possibi-lity of establishing a financial river basin agency, while takinginto account the existing legisla-tion and the limited financial resources of the new economy,underlined the necessity of ad-ding new functions to the exis-ting river basin managementbodies such as levying and col-lecting the costs of water protec-tion. The right to manage anduse these amounts was given tothe State EnvironmentalCommission. ...

UKRAINEPILOT SOUTH BUG RIVER BASIN:REFORM OF THE FINANCING SYSTEMFOR WATER PROTECTION

ROMANIATHE RIVER BASIN COMMITTEE :A NEW INSTITUTION FOR WATER MANAGEMENT

Romania is a country withrelatively scarce water resources, a great variety of runoffs in time and an irregulardistribution over the territory.Such a situation explains theconcern of the Romanian Statesince the beginning of the 20thcentury, for a judicious regula-tion of water resources use andprotection. The first law on“Water Regime in Romania” wastherefore adopted in 1926.

After 1944, owing to the social and economic develop-ment, a new water policy beca-me necessary to meet the moreand more important demands.This new policy was put into aconcrete form with the elabora-tion of masterplans and with theadoption of the river basin as abasic unit for the quantitativeand qualitative management ofwater resources.

Thanks to this new arrange-ment, all necessary measureswere better integrated to meetwater demands, water resources quality and quantityconservation and the protectionagainst water harmful effects.

After 1989, the new socio-economic conditions in Romanialed to the establishment of theAutonomous Water Authority“Apele Romane” with the objec-tive of a water management based on modern principles.

These changes in structureand concept on the scale of thesociety and water sector resul-ted in changes and adaptationsof the legislation. Accordingly, anew water law was drawn upand approved by Parliament.

This new “Water Law” tookinto account the elements of for-mer legislations, while introdu-cing new concepts : the“polluter-pays” principle, publicparticipation in decision making,financial and ecocomic mecha-nism, creation of River BasinCommittees.

Thanks to the establishmentof River Basin Committees, thecooperation which already exis-ted between water managementunits and their main beneficia-ries was institutionalized. A decentralization of decisionsand a better involvement of thepublic will become effective withtime. Thereby, River BasinCommittees are composed ofrepresentatives of local govern-mental authorities, local authori-ties, non-governmentalorganizations, water manage-ment units and users.

They will be able to influen-ce water management policiesin general and make decisionsat river basin level. Owing to thewide range of interests repre-sented in the River BasinCommittee, from the agent res-ponsible for environmental pro-tection to the user, all aspects ofthe water management issuewill be known and thus makingbetter decisons will be possibleto achieve a better use of waterresources.

In the same way, the partici-pation of the public, who will the-refore be better informed, willlead to an awareness of pro-blems and to the acceptance ofmeasures, works proposed andsolidarity between users.

Although River BasinCommittees are recent institutio-nal structures in Romania, wehope that all interested partieswill adapt rapidly. We are grate-ful to the countries which havesupported us for a quick integra-tion of the River BasinCommittee in water manage-ment in our country, to France,Great-Britain and the United-States in particular.Florin StadiuMinistry of Water, Forestry andEnvironmental ProtectionFax : (40-1) 312 42 27

CLEANUP PROCESSES FOR WASTE-WATER DISCHARGES BY REFINERIESAND OTHER CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES

The Autonomous Water Authority “Apele Romane” ofPiolesti administrates the Praho-va and Teleajen rivers. In thisregion, chemical and petroche-mical industries have negativeeffects on water pollution.

Both rivers were very polluteduntil a short time ago, especiallyby hydrocarbons and iron ash.

But the situation has chan-

ged with facilities designed withthe support of Apele Romane.

Thanks to these installations,the concentration of hydrocar-bons in wastewater has been reduced from 80-120 mg/l to 2-4mg/l and iron ash from 1200-1600 mg/l to 30-60 mg/l. Theyare also used for water aeration.

V. Calamaz“Apele Romane”, Piolesti.

NEW LAWON ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

The new law on environ-mental protection of December29, 1995 is based on a few ba-sic strategic principles and ele-ments such as caution duringdecision making, prevention ofecological risks, preservation ofbiodiversity and specific ecosys-tems, priority removal of pollu-tants which directly threaten hu-man health, establishment of thenational environmental integra-ted monitoring system, protec-tion and improvement of envi-ronmental quality and rehabilita-tion of degraded zones, as wellas the development of interna-tional cooperation.

The law plans the applica-tion of the “polluter-pays” prin-ciple and the possibility for theGovernment to grant tax cuts orexemptions and other fiscalterms to industrialists who repla-ce dangerous substances in ma-nufacturing processes or who in-

vest in clean technologies orother special measures for eco-logical protection or rehabilita-tion.

The principles of the newlaw ensure a sustainable deve-lopment and the access to infor-mation for the population andnon-governmental organizationswho may appeal to the court wi-thin the environmental protec-tion framework, whomever maybe the person who has beenwronged.

The new water law, whichhas just been approved by Par-liament, has been drawn up inclose correlation with this envi-ronmental law of December 29,1995.

Gentiana SerbuApele RomaneFax : (40-1) 312 21 74

This scientific conferencewas held in Wroclaw on June 14and 15, 1996.

Twenty-six papers presentedan overview of the present stateof knowledge on the possibilitiesof improving water supply foragriculture with small reservoirs.

It has been demonstratedthat ponding water with acontrolled outflow in early springsignificantly reduced the lowe-

ring of the groundwater table.

The conference was the firstnational forum that followed the21 December 1995 Agreementbetween the Minister ofAgriculture and the Minister ofEnvironmental Protection,Natural Resources and Forestryregarding cooperation on asmall retention programme.Reference to the Agreementwas made in the paper “SmallRetention Reservoirs in the

Upper and Middle Odra RiverBasin”, which presented priorityprojects based on retention re-servoirs with proposed locationsand hydrological criteria.

Andrzej Nalberczynski Wroclaw RZGWFax : (48-71) 22 13 39

The network newsletterSecretariat:

International Office for Water21, rue de Madrid75008 PARIS - FRANCEWeb : http://www.oieau.frTel. : +33 1 44 90 88 60Fax : +33 1 40 08 01 45E Mail : oieau-dg@worldnet.net

N° ISSN : 1265-4027

Publishing Director J.F. DONZIER

EditorJ.F. TALEC

Editorial AssistantG. SINE

ProductionEau & Développement international

ESTER - Technopole87069 LIMOGES Cedex - FRANCE

PrintingChastanet Imprimeur - LIMOGES

La “Network Newsletter” is published

with the support ofthe French Water Agencies

RE

SEAU INTERNATION

AL

DES

ORGANISMES DE BA

SSIN

INTE

RNATIONAL NETW

ORK

OF

BASIN ORGANIZATIO

NS

RED

INTERNACIONAL

DE

O

RGANISMOS DE CUENC

A

... UKRAINE (cont.)This Commission will be

composed of representativesfrom the 7 regional administra-tions of the South Bug river ba-sin and the main water userministries. It will be headed bythe representative from theMinistry for EnvironmentalProtection and Nuclear Safety.In the future, the Commissioncould be opened to other waterusers such as municipalitiesand non-governmental organi-zations.

The transformation of theinstitutional structures for watermanagement will require effortsto make changes from the tradi-tional to the territorial principle.

Prerequisites for the settingup of this reform could be drawnup from the work of Ukrainianand French specialists. Theyare: changes in the country’s legislation, raising the interest ofenterprises and population in amore efficient use of watercharges, setting up relationsbetween the public and the ma-nagement bodies.Anatoliy TkachovMinistry for EnvironmentalProtection and Nuclear SafetyFax : (380-44) 228 5072

POLANDKRAKOW RZGWWATER QUALITY CONTROL IN THE UPPERVISTULA BASIN

Independently of its usualduties, RZGW is responsible forlaunching the “Planning andAdministration of WaterManagement” project, which is acomponent of the “Strategy ofEnvironmental Management”programme, financed by theWorld Bank and by the Ministryfor Environmental Protection,Natural Resources and Forestry,and whose objective is to controlgroundwater quality and to buildprotection areas for municipal in-takes.

The regional network forgroundwater water qualitycontrol (MRQES) was set up in1991 in the Upper Vistula riverbasin and the Krakow Academyof Mines was entrusted with thepreparation of economic andtechnical terms and with the sur-vey coordination. In 1993, anequipment was acquired byRZGW to carry out field mea-sures and prepare samples. Itconsisted of laboratory-vans fit-ted out with a material to carryout withdrawals and basic mea-

sures on site. The Academy ofMines, the Geology Company ofKrakow and the GeologyInstitute of Kielce have beencarrying out field measures.These surveys were financed onthe Phare programme budget.

The project objectives are:identification and permanentcontrol of groundwater quality,evaluation of groundwater resis-tance to surface water pollution,forecasting of water qualitychanges in a pluriannual cycle,identification of impacts of natu-ral and anthropogenic processeson water quality.

MRQES network should beused to check the simulationmodels necessary for preparingregulations for the use of the river basin water.

In 1993, Krakow RZGW, incooperation with the WaterManagement andMeteorological Institute (IMGE)and the Krakow ODGW, also setup on the “Kosciuszko” waterfall,the first pilot station to monitorthe salinity of the Vistula water.

The results are automaticallytransmitted to the RZGW database and are used by large in-dustries: Skawina and Polaniecpower stations, Krakow Legthermal power station,Sendzimir smelting works.

During 1994 and 1995 sum-mers, in low water period,Krakow RZGW transmitted eve-ry day information on the Vistulasalinity and flowrate to KrakowRegional Inspectorate forEnvironmental Protection (IRPE).

The possibility of usingPolish equipment for watercontrol and automatic datatransmission is under study.Tomasz WalczykiewiczKrakow RZGWFax : (48-12) 212 909

WROCLAW RZGWCONFERENCE ON “SMALL RESERVOIRSAND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENTINBOINBO

on theon theWEBWEB

www.oieau.fr/riob