4 quarter of 2001 n° 10 2002 a strategic year the network ...riob.org/img/pdf/inbo10.pdf · the...

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4th QUARTER OF 2001 N° 10

RESEAU INTERNATIONALDES ORGANISMES DE BASSIN

RED INTERNACIONALDE ORGANISMOS DE CUENCA

2002 A STRATEGICYEAR

Owing to its new statutes,approved during the Gene-ral Assembly held in Za-kopane (Poland) in October2000, the InternationalNetwork of Basin Orga-nizations (INBO) hastaken the opportunity, in2001, to get the resourcesneeded to promote world-wide the principles, organi-zations and methods re-quired for “integratedwater resource mana-gement at the level ofriver basins” (IWRM) inclose cooperation with theGlobal Water Partner-ship (GWP):● firstly, by creating and

strengthening its Re-gional Networks:LANBO (Latin-Ameri-can Network ofBasin Organiza-tions), but alsoCEENBO (Cen-tral and EasternEuropean Net-work of Basin Or-ganizations), thefirst General As-sembly of whichwill take place inSinaïa (Romania)on next 1 and 2February; otherprojects arebeing studied forAfrica and theM e d i t e r r a -nean,

● secondly, by launchingthe Associated Pro-gram “Strengtheningand development ofbasin organizationsover the world” jointlyprepared with the GWPand for which a bid toprojects is being sent toall interested institutions.

A progress report on thefirst tangible actions will bemade during next INBOGeneral Assembly to beheld in Quebec (QuebecProvince - Canada) from 28to 30 May 2002.

In the meantime, the dy-namic participation of IN-BO in the 3rd World Wa-ter Forum will have beenprepared (Kyoto, Japan,March 2003) in which it isessential that we promoteour concept of “Integra-ted and ParticipatoryManagement of Waterat the level of its naturalwatershed” by emphasi-zing the unquestionablesuccess of such an ap-proach.

INTERNATIONAL NETWORKOF BASIN ORGANIZATIONS

INBO : 134 member organizations and permanent observers in 51 countries

Please get mobilized on the Internethttp://www.iowater.org/inbo

INBO 10 17/01/2002 14:57

2 The Network Newsletter - N° 10 - 4th Quarter of 2001

DECLARATION OF MEMBERSHIPSound and balanced mana-gement of water resourcesis a prerequisite to ensurequality of life on our planetand the sustainable socioe-conomic development ofour societies.The issues raised are complexand the solutions must, at thesame time, allow:● the contending with natu-

ral disasters and risks oferosion, floods or drought,taking into account landand water management,

● the reliable meeting of ur-ban and rural populations’requirements in terms ofgood quality drinking wa-ter, in order to improvehygiene and health and toprevent important out-breaks of disease,

● the reclamation of farm-lands and the development

of appropriate irrigationsystems to reach food self-sufficiency,

● the harmonious develop-ment of industry, energyproduction, recreationalactivities and, in someareas, tourism and water-ways navigation,

● the prevention and controlof pollution of all kinds andorigins; in order to preser-ve aquatic ecosystems and,more especially, to protectfauna and optimize fish far-ming for human consump-tion, while meeting the requirements of varioususes and more generally,preserving the biodiversityof the aquatic environ-ment.

All these issues can nolonger be approached bysector or localization, norapproached separately.

Looking for solutions,whose objective is sustai-nable water use, must as-sociate the national andlocal authorities togetherwith the users in integra-ted water resource mana-gement which respectsthe natural environment,and is organized on thescale of river basins.It is recommended thatagreements, strategies,programs, funding andcontrols be designed forriver basins. Cooperationagreements should besigned and formalized between riparian coun-tries regarding largeshared rivers, lakes andseas.

■ “Basin Organizations”,this means organizationswhich have been entrustedby relevant public adminis-trations with integratedwater resource manage-ment at the level of impor-tant river basins, either na-tional, federal or trans-boundary, as well as thecooperation structuresthey have developedamong them.These organizations mustbe entrusted with a missionof public interest, have legalexistence and their ownbudget, in accordance withnational or federal legisla-tion or international agree-ments in force.

■ the governmental ad-ministrations in chargeof water in each country,using or interested in usingintegrated and sustainablewater resource manage-ment:

➟ organized at the level ofriver basins,

➟ associating administrationsand local authorities, aswell as users from the various sectors,

➟ having specific budgetaryresources at their disposal,obtained by applying the“user-polluter-pays” prin-ciple.

■ bi and multilateral co-operation agencies sup-porting activities related tointegrated and sustainablewater resource manage-ment at the level of riverbasins.

Candidates become mem-bers as soon as they haveapplied to enter the Net-work by signing the “DE-CLARATION OF MEMBER-SHIP” and paid their sub-scription fee.

INBO TOGETHER FOR INTEGRATEDWATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT OVER THE WORLD

THE NETWORK OBJECTIVESThe International Net-work of Basin Organiza-tions (INBO) has the fol-lowing objectives:● to develop lasting re-

lations between theorganizations inte-rested in compre-hensive water re-source managementat the river basin le-vel, and favor ex-changes of experi-ences and expertiseamong them,

● to promote the prin-ciples and means ofsound water mana-gement in coopera-tion programs toreach sustainable de-velopment,

● to facilitate the imple-mentation of toolssuitable for institu-tional and financialmanagement, pro-gramming, organiza-tion of data banks,and for models adapt-ed to the needs,

● to promote informa-tion and training pro-grams for local electedofficials, for users’ re-presentatives and forthe different stake-holders involved in wa-ter management aswell as for the execu-tives and staff of themember basin organi-zations,

● to encourage educa-tion of the popula-tion, the young inparticular,

● to evaluate ongoingactions and dissemi-nate their results.

REGIONAL NETWORKSINBO member organizations,belonging to the same geo-graphic region, may create a“Regional Network” if theywish so in order to:● strengthen relations be-

tween member organiza-tions from neighboringcountries,

● develop INBO joint activi-ties in the region,

● organize joint activities ofregional interest.

The regional network is madeup, on a voluntary basis, of IN-BO member organizations andobservers located in the re-gion.The Liaison Bureau submitsthe creation and draft statutesof a Regional Network to IN-BO General Assembly as wellas subsequent changes.

All activities carried out by theregional networks are:➤ in conformity with INBO

objectives and statutes,➤ consistent with INBO ge-

neral program,➤ implemented in partner-

ship with INBO membersof other geographic re-gions.

INBO assists the regional net-works whenever possible, ac-cording to its means and theirrequirements.It favors exchanges of infor-mation and experiencesamong the regional networks.

In Latin America, the Latin-American Network of Basin Organizations (LANBO)was created in 1997 during its Assembly in Bogota (Colombia). In Europe, theCentral and Eastern European Network of Basin Organizations (CEENBO) wasset up during its Constitutive Assembly, held in Warsaw (Poland) in June 2001.

THE NETWORK MEMBERS May be members of INBO :

INBO 10 17/01/2002 14:57

3

STATUTES AND ORGANIZATIONTHE GENERAL ASSEMBLYCompositionThe General Assembly is madeup of all INBO members.It is chaired by INBO Presi-dent.It holds at least a meeting ev-ery 2 years in a different geo-graphic region, whenever pos-sible.

RoleOn proposal of the Liaison Bu-reau, the General Assemblyapproves:❖ the admission of new

members and permanentobservers,

❖ the orientations of INBOactivities,

❖ joint projects and, when-ever necessary, designatesthe member organiza-tion(s) entrusted withtheir implementation,

❖ the association’s accountsprepared by the LiaisonBureau.

It ensures that INBO is pro-moted to the national authori-ties in the countries and to thebi and multilateral coopera-tion agencies concerned.It decides of the yearly sub-scription fee proposed by theLiaison Bureau.It elects the President and themembers of the Liaison Bu-reau among its members.In addition, on proposal of theBureau, the General Assemblyapproves:▲ the statutes of the Net-

work and their amend-ments,

▲ the contents of the “De-claration of Membership”and its modifications,

▲ the creation of RegionalNetworks, their statutesand amendments.

DecisionsThe decisions made by theGeneral Assembly are adop-ted by consensus between theattending members. When aconsensus cannot be reached,the President may request avote as a last resort.The permanent observers areinvited to attend the OrdinaryGeneral Assemblies. Theycannot vote or be elected asBureau members.Qualified personalities or in-terested organizations may beinvited by the host-member(s)to attend in the same way asthe permanents observers.

The Network relies on its members’ willingness to work together.This non-profit association has legal existence and new statutes approved during its General Assembly held in Zakopane (Poland) - October 2000.

THE LIAISON BUREAUCompositionINBO is managed by the “Liai-son Bureau”, made up of:■ the serving President of the

Network,■ the last two former Presi-

dents,■ together with 15 incum-

bent or substitute mem-bers chosen among INBOmember organizations ac-cording to their geographicorigin (Africa, America,Asia, Europe).

Its composition may be revisedduring each General Assembly

depending on the new comingmembers of each geographicregion.The President, the Secretary ofeach Regional Network andthe Permanent Technical Se-cretary participate in the Liai-son Bureau meetings.The Bureau members areelected during each GeneralAssembly.

Role and FunctioningThe Bureau:➤ is chaired by INBO Presi-

dent,

➤ holds at least 2 meetingsbetween two General As-semblies,

➤ prepares the General As-sembly meetings and ap-proves the agendas,

➤ carries out the decisionsmade by the General As-semblies,

➤ coordinates joint projects,➤ after examining the applica-

tions of new INBO mem-bers and permanent obser-vers, it proposes their ad-mission to the General As-sembly,

➤ prepares the accounts ofthe association and pro-poses them to the GeneralAssembly for approval,

➤ examines the associationprogress report for appro-val by the General Assem-bly,

➤ defines INBO communica-tion policy and means, sub-mits them to the GeneralAssembly for approval andensures implementation bythe Permanent TechnicalSecretariat.

THEPERMANENT OBSERVERSThe other public organizations,interested in INBO, can applyto participate in its activities aspermanent observers, Provi-ded that they are accepted bythe General Assembly on pro-posal from the Bureau.They can attend the GeneralAssembly without vote.

THE NETWORK SECRETARIATThe PermanentTechnical SecretariatIt is designated by the GeneralAssembly for four years onproposal of the Liaison Bureau.Under the President’s autho-rity, it is responsible for:● preparing the documents

needed for the Liaison Bu-reau and General Assem-bly meetings, especially theagendas, provisional bud-gets and draft recommen-dations,

● writing the reports of thestatutory meetings,

● directing INBO and follo-wing up the implementa-tion of joint projects inclose cooperation with themembers designated bythe Bureau or the GeneralAssembly to this effect,whenever necessary,

● implementing the Networkcommunication policy.

The Head of the PermanentTechnical Secretariat partici-pates in the General Assemblyand Liaison Bureau meetings.

THE NETWORKPRESIDENTThe President is elected by theGeneral Assembly. He repre-sents INBO. He ascertains that the General Assembly’srecommendations are carriedout with the support of the Bu-reau and the Permanent Tech-nical Secretariat, whose workhe organizes. He also ensuresthat the decisions of the Bureau are taken into account.

Contact :[email protected]/inbo

The Network Newsletter - N° 10 - 4th Quarter of 2001

INBO 10 17/01/2002 14:57


For developing and strengthening river basin organizations:INBO / GWP ASSOCIATED PROGRAM➨ Output 1Mobilization of professionalsupport capacities in exis-ting basin organizations.PurposeTo promote the setting-up anddevelopment of new basin or-ganizations and assist withtheir management options.To help, on request, makingprogress in this long process ofdiscussion, reflection, dialogueand decision-making undertak-en at the level of river basins,or at the national or regionallevel.These teams may be broa-dened to experts from interna-tional organizations.Proposed services● Assistance with the imple-

mentation of institutionalreforms,

● Initiation of pilot projects,

● Support to several coun-tries sharing a transboun-dary river basin,

● Design of monitoring net-works and databases,

● Training of personnel frombasin organizations,

● Assisting new basin organi-zations with the setting-upof technical teams,

● Formation of partnershipsand establishment of insti-tutional mechanisms allow-ing an equitable citizens’participation in decision-making and activities ofbasin organizations.

➨ Output 2Synthesis of available know-ledge and know-how.PurposeTo collect and analyze actualpractices in order to generateideas and recommendations,

and to promote practicalguidelines for putting integra-ted river basin management in-to practice.To promote the initiation ofpilot projects and implementa-tion of institutional reforms ininterested countries.Proposed services■ Evaluating the performance

of the different systems,■ Contributing to the im-

provement of knowledgeand know-how in the areaof basin organizations andIWRM,

■ Making available a set ofcommon, easily accessibleand measurable perfor-mance indicators, in a typo-logical form,

■ Training on good practices.

➨ Output 3Twinning between exis-ting, future or pilot basinorganizations.PurposeTo allow direct cooperationfor stimulating and supportingwater management at riverbasin level.Proposed services➤ Direct exchanges of expe-

riences between twin basinorganizations,

➤ Regional and internationalpromotion,

➤ Exchange of decision-ma-kers and technicians.

➨ Output 4:

The networking of waterdocumentation systems(see page 7)

INTERINTER

FOUR MAIN OUTPUTS ARE EXPECTED

PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATIONThe International Net-work of Basin Organiza-tions (INBO) and theGlobal Water Partnership(GWP) have initiated an“ASSOCIATED PROGRAM”(AP) for the creation anddevelopment of Basin Or-ganizations.This “ASSOCIATED PRO-GRAM”must contribute to “In-tegrated Water ResourceManagement” which GWP ispromoting in all regions of theworld through its network of“Regional Technical AdvisoryCommittees” (RTACs).At global level, the “ASSO-CIATED PROGRAM” is steeredby the Coordination Commit-tee.For each large region, a speci-fic steering is jointly carriedout by the Latin AmericanNetwork of Basin Organiza-tions (LANBO) or the Centraland Eastern European Net-work of Basin Organizations(CEENBO) and by the corre-sponding GWP RTACs.As regards technical aspects,the Permanent Technical Se-cretariats of INBO in Paris, ofLANBO in Mexico (for LatinAmerica) and of CEENBO inRomania and the GWP Secre-tariat in Stockholm will pro-vide assistance.

The Brazilian Network ofBasin Organizations (REBOB)will play a particular role in di-recting and assisting the Brazi-lian members.Today, all organizationsinterested in integratedwater resource manage-ment at the river basin level have to mobilizethemselves to proposetheir projects, shouldthose correspond to thefour objectives of the “AS-SOCIATED PROGRAM”.The objective is to examinethe proposals during next IN-BO Liaison Bureau, which willtake place in Seville (Spain) inFebruary 2002. This in orderto present an operational pro-gram to be approved by INBOGeneral Assembly to be heldin Quebec (Quebec Province -Canada) from 28 to 30 May2002.It is well specified that:● the “ASSOCIATED PRO-

GRAM” has no credits by it-self but projects included inthis program may be easierto present for possible fi-nancing to the interested biand multilateral coopera-tion agencies;

● the “ASSOCIATED PRO-GRAM” is selective. It doesnot aim to deal with all as-

pects of water resourcemanagement but only withthe organization of basinsand is limited to the pro-jects corresponding to thefour above objectives.

There might be a lot of otherways to deal efficiently withwater management, but, in thiscase, the corresponding pro-jects will then depend on other cooperation programsthat may be also supported byGWP.In particular, projects dealingwith research on river basinsor environmental training ad-dressing the population willonly be eligible in so far as theycan be integrated as a compo-nent of more global projectsor action plans.The “ASSOCIATED PRO-GRAM” is also open to all. Al-though it primarily addressesthe member organizations orobservers of INBO, LANBOor CEENBO, any other organi-zation may present projects,when these projects deal withour four objectives … with thehope that this organization willthink about joining our net-works within the liberal frame-work defined by our newstatutes.

It is obvious that there is notypical project model to bepromoted. To the contrary,the “ASSOCIATED PRO-GRAM” aims to foster all initia-tives adapted to the widely dif-ferent local, national or region-al situations observed in thefield.At first, it might be only possi-ble to identify the organiza-tions that can be project executors and define the mainlines of their future actionplans. It should be kept in mindthat the “ASSOCIATED PRO-GRAM” is a priori a three-yearplan and that effective actionscould be gradually defined.It is recommended that pro-jects or action plans shouldnot be too specific, but, on thecontrary, they should bestrongly representative with amulti-year prospect while con-tributing to regional integra-tion in which they could serveas an example and be the basisfor mobilization purpose.

INBO 10 17/01/2002 14:57

5

The goal of the“ASSOCIATED PRO-GRAM” is to supportall initiatives forthe organization ofIntegrated WaterResource Manage-ment at the riverbasin, lake andaquifer level, whe-ther national orshared. It also aims todevelop many experi-ments to reconcile eco-nomic growth, social equity, environmentalconservation, water pro-tection and participa-tion of the Civil Society.

PROGRAM COORDINATION AND MANAGEMENT

The International Net-work of Basin Organiza-tions (INBO) is responsiblefor coordinating and managingthe “ASSOCIATED PRO-GRAM”. The program overallmanagement is entrusted to:➨ A Coordination Com-

mittee, made up of themembers of INBO LiaisonBureau and GWP repre-sentatives (in particular thePresidents of the RegionalTechnical Advisory Coun-cils - RTACs concerned),of representatives of bi and

multilateral cooperationagencies, funding all or partof the actions, and of thoseof large international orga-nizations supporting initia-tives focusing on Integra-ted Water ResourceManagement at the le-vel of river basins.

➨ A Technical Unit whichgathers INBO, LANBO andCEENBO Permanent Tech-nical Secretariats, specialistsfrom GWP RTACs and ex-perts from different coun-tries or organizations inte-

rested in supporting the“ASSOCIATED PROGRAM”.

All GWP initiatives rely on aclose interaction betweenGWPs’ regional TACS and fu-ture Regional Water Partner-ships to ensure adequacy be-tween the services provided bythe Associated Programs andthe real needs observed. TheAssociated Program relies on astrong dialogue.

Any additional informaion can be found on INBO website:http//www.iowater.org/inbo

INTE

RNATIONAL NETW

ORK

OF

BASIN ORGANIZATIO

NS

JAN - FEB 2002 CONSTITUTIVE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF CEENBO 31 - 2 Sinaïa (Romania)

Contact : APELE ROMANE S.A.E-mail: [email protected]

FEBRUARY 2002 INBO LIAISON BUREAU25 - 26 Seville (Spain)

Contact : José Maria SANTAFE MARTINEZE-mail : [email protected] / [email protected]

MAY 2002 INBO GENERAL ASSEMBLY28 - 30 Quebec, Quebec Province (Canada)

Contact : Françoise MOUGEAT - Ministry of the EnvironmentE-mail : [email protected]

AUGUST 2002 GLOBAL WATER PARTNERSHIP - GENERAL ASSEMBLY12 - 16 Stockholm (Sweden)

Contact : Mr Khalid MOHTADULLAHE-mail : [email protected]

SEPTEMBER 2002 INTERNATIONAL YEAR FOR MOUNTAINS 5 - 7 International Conference on the Management of Upper Basins

Megeve (France)Contact : Mr. Pierre LACHENALE-mail : [email protected] RUNELE-mail: [email protected]

NOVEMBER 2002 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE4 - 8 “Water Management at the level of River Basins”

Madrid (Spain)Contact : Jésus Miguel DE LA FUENTE GONZALEZE-mail : [email protected]

JANUARY 2003 INBO LIAISON BUREAU(to be confirmed) La Martinique (France)

Contact : Mrs. Madeleine JOUY DE GRANDMAISONE-mail : [email protected]

[email protected] / [email protected]

MARCH 2003 WORLD WATER FORUM16 - 23 Kyoto (Japan)

Contact : Hideaki ODAE-mail : [email protected] / [email protected]

INBO NEXT MEETINGS


INBO 10 17/01/2002 14:57


INBO Liaison Bureau meton last 4 September in Fozdo Iguaçu (Brazil) andadopted the draft programof the next INBO GeneralAssembly which will takeplace, at the invitation ofthe Quebec Authorities,from 28 to 30 May 2002 inQuebec - Quebec Province(Canada).The Liaison Bureau also selec-ted three topics which will bedealt with in SpecializedWorkshops during the Assembly. They are:● The relations between

basin organizations andadministrations at va-rious levels (international,national, federal, state,

provincial, regional, munici-pal, etc.),

● The prevention andmanagement of naturalhazards (floods, drought,erosion) and accidentalpollution,

● The management andprotection of ground-water and wetlands inthe basins.

Of course, this Quebec Gene-ral Assembly will be the occa-sion to evaluate the progressof the “Associated Pro-gram: strengthening anddevelopment of basin or-ganizations”, launchedwith the Global WaterPartnership. The Bureauwished that all INBO membersand regional networks, espe-

cially the Latin American Net-work of Basin Organizations(LANBO) and the Central andEastern European Network ofBasin Organizations (CEEN-BO) strongly involve them-selves in this program.In order to facilitate the orga-nization of the General Assem-bly, the registration formshould be returned as soon aspossible and indicate if youwish to present a paper in oneof the three Specialized Work-shops.These papers should be short(as you will have 10 minutesmaximum to present it) andaddressed to the PermanentTechnical Secretariat before28 February 2002, only by e-mail ([email protected]) or on

floppy disk, together with yourtransparencies on Powerpoint.Only the papers receivedbefore this date will bepresented during the Ge-neral Assembly.All these papers will be pre-sented on INBO website:www.iowater.org/inbo andwill be discussed in the “ Virtu-al Water Forum”: www.world-waterforum.org, preparing the3rd World Water Forum to beheld in March 2003 in Kyoto,to which INBO is associated.The confirmation formshould be sent to the Mi-nistry of the Environment ofQuebec (Mrs. FrançoiseMOUGEAT) a soon as possi-ble.

DRAFT PROGRAM

INBO GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF 2002 - QUEBEC - 28 / 30 MAY 2002

Monday, 27 May 2002● Afternoon and evening:

Arrival of participants atQuebec City airport Transfer to the hotel

● 18:00 – 20:00:Meeting of the Liaison Bureau

● 20:00: Welcoming buffetTuesday, 28 May 2002 1st Day

● 8:30:Opening ceremony

● Official welcome from theQuebec Authorities

● Speech of the Minister of theEnvironment of Quebec Go-vernment

● Transfer of INBO Chairman-ship from Mr. T. WALCZY-KIEWICZ to Mr. JM. LATU-LIPPE

● Introduction to the waterpolicy in Quebec by Mr. JM.LATULIPPE

● Round Table: New events inwater policy in the countrieshaving organized the previousGeneral Assemblies (Brazil,France, Mexico, Poland, Spain).

● 10:30: Break● 11:00:

Ordinary General As-sembly (1st session)

➤ Progress report for 2000-2002

➤ Financial report for 2001 andBudget estimate for 2002

➤ Candidates for the new Liai-son Bureau

➤ Applications from countrieswilling to organize the nextGeneral Assembly in 2004

➤ Calendar for the Liaison Bu-reau meetings in 2002 and2003 (one during the 3rd

WWF in Japan in March 2003)

➤ Coordination with the mee-tings of the GWP RTACs,and those of LANBO andCEENBO.

➤ Next international confe-rences: Megève - France :September 2002 and Madrid- Spain : November 2002)

➤ Procedure for the participa-tion of INBO in the 3rd -World Water Forum - 16-23 May 2003 - JAPAN – andin the virtual water forum(Call for water voice mes-senger),

➤ Possible participation in theUnited Nations Conferencein Johannesburg (August2002)

● 12:30:LUNCH BREAK (Buffet)

● 14:00:Ist Specialized Workshop:“Relations between basinorganizations and admi-nistrations”

Chairman : T. WALCZYKIE-WICZ (Poland)● 16:00: BREAK● 16:15:

IInd Specialized Work-shop:”Prevention andmanagement of naturalhazards and accidentalpollution”Chairman : R. GARRIDO(Brazil)

● 18:15: END OF WORK● 18:30:

Meeting of the LiaisonBureau (continuation)

● 20:00:OFFICIAL DINNER

Wednesday, 29 May 2002 2nd Day

● 8:30:Meetings of Regional Net-works LANBO, CEENBO,PROJECTS : AFRICA / ASIA/ THE MEDITERRANEAN

● 10:30: BREAK● 10:45:

Ordinary General As-sembly (2nd session)GWP/INBO AssociatedProgram

■ Progress report for 2000-2002

■ Reinforcement of the Regio-nal Networks

■ Priority actions to be lead ■ Call for local initiatives /

Project forum■ Financial arrangements –

steps to be taken ● 12:00:

LUNCH BREAK (Quick Buffet)

● 13:00:Departure for the fieldtrip

❖ Cruise on the Saint Lawren-ce river: Quebec, Grondines,Orleans island, etc.

❖ Resource persons on theboat: ZIP Committees, RiverBasin Committees, etc.

❖ Video on the river…(to becompleted)

● 19:00:TYPICAL QUEBEC DIN-NER (ON BOAT) in Beau-port Bay

● 22:00:RETURN TO THE HOTEL

Thursday, 30 May 2002 3rd Day

● 8:30:IIIrd Specialized Work-shop: “Management andprotection of groundwa-ter and wetlands”Chairman : JM. ARAGONEZBELTRAN (Spain)

● 10:30: BREAK ● 10:45:

Ordinary General As-sembly (3rd session)

★ Election of the new mem-bers of the Liaison Bureau

★ Choice of the organizingcountry for the 6th INBOGeneral Assembly in 2004

★ New orientations for IN-BO/GWP Associated Pro-gram

★ Approval of a priority actionprogram for 2002-2004

★ Budget estimate for 2003 ★ Conclusions of the Regional

Networks’ meetings: LAN-BO, CEENBO, Africa / Asia /the Mediterranean

● 13:15:LUNCH BREAK (Buffet)

● 14:30:Presentation of the stu-dies carried out withpartners:

◗ Shared rivers (Water Acade-my) + Case study on the St.Lawrence (IJC)

◗ Development of “Upper ba-sins” / Upstream/downs-tream Relations (EuropeanUnion )

◗ Types of basin organization(World Bank)

● 16:30:First departures to QuebecAirport

Information:http://www.iowater.org/inbo

[email protected] / [email protected] http://www.quebecregion.com (tourism)

INBO 10 17/01/2002 14:57

7

INTERINTERInformationDocumentation

International portalfor watermanagers

http://www.aquadocinter.orgThe projectconsists in building a globalnetwork of national waterinformation centers, offe-ring easy, unified and mul-tilingual access (in French,English, Spanish, Por-tuguese, Eastern Europeanlanguages, etc.), through acommon portal on the In-ternet, to the documenta-tion, experiences and ex-perts’ knowledge availablein all the partner countries,especially those partici-pating in the InternationalNetwork of Basin Organi-zations (INBO).

INTERINTERA NETWORK OF PARTNERSThe Internet enables to departfrom usual centralized docu-mentation bases, now replacedby open information systems,supplied by partner networks.Thus Aqu@doc INTERrelies, in each country, on na-tional focal points, called Na-tional Relay Documenta-tion Centers - NRDCs.These NRDCs gather infor-mation in their respectivecountry. They check, organizeand make this informationavailable according to the pro-ject specifications and an orga-nizational framework. This en-ables access to this informa-tion by all the users of eachcountry and of the worldthrough a common server onthe Internet.

The Central Technical Unit de-fines the information contentsin agreement with the NRD-Cs. It also develops theAqu@doc INTER serverand assists the NRDCs withtheir organization, the choiceof their computerized toolsand training of their documen-tation specialists.The Management Committeegathers representatives of allthe NRDCs and defines theproject orientations. The Cen-tral Technical Unit is in chargeof its secretariat.

A GLOBAL INFORMATIONSYSTEMThe Aqu@doc INTER ser-ver provides access to inven-toried and selected informa-tion on Integrated Water Re-source Management in eachpartner country. This infor-mation focuses on:● Institutional organization,

legal and regulatory texts, ● Water economics (invest-

ments, price and costs ofservices, fiscal aspects,users-polluters-pay prin-ciple, …),

● Technologies for resourceprotection and use, orga-nization of monitoring sys-tems, …

● References on the admi-nistrations and organiza-tions involved in the sec-tor,

● Lists of experts, of infor-mation and documenta-tion centers, of specializedtraining institutes, etc.

InternationalUsersNRDC

NRDC NRDC

NRDC NRDC

NRDC NRDC

NationalUsers

NRDC

NationalInformation

Sources

INTERINTER

A WORLD-WIDEFOCUSThe project is gradually deve-loping by:● Configuring the Central

Technical Unit● Designing the Network ar-

chitecture● Implementing technical

tools for the Internatio-nal Portal and each Na-tional Relay Documen-tation Center (NRDC).

● Identifying and organizingpilot NRDCs:

➨ In Europe (France, Hun-gary, Poland, Czech Repu-blic, Romania, etc.)

➨ In Latin America (Brazil,Colombia, Mexico, etc.)

➨ In the Mediterranean,its development is achievedthrough the Euro-Medi-terranean Water Infor-mation System (EM-WIS). The latter was laun-ched during the MarseillesEuro-Mediterranean Wa-ter Conference (Novem-ber 1996). It involves the15 countries of the Euro-pean Union and the 12 Me-diterranean partner coun-tries, signatory of Barcelo-na convention.

Aqu@doc INTERis one of the components of the INBO/GWP Associated Program.

THE PILOT COUNTRIESHUNGARY: VITUKIPOLAND: IMGWROMANIA: APELE ROMANECZECH REPUBLIC:MINISTRY OF AGRICULTUREPOVODI-MORAVY AGENCYFRANCE: INTERNATIONALOFFICEFOR WATERBRAZIL : NATIONALWATERAGENCY - ANAMEXICO:NATIONAL WATERCOMMISSIONCOLOMBIA:CAR OFCUNDINAMARCATHE MEDITERRANEAN:EMWIS


INBO 10 17/01/2002 14:57


3rd World Water ForumKyoto - Japan - 16-23 March 2003

ACTIVATION OF A “CONFERENCE ROOM” AND OF A WORKSHOPPARTICIPATION IN THE “CALL FOR WATER VOICE MESSENGER”“Integrated River Basin Management of Water Resourves - Creation of Basin Organizations”On the Website : www.worldwaterforum.org● Date : to be specified by

the Japanese organizers,from 16 to 23 March 2003

● Place : to be specified bythe Japanese organizers.

● Proposed format: 2,5 hour session● introduction / presenta-

tion (15 mins)● eight presentations +

questions/answers of 15mins. each :- Africa- North America- Central America- South America- Asia - Pacific- Western Europe- Central and EasternEurope

- Mediterranean

● Debates - recommenda-tions- conclusions (15mins)

● Organizing Committee:INBO Liaison Bureau

● Bureau for the session:● Chairman :

JM. Latullipe (CN-Q)● Vice Chairmen:

- T. Walczykiewicz (P)- R. Garrido (B)- JM. Aragones (S)- Future president of INBO 2004

● Resource persons:- M. Ballestero “Catac”- E. Mestre (Secretariatof LANBO)

- Secretariat of CEENBO(to be nominated)

- JF. DONZIER (Secretariat of INBO)

● Call for communica-tions:● on the INBO website:

www.oieau.org/riobwww.iowater.org/inbowww.oiagua.org/rioc

● on the 3rd WWF websi-te www.worldwaterforum.org

● PTS/INBO circular letter(to all the member-orga-nizations and observers).

● all communications re-ceived will be publishedin INBO Newslettern°12 and on INBO web-site.

Conference: Water in mountainsIntegrated management of upper river basinsMegève - France - 5-6 September 2002

This conference will presentsthe problems encountered inthe area of “water in themountains” and especially inthe management of upper riverbasins.It will take place on 5 and 6September 2002 in Mégève(France).The proposed workshops andtopics are as follows:● Protection of the resource

and control of natural ha-zards,

● Degradation of upper ba-sins, water quality and eco-systems,

● Specific water managementproblems in tourist resorts,

● Water development fortourism in the mountains:water-related sports inmountains (rafting, canyo-ning, etc.), angling,

● Water and animal husban-dry in mountains,

● Approach to integratedmanagement of upper ba-sins: modeling and tools.

This event is part of the officalprogram “International Yearfor Mountains”

Contacts:Mr. Pierre LECHENALE-mail : [email protected] RUNELE-mail: [email protected]

International Conferenceon Basin OrganizationsMadrid - Spain - 4-8 November 2002

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The Spanish Go-vernment is orga-nizing an Interna-tional Conferenceon “Water Mana-

gement at the level of RiverBasins” in Madrid from 4 to 8November 2002. This confe-rence will review the ongoingexperiments and the needs forinstitutional reforms to deve-lop integrated water resourcemanagement.This conference will be oneevent of the Spanish Hydro-graphic Confederations’ 75th

birthday celebration.

The program will include threeworkshops on:● River basin institutions,● Masterplans,● Technical tools for river

basin management

Contact: Jésus Miguel DE LA [email protected]

CEENBO: First General AssemblySinaïa - Romania - 1-2 February 2002

The first General Assembly ofthe Central and Eastern Euro-pean Network of Basin Orga-nizations (CEENBO) will takeplace in Sinaïa (Romania) on 1and 2 February 2002, at the in-vitation of Mr. Florin STADIU;Secretary of State for WaterResources at the Romanian

Ministry of the Environment.It will especially be the occa-sion of officially approving theNetwork’s new statutes, basedon the draft drawn up duringthe Warsaw ConstitutiveMeeting in June 2001.

The Assembly will also desi-gnate the Permanent TechnicalSecretariat of the RegionalNetwork and will examine theprocess for implementing theEuropean Framework Direc-tive and the INBO/GWP Asso-ciated Program in Central andEastern Europe.

Contact : Daniela RADULESCU National CompanyApele RomaneFax : 00 40 1 31 22 17 [email protected]

INBO 10 17/01/2002 14:57

9The Network Newsletter - N° 10 - 4th Quarter of 2001

INTERNATIONAL EVENTSUNITED NATIONS

The World Water Assess-ment Program (WWAP)is a joint effort by 23 UnitedNations agencies to developthe tools and skills needed toachieve a better understandingof those basic processes,management practices andpolicies that will help improvethe supply and quality of globalfreshwater resources. It wasestablished in 2000 with asmall secretariat housed in theDivision of Water Sciences ofUNESCO in Paris.WWAP is one of the many initiatives being taken in the fol-low-up to the Rio Earth Summit(UNCED), held in 1992. An in-tegrated approach to manage-ment, respect for river basins

and watersheds as the naturalhydrological unit, and policiesdesigned to take account of full-cost pricing and stakeholderneeds and expectations are allimportant components.The first priority of the WWAPis to evaluate the state of fresh-water resources and ecosys-tems in the world. This evalua-tion exercise should be seenwithin the context of Progressin implementation of Chapter18 of Agenda 21. The introduc-tory section of the Report willexamine human water steward-ship, defined as “that complexaggregation of policies, legisla-tion, social programs, economicapproaches and managementstrategies by which societyseeks to achieve the goals ofwater sustainability”. A sectionwill present the methodologies,modeling tools and data sourcesbeing used to develop indicatorsof water-related stress. At last,a series of pilot case studies willbe presented (the Seine-Nor-mandy basin in France, Tokyo

Area -Japan, Bangkok -Thailand,Sri Lanka and San Francisco Bayin the United States), with manyothers being considered.Also part of WWAP’s man-date is the responsibility tomeasure progress, ten yearsafter Rio, towards achievingspecific targets, to identify gapsin meeting these challenges,and to assist countries in de-veloping local capacity to eva-luate and improve their ownwater management policiesand practices. As the primarybeneficiaries of the process,many governments have al-ready indicated their eagernessto participate in the assess-ment process and have desi-gnated national focal points tocoordinate activities.The results of the assessmentwill be presented in theWorld Water Develop-ment Report (WWDR), tobe published at regular inter-vals as part of an ongoing pro-cess. The first edition will re-view developments since the

Earth Summit of 1992 and as-sess progress towards meetingtargets in the following ten areas: Meeting basic needs; Se-curing the food supply; Pro-tecting ecosystems; Valuingwater; Managing risk; Sharingwater resources; Providingwater for energy; Providingwater for industry; Ensuringthe knowledge base; Managingwater wisely.The first World Water Deve-lopment Report will be re-leased during the Third WorldWater Forum, to be held inKyoto, Japan, in March 2003. AWWAP website may be con-sulted at :www.unesco.org/water/wwapThe INBO Permanent Techni-cal Secretariat was involved inthe writing of the chapter“Sharing water resources” ofthe report.Gordon YoungCoordinatorWorld Water [email protected]

GLOBAL PROGRAM OF ACTIONPOLLUTION OF SEAS BY LAND-BASED ACTIVITIESOn 26 to 30 November2001, the First Intergo-vernmental Review Mee-ting of Progress on Imple-mentation of the GlobalProgram of Action for theProtection of the MarineEnvironment from Land-based Activities (GPA)took place in Montreal,Canada. All international river-basin organizations wereinvited to share their expe-riences in reducing pollutionfrom activities on land, and ex-press their views on what action should be taken at thenational, regional and globallevel. National river basin or-ganizations also participatedthrough the national delega-tions to the intergovernmentalmeeting.The GPA was adopted by 108Governments and the Euro-pean Commission in Novem-ber 1995 at an Intergovern-mental Conference in Wash-ington DC, USA. UNEP wasrequested to provide thesecretariat for the GPA. TheGPA targets major threats to

the health, productivity andbiodiversity of the marine andcoastal environment resultingfrom human activities on land.It proposes an integrated, mul-ti-sectoral approach, premisedon serious commitment for ac-tion at all levels. Governmentsare first and foremost respon-sible for the implementation ofthe GPA through river basinorganizations and regional seasprograms and conventions. Discussions focused on howgovernments could addressland-based activities in a re-gional context, and how thatmight facilitate obtaining addi-tional resources, includingfrom public-private partner-ships and international part-ners.More than 500 participants at-tended.Five topics were dealtwith:Session 1: Sharing of expe-riences in addressing land-ba-sed pollution with examples ofbest practices and approaches,building on national and regio-

nal preparatory activities. Allexperiences and reports canbe consulted on the GPA clearing-house : http://www.gpa.unep.org/Session 2: GPA StrategicAction Plan on MunicipalWastewater Session 3: Improving coas-tal and ocean governance.This session considered (i)how to provide multi-stake-holder platforms for genera-ting action and better coordi-nation; (ii) how to improve co-operation and delivery bet-ween global and regional envi-ronmental Conventions; (iii)intra-regional cooperationamong UN and other organiza-tions; (iv) the role of civil so-ciety and local governments;and (v) river basin commis-sions/efforts and coastal zonemanagement. Session 4: Costed GPAwork programs 2002-2006.

Session 5: Building partner-ships and financing the im-plementation of the GPA.Recommendations were develo-ped on how to enhance the pu-blic sector capabilities for wor-king with the private sector andNGOs, and on how to engageand commit the international fi-nancial institutions and other sta-keholders to addressing degra-dation of the water environmentdue to activities on land.Commitments and concretesteps on how to forward theimplementation of the GPAwere summarized in a Ministe-rial Declaration.All outputs from the Meetingwill be submitted to the UNEPGoverning Council, with a re-quest to consider how the re-port and the deliberations ofthe Meeting might be used bythe 2002 World Summit onSustainable Development.Dr. Veerle Vandeweerd, GPA CoordinatorUNEP/GPA Coordination Office Fax: [email protected]

www.gpa.unep.org/igr

THE WORLD WATER ASSESSMENT PROGRAM WWAP

INBO 10 17/01/2002 14:57


GUINEA - MALIHYDROECOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT OF THE UPPER NIGERThe GHENIS “Hydrologi-cal and Ecological Manage-ment of the Upper Niger”project was initiated,thanks to the will of Gui-nea and Mali to improvetheir knowledge of the river system for protectingand sustainably using theresources of the upper river basin.This led to a feasibility study ofa hydrological and ecologicalmonitoring system for the up-per Niger basin. This study wascarried out from June 1995 toOctober 1996, with the tech-nical and financial assistance ofthe Netherlands.The current phase of the pro-ject started on 1 January 1999for a 4-year duration.The project area covers thewhole upper basin of the Nigerfrom its spring in Guinea up toits inland delta at Ké-Macina inMali (i.e. a surface area of140,000 km2 of which 100,000are located in Guinea and40,000 in Mali).

A workshop for consulting theusers of the Niger basin re-sources in Guinea took placein Dabola from 4 to 7 April2001.This workshop gathered 60participants, representing allusers of the basin resource(mining companies and indus-tries, farmers, fishermen,hunters, craftsmen, govern-mental project teams), theNGOs, the technical, adminis-trative and political decision-makers, cooperatives, decen-tralized local authorities, thecivil society (religious groups,women and youth associa-tions), the media, the develop-ment partners, the membersof the Guinean and Malian pro-ject teams.The workshop dealt with thefollowing:● Raising the awareness of

the users and other stake-holders on river issues andon the dangers related tothe qualitative and quanti-tative degradation of theresources.

● The validation of the as-sessment report whichoutlines the responsibilitiesand role of each stakehol-der to face the problemsencountered in the Nigerriver and its tributaries.

● The validation of the stra-tegy while specifying the ac-tions to be undertaken toprotect the ecosystemsand ensuring that the popu-lations have access to theresources.

● A dialogue with the fieldpartners (NGOs, projectand program teams, localauthorities) to identify thearea where actions mightbe harmonized to enablebetter efficiency.

● The estimation of a budgetand the thinking about away to finance the strategyimplementation.

Lansana FOFANADNHydraulique of GuineaFax: (224) [email protected]

DAMS AND DEVELOPMENTA NEW FRAMEWORK FOR DECISION-MAKINGThe World Commission onDams (WCD) has launched itsfinal report “Dams And De-velopment: A New Frame-work for Decision-Making”which will have a profound im-pact not only on the futurerole of the $42 billion dam in-dustry, but on how to developand manage water and energyresources in the new millen-nium. In developing the report, theWorld Commission on Dams,made up of 12 very diversecommissioners from enginee-ring company executives to an-ti-dam activists, received 947submissions and conducteddetailed reviews of eight largedams and country reviews inIndia and China. A survey of125 large dams was also under-taken, along with thematic re-views on social, environmentaland economic issues; on alter-natives to dams; and on gover-nance and institutional pro-cesses.

Key Findings of the ReportBased on this extensive know-ledge, the Commission foundthat:● Dams have made an impor-

tant and significant contri-bution to human develop-ment, and the benefits deri-ved from them have beenconsiderable.

● Large dams have, however,demonstrated a markedtendency towards scheduledelays and cost overruns,as well as often falling shortof physical and economictargets, such as predictedwater and electricity ser-vices.

● They have led to the loss offorests and wildlife habitatand the loss of aquatic bio-diversity of upstream anddownstream fisheries. The Commission foundthat efforts to counter theecosystem impact of largedams had met with limitedsuccess.

● They have also resulted innegative social impacts,which reflect a failure to as-sess and account for displa-ced and resettled people aswell as downstream com-munities. Mitigation, com-pensation or resettlementprograms were often ina-dequate.

Recommendations The Commission recommen-ded: ➥ A set of five core values for

future decision-making –Equity; Sustainability; Effi-ciency; Participatory deci-sion-making and Accounta-bility.

➥ A rights and risks approachfor identifying all legitimatestakeholders in negotiatingdevelopment choices andagreements.

➥ Seven Strategy Prioritiesfor water and energy re-sources development: Gai-ning Public Acceptance;Comprehensive Options

Assessment; AddressingExisting Dams; SustainingRivers and Livelihoods; Re-cognizing Entitlements andSharing Benefits; EnsuringCompliance; and SharingRivers for Peace, Develop-ment and Security.

James Workman Secretariat of the WorldCommission on [email protected]

AFRICA

www.iowater.org/inboAll information

on INBOis available

on the on the WEBWEBwww.iowater.org/inbo

INBO 10 17/01/2002 14:57


CENTRAL ASIA

“HYCOS- ARAL”Unfortunately, in many parts ofthe world, the systems for col-lecting and managing water-re-lated information are inade-quate, and often are deterio-rating. Particular difficulties in-clude a lack of resources tomaintain observing stations,differing procedures for col-lecting data, variations in quali-ty assurance procedures andstandards between differentagencies and countries, unre-liable telecommunication sys-tems, and outdated systemsfor information management.Adequate information is essen-tial for wise management ofwater resources.For all these reasons, theWorld Hydrological CycleObserving System (WHY-COS) is implemented bythe World MeteorologicalOrganization (WMO) inclose collaboration with Na-tional HydrometeorologicalServices.

The MED-HYCOS was thefirst regional project to be im-plemented. It is based on co-operation among the 25 coun-tries of the Mediterranean Re-gion and is funded under aWorld Bank grant. The centraloffice of MED-HYCOS is loca-ted in Montpellier, France. Everyone knows about the Aral Sea problems. The mainproblem is a water resourcedeficit. From 18 to 22September 2000, the Sec-ond Regional Workshopfor the implementation of ARAL-HYCOS projectwas held in Tashkent(Uzbekistan). The WMOSecretariat prepared the ARAL-HYCOS project formu-lation report with the partici-pation of the Central Asian Re-publics: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz-stan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistanand Uzbekistan. This docu-ment includes a detailed des-cription of the present condi-tion of the Hydrometeorologi-cal Basin Observing System

and a project proposal, includ-ing a detailed implementationplan with monitoring and eval-uation methods.The project has three mainpurposes in order to developthe national and regional ca-pacity in water resource mana-gement:● development of an infor-

mation system which is oneof the main operationaltools for the assessmentand integrated manage-ment of the basin water re-sources;

● assistance to the participa-ting countries in developingtheir own national capacity;

● collaboration with othernational, regional and inter-national projects and pro-grams.

Dr. Sergey MYAGKOVCentral AsianHydrometeorological Institute (SANIGMI) - UzbekistanFax: (998 71) 133 20 [email protected]

http://medhycos.com

SIC-ICWCOPENING OF A TRAININGCENTERThe main activity of theTraining Center of SIC-ICWC (Scientific Informa-tion Center – InsterstateCoordination Water Com-mission) is the professionaltraining of high and me-dium level specialists inwater and land resourcemanagement, irrigationand drainage, and environ-mental protection. Alongwith education, it facilitates in-terstate collaboration for thedevelopment of common ap-proaches among specialists anddecision-makers.A first orientation workshoptook place on September 18-25, 2000. The participantswere chosen among high offi-cials from the water sector ofthe region.The training program includes2 study tours to USA andCanada for directors of minis-tries and water and agriculturaldepartments with the objec-tive of exchanging opinions ontransboundary water resourcemanagement and agricultureimprovement. Workshops took place on thetopic “Integrated water resourcemanagement” in November andDecember 2000, in January andFebruary 2001. The “Management of trans-boundary water resources”topic was dealt with in Marchand April 2001 for representa-tives from other sectors (po-wer engineering, drinking wa-ter supply, environment).It is planned to annually arrangetwo training courses outside ofTashkent: in Karakalpakstan andKhorezm oblasts (Uzbekistan),in Tashauz and Chardjou oblasts(Turkmenistan), under the su-pervision of the Amu DaryaBWO; in Fergana valley (Uzbe-kistan), Osh oblast (Kyrgyzstan)and Leninabad oblast (Tajikistan),in Kzylorda oblast (Kazakhstan)and Syr Darya oblast (Uzbe-kistan) under the supervision ofthe Syr Darya BWO.Prof. V. DukhovnySIC ICWC Fax : 998 71 169 14 [email protected]

http://tc.aral-sea.net

KAZAKHSTAN AND RUSSIATRANSBOUNDARY MANAGEMENT OF THE IRTYSH RIVER BASIN

After the Ministry of NaturalResources of the RussianFederation, the Ministry ofNatural Resources and Envi-ronmental Protection of Ka-zakhstan and the French De-velopment Agency signed, lastyear, an agreement protocol,dealing with the transboundarymanagement of the Irtysh riverbasin, a group (gathering theInternational Office for Water,SAFEGE and ANTEA) was en-trusted with the implementa-tion of the French part of thisproject, financed by the FrenchFund for Global Environment(FFEM), for about 1 M euros.The national Russian and Ka-zakh specialists, who will com-pose the project steering com-mittee and the Irtysh sub-com-mission, and the “focal points”of each country were designa-

ted during a tripartite meeting,held in Pavlodar (Kazakhstan)on last 13 April.This enabled the project tostart. Owing to the climatecharacteristics of this region,this project will last threeyears with six to seven-monthperiods.This is the logical continuationof the “study program for theimprovement of water qualityin the Irtysh river basin inKazakhstan”, implemented in1999-2000 and financed by theFrench Ministry of Economy. Inthis project, the IOWater -ANTEA - SAFEGE group as-sists both States with the de-sign and implementation oftools for water resourcemanagement in the interna-tional basin, of a basin integra-ted information system, com-

plemented by the developmentof a hydrological model. It willallow the formulation and fol-low-up of a joint policy and ofprograms for improving the Ir-tysh water quality and themanagement of available re-sources.The expected results will beparticularly useful for manyother transboundary riversflowing between Russia andKazakhstan (Ural, Tobol,Ishim), and between Russia andChina (Amur).Each Party also plans to makeefforts for convincing China tobecome involved in the projectas soon as possible, as the up-per Irtysh river basin also con-cerns this country.Murat MusataevVice-Minister (Kazakhstan)Ministry of Natural Resourcesand Environmental ProtectionFax: 31 622 506 20

Nicolai Mikheiev Prime Vice-Minister (Russia)Ministry of Natural ResourcesFax: 7 095 975 16 13

INBO 10 17/01/2002 14:57


VIETNAMINSTITUTIONALREFORMThe Vietnamese National As-sembly passed a Law on WaterResources in May 1998 to im-prove the water sector. Thislaw, in force since 1 January1999, enabled the creation of aNational Committee for Wa-ter Resources in 2000 and thepreparation of a strategic ac-tion plan.The purpose of the NationalCommittee for Water Re-sources (NCWR) is to solveconflicts arising between va-rious sectors and to improvecoordination between them.Basin Organizations will becreated, with decentralizationin mind. The law also providesfor a water allocation systemthrough licenses and permitsfor the discharges of wastewa-ter, with a process for mo-nitoring the safety of dikes andother hydraulic infrastruc-tures. Finally, the law empha-sizes the need to have waterpaid at its “economic” price(enabling the recovery ofcosts, not only to make theusers responsible but also toreach the profitability level re-quired by foreign investors).A decision of the Ministry ofAgriculture and Rural Deve-lopment (MARD) of April2000 created the Council forthe Planning and Managementof the Red and Thai Binh riverbasins. The Council objectivesare to prepare basin plans, sub-mit them for approval andmonitor their implementationwhile ensuring coordinationbetween the administrations ofthis sector (agencies, minis-tries, sectors and provincesconcerned) and recommen-ding solutions to the conflictson water resources.In March 2001, it was agreedthat the NCWR would super-vise the various basin agencieswhich are being set up, inclu-ding the Red River Basin Agen-cy.

Dr. Bui Cong QuangMinistry of Agriculture andRural DevelopmentFax: 84 4 733 [email protected]

adbta2871.vnn.vn

INDIAINTEGRATED MANAGEMENT OF THE SABARMATI RIVER BASIN This pilot project is in line withthe objective of the Govern-ment of India to develop a newwater management model sui-ted to the local situation andbased on a River Basin ap-proach. The Governments of India andFrance have been cooperatingabout this issue for the last tenyears. The seminar, held inNew Delhi in December 1994,defined the bases of the pro-ject.The Federal Government ofIndia and the interested StateGovernments proposed somePilot River Basins, but theSabarmati River was selectedbecause of its great economicdynamism in the various indus-trial and agricultural sectors,which should facilitate an ac-tive users’ participation, and ofits quantitative and qualitativewater issues, generating com-petition among the various uses and justifying the develop-ment of water committees.The International Office forWater (as representative ofthe French Ministry of the En-vironment) and the NarmadaWater Resources & WaterSupply Department held sever-al meetings to present theFrench experience and discussthe basic principles of integra-ted water resource manage-ment. A first “Integrated Planfor the Sabarmati River Basin”was formulated in 1996.In 1998, IOWater and theNarmada Water ResourcesDepartment signed a Memo-randum of Understanding,identifying various cooperationactivities to undertake.

This program, financed by theFrench Ministry of Economyand Finance (FASEP), was ini-tiated at the end of 1999 anddeveloped in 2000 – 2001. Itmainly consisted in:● setting up a River Basin

Information System todevelop an accurate andupdated knowledge of wa-ter resources, uses andpollution in order to moni-tor the impact of the newprograms to be implemen-ted;

● formulating proposalsfor institutional, econo-mic and legal evolution;

● preparing a priority ac-tion program, based on atechnical and economicfeasibility study.

Above all, it concerned theidentification of all the publicinstitutions and other stake-holders (such as NGOs, pri-vate companies, etc.) involvedin water management and eval-uate their different projectsand activities. This coordina-tion effort was a prerequisiteto the building of an integratedwater management system forthe Sabarmati River Basin.OutcomeThe project included threephases:➊ Structuring of the pilot

River Basin InformationSystem: organization ofthe gathering of existing da-ta, information and studies,identification of existing da-ta sources and databases,data exchange procedures,a geographic informationsystem, the identification of

the main problems andexisting projects. The va-rious topics scrutinizedwere: water resources(surface water, groundwa-ter; quantity and quality is-sues) and irrigation (infra-structures, policies).

➋ Creation of a River Ba-sin Committee, the defi-nition of its role and mis-sion, the development ofthe first tools of the RiverBasin Information System,the analysis of gaps and aproposal for appropriatemeasures. Different kindsof field visits were organi-zed (Municipalities, indus-tries, etc.) and completedby appropriate data collec-tion in order to design acomprehensive picture ofwater supply and sanitationin the basin.

➌ Preparation of the long-term master plan andorganization of meetingswith the different stakehol-ders to discuss the variousscenarios and the choice ofa Priority Action Program.

Institutional and financial re-forms are clearly felt as beingkey challenges for the develop-ment of the Indian water sec-tor. The means required aresignificant.The Project outcome and fin-dings were submitted to thepeople in charge of the watersector in the Gujarat and Cen-tral Governments. This reportis being studied to determinethe future actions to under-take (preparation of a new wa-ter law using the existing texts,the development of drinkingwater supply and seweragesystems, water saving in agri-culture, protection of the envi-ronment and of groundwaterin particular, etc.). The Gujaratauthorities have expressedtheir wish of a second phase ofthe project.B. M. RaoGovernment of GujaratNarmada Water Resources andWater Supply DepartmentFax: 91 027 12 20 406

MEKONG RIVERCOMMISSIONwww.mrcmekong.orgThe Mekong River Commission which promotes and coordi-nates sustainable management and development of water re-sources for its member countries by implementing strategicprograms and activities and providing scientific informationand policy advice, has included a link to INBO on its website:http://www.mrcmekong.org. INBO has done the same.Don [email protected]

ASIA

INBO 10 17/01/2002 14:57


NORTH AMERICAQUEBEC - CANADAWORKING TOWARDS A NATIONAL WATER POLICYQuebec is home to vast quan-tities of surface and under-ground water, resources ofgreat social and economic sig-nificance. The Quebec govern-ment is well aware of the im-portance of these resourcesand the related issues, and hascorrespondingly initiated aprocess for adopting a nationalwater policy. One of the mainobjectives of the policy is toensure integrated water re-source management on thescale of river basins.

A process based on public consultation The Quebec government be-gan the process in 1997 with aconference bringing togetherexperts to review the watersituation in Quebec and to de-termine the population’sgrowing needs for water. Full-scale public consultations fol-lowed in order to gather theopinions of citizens on themain issues related to watermanagement.

A policy frameworkfor meeting the public’sexpectations In keeping with the commit-ments made through the aboveconsultations, Quebec’s Min-istry of the Environment de-fined the basic principles forsupporting the development ofa national water policy, in

terms of the following issues:protection of public health andaquatic ecosystems, researchon the sustainability of waterresources, long-term socialand economic viability of waterresources, and harmonizationof water-related activities.The policy seeks to establish,among other things, integratedwater resource management onthe scale of hydrographic units,an approach that is not yet be-ing applied globally throughoutQuebec. Upon joining the Inter-national Network of Basin Or-ganizations (INBO), Quebecmandated a committee withrepresentatives from theChaudière River basin to designand propose a strategy for im-plementing a draft master plan.Alongside this governmentalprocess are local and regionalinitiatives that have led to thecreation of individual river basinorganizations.

The St. Lawrence River: A territorial reference point Measures taken under the poli-cy will give Quebec greater res-ponsibility for the St. LawrenceRiver. This ecosystem, whichmakes many activities possible,also serves as the source ofdrinking water for most of thepopulation. Indeed, 60% ofQuebec’s inhabitants live on theSt. Lawrence and take 2 billion

liters of its water daily for drin-king water. Through the policy,this immense territory of closeto 700,000 km2 has been givenspecial status as the principalterritorial reference point forthe implementation of integra-ted water resource manage-ment in Quebec.

Concrete steps for action An interdepartmental commit-tee has been formed to imple-ment the national water policy.This work will foster the inte-gration of governmental ac-tions involved in the manage-ment of the St. Lawrence Ri-ver. The Quebec Ministry ofthe Environment has created ateam to define policies for theintegrated management of theSt. Lawrence.

Cooperative actionsince 1988 Since 1988, the Quebec govern-ment has carried out variousclean-up, protection and deve-lopment projects for the St.Lawrence River, in cooperationwith the Canadian federal go-vernment through five-yearagreements. The latest of theseagreements, signed in 1998, willrun until 2003. This power-sharing process between diffe-rent government levels has gi-ven Quebec full authority formanaging freshwater resourceson its territory. The federal

government, for its part, has au-thority over internationalboundary waters. Thanks tothese agreements, various mea-sures for integrated water ma-nagement, including that of theSt. Lawrence River basin, havebeen implemented in the pastseveral years.Quebec plans to intensify itsrepresentation in internationalorganizations. A strong exam-ple of this intention is seen inits commitment to INBO,which is promoting watermanagement on the scale ofriver basins, a rational ap-proach indispensable to sus-tainable development.Jean Maurice LatulippeAssistant Deputy Minister Ministry of the Environment of QuebecFax: (1-418) [email protected]

http://www.menv.gouv.qc.ca

RIVER BASINS: NATURAL TERRITORIES This interesting educationaldocument is available on theWeb sites of INBO and theQuebec and France Ministriesof the Environment:What is a river basin? How is ariver created and what forcesshape the direction of its flow?What activities use the riverwater and can threaten itsquality? How do we assess thelevel of pollution in rivers andaquatic environments? Whatactivities are acceptable whenthe water quality is satisfac-tory?This document seeks toanswer all the above ques-tions. It includes many illustra-tions (one set for France andone set for Quebec). It is in-tended for persons working onenvironmental issues, indeed,for every adult and teenagerwho wants to find out more

about river basins and the envi-ronment. This document is the result ofa cooperative exchange pro-gram for civil servants fromQuebec and France establishedby the French Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Quebec’sMinistry of International Rela-tions. It has proved to be anideal opportunity for combi-ning approaches and know-how on both sides of the Atlantic. It also reviews specificassessment methods, such asthe “Water Quality Assess-ment System” (SEQeau) re-cently implemented by Franceand the “Bacterial and Physico-chemical Quality Index”(IQBP) implemented by Que-bec in 1996.

Next INBO General Assembly

will be held in Quebec from

28 to 30 May 2002

www.environnement.gouv.fr/dossiers/eau/bassinwww.menv.gouv.qc.ca/jeunesse/bassin_versant/index.htm

The document was publishedfor the INBO Liaison Bureaumeeting which took place inQuebec.

Muriel LefresneFrench engineer on an exchan-ge program with the QuebecMinistry of the EnvironmentFax. : 418 646 [email protected]

INBO 10 17/01/2002 14:57


USATWO WATER STUDIES ON THE SUSQUEHANNA AND SWATARA CREEK BASINSThe Pennsylvania Capital Re-gion Water Board (CRWB)has initiated Phase I of a Com-prehensive Water Manage-ment Plan.The Lower Susquehanna RiverBasin is in danger of losing wa-ter by diversion to otherbasins, particularly for the Cityof Baltimore. In addition waterquality concerns exist through-out the watershed.

The Board has also initiated aComprehensive Water Re-sources Study for the SwataraCreek Watershed.The proposed Study will de-termine reasonable alterna-tives for water supply thatwould be examined usinggenerally agreed upon criteria.Public participation will be akey element of the Study par-ticularly in connection with

study design, scope and selec-tion of alternatives as well ascriteria for evaluating them.The Project will be conductedin seven distinct tasks: ➊ DataInventory and Planning, ➋ Institutional Landscape, ➌ Public Participation, ➍ Ana-lyze Information, ➎ Plan For-mulation, ➏ Evaluate Alterna-tives, and ➐ CRWB Participa-tion.

Both Studies are being coordi-nated by the CRWB in co-operation with the Pennsylva-nia Department of Environ-mental Protection and the Bal-timore Office of the U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers.Walter A. Lyon Capital Regional Water [email protected]

LATIN AMERICARIO DE LA PLATATHIRD INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP (9-17 MARCH 2001) ON THE DEVELOPMENTOF THE RIO DE LA PLATA BASIN

ECLAC - PUBLICATIONRIVER BASIN MANAGEMENT IN LATIN AMERICA

This Third InternationalWorkshop recommended re-gional approaches to the de-velopment and management ofthe reservoirs in the Rio de laPlata basin. It was followed bytraining courses on water qua-lity and on the environmentalmodeling of lakes and reser-voirs.The participants admitted thatit was essential to progress to-wards the sustainable develop-ment of the huge potentialrepresented by the resourcesof the whole basin, taking ac-count of the technical, eco-nomic, social and environmen-tal aspects of water.They agreed that dams were avaluable option, due to theircapacity to meet various wateruses at the same time.Therefore, it is essential to en-sure that the decision-makingprocess, concerning thesekinds of infrastructures, takesinto account the participatoryplanning and integrated mana-gement criteria with an eco-systemic approach in eachcountry of the Rio de la Platabasin.The International Commissionon Dams report enables to de-fine the best way to assess theimpact of existing or planneddams. The participants recommen-ded, among other things:● Relevant planning,● Access to the information,

● The assessment of dataquality,

● The standardization ofsampling methods,

● The use of tools for syste-matic environmental im-pacts assessment of dams,within the basin context,using surveys of present re-servoirs and of their useand the EIA new project,

● The definition of qualitystandards for water and se-diments,

● Integration of basic infor-mation at basin level andthe use and optimization ofmodels,

● The set-up of mechanismsfor international coordina-tion to allow the develop-ment of emergency plans atbasin level,

● The participation of all in-volved stakeholders of thesociety and the passing ofregulatory frameworks tothis purpose.

Alberto T. CalcagnoCoordinatorTechnical Transition Committee [email protected]

The sustainability of develop-ment remains an academicconcept unless it is linked toclear objectives that must beattained in given territoriesand to the management pro-cesses needed to achieve this.Management of the natural re-sources located within thearea of a river basin is a valu-able option for guiding and co-ordinating processes for devel-opment in the light of environ-mental variables. In order to turn environmentalpolicies into concrete actions,it is necessary to have suitablemanagement bodies, which arenormally very complex. Theestablishment of such bodiesmeans generating a public/pri-vate system which is not onlyfinancially independent, sociallyoriented and sensitive to envi-ronmental aspects, but mustalso act in a democratic andparticipative manner. In the past, the idea of esta-blishing bodies to guide themanagement of the natural re-sources of a river basin (espe-

cially water, of course) hasaroused the interest of thecountries of the region, withvarying results. This interesthas now become an urgent ne-cessity, in view of the greatercompetition for multiple wateruse and the need to check pol-lution and manage the environ-ment correctly.This ECLAC article considerssome of the essential elementswhich must be taken into ac-count when proposing to setup such bodies, puts forwardsome concepts, identifies various ways in which the sub-ject can be approached, and of-fers some recommendationsfor improving policy formula-tion and the functioning of in-tegrated systems for the mana-gement of water resourcesand river basins.Axel Dourojeanni Natural Resources andInfrastructure Division, ECLACFax: 562 208 [email protected]

http://www.eclac.cl

LANBOLATIN-AMERICAN NETWORKOF BASIN ORGANIZATIONS

Secretariat:s/c Mr Edouardo MESTRE RODRIGUEZFax: 00 52 42 23 75 56 - E-mail: [email protected]

INBO 10 17/01/2002 14:57


The Federal Law n° 9.433/97regulates the execution of theWater Resources NationalManagement System. The National Council on Wa-ter Resources (CNRH) is themain body of this System. It has the following attribu-tions: ● to promote water re-

sources planning with na-tional, regional and stateplans;

● to deliberate on projects; ● to follow up the execution

of the national plan; ● to establish general criteria

for the granting of wateruse rights and also to esta-blish charges for its use.

The National Council on Wa-ter Resources is in charge ofsolving conflicts of use and ofcreating Basin Committees forfederal rivers. The Council haselaborated minimal rules forthe creation of a committeerepresentative of public andprivate entities in each riverbasin.

According to the Law, the Na-tional Council on Water Re-sources is composed by:● representatives of Minis-

tries and Secretariats of theBrazilian Republic,

● representatives nominatedby Water Resources StateCouncils;

● representatives from waterusers and the civil society.

The number of the federal government representativesshould not exceed half of thetotal members of the CNRH.Users’ representation is com-posed of the following sectors:irrigation, industry, hydroelec-tric generation; fishermen,users of leisure areas and pu-blic water supply and sanita-tion utilities. The following civil organiza-tions are also represented inthe CNRH: inter-municipalconsortiums and associations;regional or local associations;technical, training and researchorganizations; and non govern-mental organizations.

The CNRH has created sevenboards which have regularmonthly meetings, congrega-ting about 90 technicians.

Júlio Thadeu Silva Kettelhut Flávia Gomes de BarrosSecretariat of WaterResources/SRHMinistry of the [email protected]

http://www.cnrh-srh.gov.br

BRAZILBASIN MANAGEMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENTAbundant experience from en-vironmental management prac-tices in Brazil, serves as evi-dence for our reasoning regar-ding the many advantages of river basin management, waterresource and wastewater taxa-tion.The systemic approach em-ployed in the River basinCouncils and Committeeshave shown to represent bet-ter governance systems for thedevelopment of more equaland inspired communities viathe motivation of citizens.The improvement of social andenvironmental performancesin most river basins has shownto be modernized ways of localgovernance, by means of moredynamic alliances, maintainingdiversity, with a global interde-pendence, complementing thetraditional roles of stake-holders: government, industryand NGOs. By means of better “owner-ship” and accountability, of

better education and assess-ments, the outcomes showclear improvements in the firsttwo years after the basin pro-grams are put into action,thanks to the joint develop-ment and copying of better in-dustrial, urban and agriculturalpractices.Traditionally an economicalexternality, water resourcemanagement must be highly in-ternalized, to have an econo-mic value and fight againstscarcity. The inclusion of envi-ronmental responsibility instrategic policies by govern-ment, industry and NGO representatives participating inbasin management is neededto search for cleaner andcheaper technologies. Durval OlivieriSEPLANTEC, Government ofBahia, Brazil [email protected]

“REBOB”:BRAZILIAN NETWORK OF BASIN ORGANIZATIONSThe Brazilian Network ofBasin Organizations (REBOB)was created in 1998. It gathersall the Brazilian intermunicipalbasin consortiums. The mainactivities of its new 2001-2002action program are:● increasing the number of

members,● encouraging the creation of

basin organizations in theStates and river basin dis-tricts of Brazil,

● joint action with the Natio-nal Forum of Basin Com-mittees, activities withother basin networks andtechnical cooperation tostrengthen REBOB basinorganizations.

The last REBOB General As-sembly took place on 31 Au-gust 2001 during the 4th Inter-American Dialogue on WaterManagement, organized in Fozdo Iguaçu. This assembly ap-pointed a new executive team

and decided to strengthenBrazil’s technical cooperationwith INBO. One of the firstinitiatives had been to organizea seminar on the strengtheningof basin organizations in Cam-po Grande (Mato Grosso doSul) on 6 and 7 December2001, with the support ofCIDEMA, the National Forumof Basin Committees, LANBO,the Secretariat of Water Re-sources (SRH), the NationalWater Agency (ANA) andCampo Grande Municipality.Dacio Queiroz Silva, President, Mauri Cesar B. Pereira,Executive Secretary, Fax: +55 67 341-8719. [email protected] [email protected]

www.cidema.org.br/rebob

NATIONAL COUNCILON WATER RESOURCES

MINAS GERAISTHE RIO MOSQUITO BASIN COMMITTEEIn the Rio Mosquito RiverBasin, State of Minas Gerais, aReal Estate Agency is rehabili-tating the bed, banks andforests.This project is part of the Federal Government’s PRO-AGUA program, financed bythe World Bank, the JapaneseDevelopment Agency, theOverseas Economic Coopera-tion Fund (OECEF) and thefederal and state governments.The institution in charge of thisproject is the Technical Assis-tance and Rural Development

Company of Minas Gerais(EMATER – MG) that is loo-king for financial resources.Mitsuro KatoakaRio Mosquito River [email protected]

INBO 10 17/01/2002 14:57


STATE FUND FOR WATER RESOURCES (FEHIDRO)The “SOS Mata Atlantica”(SOS Atlantic Forests) Founda-tion, one of the main BrazilianNGOs, is evaluating 7 years ofthe São Paulo State water re-source system operation andespecially the results of theState Fund for Water Re-sources (FEHIDRO). The São Paulo State repre-sents 37% of the Brazilian GDPand has 20 operational basincommittees. Although the lawplans the levying of taxes onwater use by basin agencies,this is far from being the case.Up to 2000, FEHIDRO grantedloans and subsidies, amountingto 50 million US$, to 20 riverbasins. About half of thisamount has been used to fi-nance short-term environmen-tal protection infrastructures,such as wastewater treatmentplants, plants for waste reco-very and treatment, erosioncontrol and reforestationwork for protecting springs.Fifteen million US$ were spentby prefectures for short-terminfrastructures, as counterpartcontribution. The remaining50% was used for works, pro-jects, studies, educational andplanning activities with mediumand long-term outcomes.

However, the FEHIDRO re-sources are not sufficient torehabilitate and control thevarious basins encounteringcritical situation in the State.The establishment of new fi-nancial mechanisms (the levy-ing of taxes on water use) isthe only means to avoid thedegradation of the systemssupplying water to the bigtowns of the State, such as theSão Paulo Metropolitan Area(Upper Tietê Basin) andCampinas (Rio PiracicabaBasin) which host 20 million in-habitants. The Piracicaba Basin aloneneeds 100 million US$ on ashort-term basis to avoiddegradation of public and wa-ter supply systems.The creation of basin agenciesand the levying of taxes cur-rently rely on an agreementbetween federal and state au-thorities. The “SOS Mata Atlantica” Foundation orga-nized a round table on 28 Au-gust 2001 which convened theauthorities in order to assessthe current situation and pro-pose a priority program.Mario [email protected]ão Jeronimo [email protected] Mata Atlantica

BRAZIL

SÃO PAULOTHE CONSORTIUM OF PIRACICABA,CAPIVARI AND JUNDAILevying of taxes on the use of water

NATIONAL WATER-RELATED INFORMATION SYSTEM - SNIRH

After being a forerunner inquantitative management,mainly focusing on hydropo-wer generation (water law of1934), Brazil formulated an en-vironmental policy at the be-ginning of the 1990s, which in-cluded water quality monito-ring and management.The 1997 law defined the lasttrends of the Brazilian policyon water resources, focusingon an “integrated riverbasin management” ap-proach, while a law, passed inJuly 2000, enabled the creationof a new federal body in chargeof water resource manage-ment at the national level: theANA - National WaterAgency.Another core characteristic ofwater resource managementin Brazil is linked to the distri-bution of administrative res-ponsibilities, as defined in the“Federal Constitution of

October 1988” which differen-tiates State watercourses, thusmanaged by the States (thisconcerns the watercourses ortributaries which start and endin the same State) from federalwatercourses (internationalwatercourses or rivers cros-sing several Brazilian States). Astate watercourse may flow into a federal watercourse, andvice versa. This leads to theoverlapping of managementresponsibilities between theFederal and State administra-tions.Owing to this overlapping ofresponsibilities in water re-source management, a goodorganization of the ex-changes of data and infor-mation, needed for inte-grated water resourcemanagement, between thevarious organizations con-cerned, is necessary.

The 1997 law, established theSNIRH - National Water Re-source Information System, asbeing one of the main tools forimplementing the new policy.In accordance with a resolu-tion, passed by the NationalWater Resource Council inSeptember 2000, ANA is nowin charge of organizing this in-formation system.Within the bilateral French-Brazilian cooperation program,implemented in 2000, theFrench Ministry for Foreign Af-fairs entrusted IOWater withthe study of the current situa-tion. Four States were visited:Bahia, Ceara, Goias, Minas-Gerais, together with theFederal District of Brasilia.In addition to the analysis ofthe legislative and institutionalaspects which have an impacton data management, the fin-dings of this study emphasizedthe following:

➊ There are a lot of organiza-tions involved, at variouslevels, in data gathering andmanagement. Each of theseorganizations develops itsown management tools(databases/geographic in-formation systems/webserver).

➋ There is not yet any com-mon language or any stan-dard format for exchangingdata adopted by the va-rious administrations.

➌ There is a high demand forcommon data exchangeprocedures, especially atthe level of the States andof the many local utilitieswhich are now setting uptheir own water informa-tion system.

Municipalities had paid a con-tribution to the Rio PiracicabaConsortium up to 1993.After being suspended, thiscontribution returned in 1997with a value of R$ 0.01/m3,billed by the municipal waterand sanitation utilities or bythe concession companies.The adhesion to this Programis voluntary. It is a rehearsal ofwhat will be the collection oftaxes for the use of water andthe decentralized and partici-patory management of these fi-nancial resources.This Program is applied to sub-basins with a control of the taxcollection.This participatory processstarted with the creation of a“Management Program Unit(MPU)”, made up of represen-tatives from the municipalitiesand water and sanitation utili-ties involved.MPU chooses the priorities forthe use of these resources, ei-ther for sanitation works, edu-cation and awareness raisingon the environment, leak con-trol and detection in watersupply systems, or for solidwastes, reforestation, etc.

The Rio Piracicaba Consor-tium implements the Programin three sub-basins and the ac-cumulated experience and theapplied methodology willprove its viability.With the participation of alarge number of municipal dis-tricts and companies, the Pro-gram will become (in a largerregional configuration) an exercise of tax recovery and offinancial solidarity for the reha-bilitation of water resources.José Roberte FumachFrancisco C. C. LahózConsortium of Piracicaba-CapivariFax : +55 19 460 40 [email protected]

www.agua.org.br

INBO 10 17/01/2002 14:57


PARANASTATE WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (SERGH)The National Water ResourceManagement System has esta-blished a new institutionalmodel centered on River BasinCommittees, ensuring the par-ticipation of federal, state andmunicipal governments, orga-nized civil society and waterresource users.These Basin Committees aresupported in decision-makingby Water Agencies, which actas executive secretaries.The National Water ResourceCouncil is involved in seekingbroader strategic concernsand possible settlement of dis-pute between adjoining riverbasins.The institutional model pro-posed to Parana keeps the Na-tional System main lines. The State Water ResourceManagement System (SE-GRH) plans the creation ofa State Water ResourceCouncil, River Basin Com-mittees and DecentralizedExecutive Units, promo-ting the establishment ofuser associations and inter-municipal river basinconsortiums to performfunctions and compe-tences proper to WaterAgencies.

This SEGRH institutional mo-del will operate through objec-tives, leaving the river basinsresponsible for the establish-ment of management bodies(committees and decentralizedexecutive units). The SEGRH will focus on is-sues considered of “Commoninterest” to several municipali-ties or which are strategicallyimportant to the State: wateravailability and water resourceprotection, flood control, jointdisposal of domestic or indus-trial solid or liquid waste,among others. Issues will besolved at the regional levelthanks to joint efforts of theState Government, municipali-ties and other public and pri-vate enterprises intervening inthe water resource sector.As the Parana State Govern-ment has a strong position inthe State Water ResourceCouncil (CERH) and in theRiver Basin Committees(CBHs), its role is that of de-fining the general dispositionsand strategic planning criteriafor regional plans, regulationand contracts in SEGRH’s am-bit, and partnerships for sol-ving the problems.

Therefore, we can notice thatthe proposed SEGRH is basedon three different institutionallevels having different identi-ties and performance tools:➊ The Decentralized Exe-

cutive Units, based onagreements between publicand private interests(among them the municipa-lities) on the right of usingwater. They accompanythe Basin Action Plans, par-tially financed by the fundscollected by charging ade-quate amounts for the rightof using water.

➋ The River Basin Com-mittees are regional andresponsible for reconcilingprivate and public intereststo prepare the ActionPlans.

➌ The State Water Re-sources Council is the hi-ghest jurisdiction for ma-king decisions and recour-se, concentrating on strate-gic planning and on the po-licy to be implemented.

Francisco José Lobato da CostaNational Water AgencyConsultant [email protected]

The Bahia Authority ofWater Resources intentsto start levying taxes onwater abstractions andpollution, applied to rawwater in a first step.This will require the creationof a State Fund for WaterResources and a BahiaWater Resource Company(mixed enterprise), respon-sible for managing the fundsand allocating aid. The fundswill be centralized at State level and 85% of them redis-tributed among the basins, tohelp the underprivileged basinsin particular, for studies and investments, 15% being devo-ted to operating costs.It was difficult to estimate thebudget available for JiquiriçáValley in such a context. TheInternational Office for Waterwas thus requested to designan original model to quicklyprogress towards integratedwater resource managementwith financial simulations ta-king as an assumption that the

Intermunicipal Consortium ofthe Jiquiriçá Valley (CIVJ) couldhave some own resources byapplying the user-pays princi-ple.The objective would be toguarantee the sustainability ofCIVJ present and future ac-tions, through the develop-ment of an action plan at theriver basin level, the coordina-tion of water management andthe mobilization of a user asso-ciation, etc., while integratingthem into the Bahia legal andinstitutional context and in theongoing reform process. Asupport from the State Au-thorities would obviously beessential to develop such a sce-nario.The potential financing sourceswould be the municipalitiesand the users; citizens, agro-food industries and farms, EM-BASA (Bahia water and sanita-tion utility), although knowingthat all these funds could notall be mobilized at the sametime.

A first approach allowedthe estimating of a totaltax amount next to900,000 R$. This amount can-not directly finance sanitationfacilities, but would neverthe-less enable:● the change of the Inter-

municipal Consortiumof the Jiquiriçá Valleyinto a permanent orga-nization which could co-ordinate policy on waterresource management inthe valley and become thepreferred contact for theState administration;

● joint work with cityhalls and users (citizens,farmers, the civil society,etc.);

● the creation of a userassociation to strengthencollective decision-makingwith a possible basin com-mittee in the medium termof which the CIVJ would bethe secretariat;

● the updating of the ba-sin management plan,strategic tool which pro-vides an overall vision ofresources and uses andwhich seeks balance by in-volving all the users;

● the undertaking oftechnical and strategicstudies to develop toolssupporting decision-making (an informationsystem for instance, etc.).

Above all, this would increasethe credibility of the JiquiriçáValley Consortium and wouldfacilitate aid from the State,federal and international orga-nizations that will have to sup-port its activities.Vera LyraIntermunicipal Consortium ofthe Jiquiriça Valley (CIVJ)[email protected]

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INBO 10 17/01/2002 14:57


BRAZILMATO GROSSO “WATER IS A LIMITED RESOURCE”Mato Grosso hosts the mainrivers of the Amazon, Prataand Araguaia-Tocantins basins.It also has large groundwaterreserves. This State is situatedin the Central-Western regionof Brazil and is the third federalunit, due to its surface area(906,806 km2). It is divided into126 municipalities and 51 na-tive territories, with a popula-tion of 2.3 million inhabitants.This territory includes threedifferent ecosystems: Ama-zonian rain forest (52.16% ofthe territory), savanna (cerra-do–40.80%) and the Pantanal(huge wetlands –7.04%).For years, the exploitation ofnatural resources for econo-mic purposes has caused se-rious damage to the environ-ment and especially to waterresources.During the last six years, theState Government set up a le-gal structure and created theSpecial Secretariat for theEnvironment to ensure thesustainable use of natural re-sources.The Law on Water Resources,n° 6945, was passed on 5November 1997 in such a con-

text. This law complies withthe principles established inthe Brazilian Federal Law, inparticular: river basin manage-ment, allocation of water usepermits and levying of taxes.The Department of Water Resources/Special Secretariatfor the Environment (DGRH /FEMA-MT) was created in July1998 to implement this policy.It is responsible for planning,and in the immediate future,for the granting of permits forthe use of surface and groundwater belonging to the State.A new Water ManagementSystem was organized. It in-cludes:● the monitoring of surface

and ground water quality;● the development of mathe-

matical models on waterquality;

● the set-up of a network forcollecting hydrometeoro-logical data, transmitted bysatellite. Mathematical mo-dels simulate the flow ofsmall river basins;

● the definition of aquifers, ofthe exploitation and re-charge flow rates, and the

installation of mathematicalmodels to simulate waterquality and aquifer capacity;

● the use of geographic infor-mation systems which inte-grate the available informa-tion into digital cartogra-phic bases;

● various hydrological mo-dels for planning and gran-ting permits for the use ofwater resources,

● the recording of permitsfor deep bore-holes.

Mato Grosso State has usedthis management model since1998 with the support of theWorld Bank, the GlobalEnvironment Facility (GEF) andof the PPG7 pilot program.The Pantanal Program of theInter-American DevelopmentBank, amounting to 400 millionUS$, is in its approval phase.Marise CurvoSanitary EngineerSpecial Secretariat for the EnvironmentMato [email protected]

MATO GROSSO DO SULCIDEMA IS NOW INVOLVED IN TRANSBOUNDARY MANAGEMENT The Inter-Municipal Con-sortium for Integrated De-velopment of Miranda andApa River Basins (CIDE-MA), created in 1998 andgrouping 18 municipalities,started the transboundarymanagement of the Apa Riverbasin, shared by Brazil andParaguay. This basin is locatedin the Upper Paraguay Basin(600,000 Km2).Within the framework of aproject dealing with water re-source assessment in thetransboundary river basin, theCIDEMA team showed that itwas impossible to undertakestudies without any overallview of the basin. Thus, techni-cal meetings, gathering themain stakeholders involved inriver management, were orga-nized with Paraguayan techni-cal institutions. These actionswere jointly carried out withAlterVida – Center of Studies

and Training for the Environ-mental Development of Asun-cion.The Apa river basin, with asurface area of 15,000 km2, in-cludes 7 towns (Antonio João,Ponta Porã, Bela Vista, Cara-col, Porto Murtinho, Bonitoand Jardim) in the State of Ma-to Grosso do Sul, 2 Depart-ments (Amambay and Concep-cion) and 5 towns (Pedro JuanCaballero, Bella Vista, SanLazaro, San Carlos and Con-cepcion) in Paraguay togetherwith the Paso Bravo ReservePark. The key issues which requiretransboundary managementare sport fishing, deforesta-tion, the extinction of ecosys-tems and sedimentation in theriver beds.The basin supplies drinking wa-ter to two neighboring towns:Bela Vista in Brazil and BellaVista in Paraguay.

The purpose of this process isto propose conditions for har-monizing criteria and workingmethods and changes in the le-gal framework required bysound river basin management.It is also necessary to jointlyassess water resources and de-velop sustainable economic ac-tivities.This basin project may be aprototype of transboundarymanagement for the entire LaPlata basin.CIDEMA is looking for con-tacts and exchanges with insti-tutions experimented in trans-boundary river basin manage-ment.

Mauri Cesar B. PereiraAdvisor to CIDEMAFax +55 67 [email protected] [email protected]

cidema.org.br

COSTA RICAUPPER RIO REVENTAZONBASINCosta Rica has undertaken areform of the legal frameworkof its public administration. Itincludes a draft law on theregulation of planning, the con-trol of activities and the con-servation of water (in quantityand quality) and the other na-tural resources of the upperRio Reventazon basin. Its ob-jective is to take the measuresnecessary for solving the mainproblems encountered and fordeveloping sustainable projectsinvolving the civil society, inorder to improve the popula-tion’s standard of living.The main tasks are as follows:● a basin development and

management plan, includingthe protection, rehabilita-tion and development ofnatural resources,

● a physico-biological assess-ment to identify the pro-blems,

● a socioeconomic analysisto solve existing conflicts,

● priority short-term actions.This law creates the Com-mission for the Develop-ment and Management ofthe Upper ReventazonRiver Basin. Its overall objec-tive is to define, execute andcontrol the basin developmentand management plan with thehelp of a consultative commit-tee, an executive unit and of aregional committee.This Commission is made up ofrepresentatives from the Mi-nistries of the Environmentand Energy, of Agriculture andAnimal Husbandry, of theElectricity Company and waterand sanitation utilities, of theNational Emergency Commis-sion; of the Institute of Tech-nology of Costa Rica, of themunicipalities and user associa-tions. It will also be responsiblefor promoting the participa-tion and coordination of theinstitutions involved in the planimplementation, for analyzingand approving management ini-tiatives to receive funds frominterested international co-operation agencies.Ministry of the Environment and Energy

www.marcolegal.go.cr

INBO 10 17/01/2002 14:57


www.iowater.org/inboAll information

on INBOis available

on the on the WEBWEBwww.iowater.org/inbo

COLOMBIACAR OF CUNDINAMARCATRIENNIAL PLAN 2001-2003

The “Corporación Autó-noma Regional de Cundi-namarca (CAR)”, one ofthe main environmentalauthorities of Colombia,prepared its Triennial Ac-tion Plan for 2001-2003during the first semesterof 2001.This plan defines all the envi-ronmental actions and invest-ments to be implemented inthis region which has a surfacearea of 1,800,000 hectares anda population of 8 million inha-bitants. It includes 98 munici-palities in Cundinamarca, sixmunicipalities in Boyaca, Bogo-ta (the capital of the Republic),and an important part of theindustrial sector of the coun-try.This CAR Action Plan is con-sistent with the “Collective En-vironmental National Project”,which is the national environ-mental plan, and with the dif-ferent territorial and city de-velopment plans. It has alsotaken into account anothertool that the CAR wishes toformalize before the end of theyear: the Regional Plan forlong-term EnvironmentalManagement (2001-2010).The programs and projects ofthe triennial plan were de-signed to solve environmentalproblems and develop the dif-ferent environmental possibili-ties of the natural resourcesand environmental heritage of

the region. Special emphasiswill be applied on the controland regulation of the watersupply. Also major projectswill be established to environ-mentally regulate, monitor anddevelop projects on the Bogo-ta, Negro, Minero, Ubate-Suarez, Gualiva, Macheta,Sumapaz and Central Magdale-na river basins.As the river basin is the geo-graphical unit integrating envi-ronmental actions, other im-portant natural resources andaspects such as land, soil, flora,fauna, air and invaluable biodi-versity are also taken into ac-count in the plan with differentand interesting developmentprojects and programs. Jointmanagement will be carriedout with the departments,towns and public administra-tions, with the productive sec-tors and especially with thepopulation, as it is already thecase with the Regional Systemof protected Areas. Its mainpurpose is the protection ofendangered species and thepreservation of strategicecosystems.Considering the magnitude ofthe environmental tasks described above, CAR has un-dertaken a wide informationcampaign to obtain the finan-cial resources still needed tocover operating and invest-ment costs.Darío Londoño GómezGeneral Director - CARFax [email protected]

www.car.gov.co

PROTECTION OF THE RIO AMAINEThe Amaine River Basin is situ-ated in the upper Cauca riverbasin. Its territory includestwo towns: Palmira and Cerri-to. The springs of the river andtributaries are 3,800 m high onthe Las Hermosas and LasDominguez plateaus with 300glacier lagoons, beautiful bo-dies of clear water, surroun-ded by many plants which canresist to temperatures below0°C and which are natural fil-ters. Orchids, creepers, algae,lichens are plentiful and reducethe impact of rainfall on thesoil and regulate river flows.The Nima river, Palmira mainsupply, is the main tributary ofthe Amaine river. Its catch-ment area of 12,136 ha sup-plies the water necessary forthe Palmira urban aqueductwhich is managed by ACUAVI-VA S.A. Company, with LYSAInternational and the PalmiraMunicipality as main share-holders.The Amaine river basin wascolonized in the 1930s by set-tlers from Antioquia, Caldasand Nariño. They destroyedthe protecting rain forests toreplace them with market gar-den crops on the high slopes.The opening of pasture lands inareas with more than 60%slopes caused high erosion,great inputs of sediments andlandslides. The building of thePalmira – Ataco road in fragileand crumbly geological layershas disturbed the ecologicalbalance of the Nima andAmaine river basins, leading tosignificant move of run-off ma-terials. Nowadays, deforesta-tion exceeds 30,000 ha. Thisseriously affects regularity andflows.

The Committee for theBasin Protection is tryingto create reserve andpreservation areas for flo-ra and fauna on more than6,000 ha.Indeed, there are many con-flicts on the use of woodlandsby cattle breeders. Duringheavy rainfall periods, theslopes are saturated and biglandslides affect the entireAmaine river basin. On 24 De-cember 1999, a rainfall of 103mm in one hour and ten min-utes caused avalanches of ma-terials which affected bridges,roads and caused damage tothe water intakes of the Bar-rancas aqueduct. The Committee for Protectionhas started building reserve areas on the Las Dominguezplateau and wetlands. Unfortu-nately, the Colombian armedconflict undermines implemen-tation of in-depth actions inthe basin.An agreement was signed withthe private sector for “CleanProduction” in the lower Cau-ca river basin to reduce agri-cultural burnt lands and theuse of weed killers. The deve-lopment plan for Palmira areaalso allows the protection ofthe river banks up to its con-fluence with the Cauca river.Oscar Rivera LunaCommittee for the Protection of the Nima and Amaine RiverBasins [email protected]

Panama has no water law butonly a water decree datingfrom the 60s which is now to-tally obsolete. There is no legaldocument which regulates theuse, exploitation and manage-ment of river basins. The le-gislative Assembly is nowdebating on a draft law“which would establish aspecific administrative rulefor the management, pro-tection and conservationof the priority river basinsof the country”.

In addition to the use of pesti-cides, deforestation, sedimen-tation and finally pollution, another concern has arisen:the operating of Panama Canal,as the same source is also sup-plying the population of theCapital.We have now to start educa-ting our children on saving wa-ter when they brush theirteeth, take a bath, are cooking,doing laundry and cleaninghouse as we already alarminglyobserve an increase in the sale

of bottled water, the cost ofwhich is high for low incomepopulations.

Rogelio Sanchez TackCommission on Population, the Environment and Development of the Legislative Assembly

PANAMAA DRAFT WATER LAW

INBO 10 17/01/2002 14:57


CICAs: WATER INFORMATION CENTERS

MEXICORIO GRANDE/RIO BRAVO “ALL TOGETHER FOR THE RIVER BASIN”The Rio Bravo basin, alsocalled Rio Grande or Cheenah,is the main source of watersupply in a region where thisresource is scarce due to geo-graphical and climatic reasons.Its water balance is endan-gered by fast demographicgrowth, increasing industria-lization and by changes linkedto unbalanced managementwhich threatens the wholeecosystem, mainly due to in-sufficient sanitation.This basin, with a surface areaof 850,000 km2, is equallyshared by Mexico and theUnited States. It springs fromthe San Juan mountains in thesouth of Colorado State nearthe border with New Mexico.The river runs on more than3,000 km before flowing outinto the Gulf of Mexico. Mil-lions of human beings dependon this river for drinking watersupplies and irrigation.More than seven million inhab-itants live in the border zoneon the Mexican side. In this re-gion, water enables the irriga-tion of 600,000 ha and suppliesmore than 20 towns and 9,400industries. The major part ofsurface water is used for irriga-tion, urban use only represen-ting 11% of surface water and21% of groundwater, but four-teen aquifers are already over-exploited. Competition isfierce between the users andthe sources of supply aremarkedly polluted.The first congress “All toge-ther for the basin” took placein 1994 and led to the Multina-tional Rio Bravo Coalition twoyears later.The Coalition’s efforts wererecognized in 1998 by theUnited States President’sCouncil for Sustainable Deve-lopment and various founda-tions (Ford, Meadows, Hous-ton Endowment, Hewlett andrecently Turner) support itsprograms and activities.This Coalition aims to workfor regional water manage-ment at the river basin level,which is based on various prin-ciples:● water has no administrative

border: its only limits arethe river basin,

● an integrated approachmust enable the meeting ofthe various users’ demandswithout endangering eco-system sustainability,

● it is necessary to organizethe representation of usersin committees or councilsfor decision-making onlong term planning,

● a regional and autonomousfinancial system must usethe “user-pays” and “pollu-ter-pays” principles withina decentralization processand real federalism,

● a wide consensus is neededregarding the importantdecisions which require theparticipation and informa-tion of the populationconcerned.

The Coalition gathers bina-tional stakeholders such as theNational Water Commission,the International Commissionon Limits and Waters, the Fe-deral and State environmentalagencies, the Commission forTransboundary EnvironmentalCooperation, the North Ame-rican Development Bank andvarious municipalities and set-tlements, and the civil societyand NGOs in particular.The last biannual congress washeld from 9 to 11 November2000 in Cuidad Juarez, Chi-huahua. It admitted that waterwas scarce in the basin whilehaving to supply a region inwhich population was hugelyincreasing due to fast growingeconomy, and that suitedmechanisms were needed.

Gonzalvo Bravo, Advisor, [email protected]

GUANAJUATO - QUERETARO“MANAGEMENT OF SHARED AQUIFERS”Groundwater has no munici-pal, state or federal limits.Various problems are encoun-tered in the Queretaro andGuanajuato States: fast growthof the population and produc-tion activities which has directimpact on water demand; pol-lution of surface water, soiland sub-soil, caused by agricul-tural and industrial activities;low availability of surface andground waters (in quality andquantity) and fast lowering ofthe aquifer levels (3 m/year,and 8 m/year in some areas);sinking of lands, etc.A joint management by bothStates is thus required, basedon the following: shared regu-lations for aquifers; the esta-blishment of rules on any

change in or prohibition of wa-ter use; joint development ac-tions; better sale of treatedwater; strict regulations forprotection areas (the landsinking in the Apaseo elGrande next to QueretaroState is an example); a jointstudy of the vulnerability ofaquifers and of the relationsbetween them; better efficien-cy of irrigation systems and useof less water-consuming crops;continuous monitoring of theQueretaro - Apaseos rivers,and their cleaning.Angel ArreguinCOTAS [email protected]

The Government wants to de-velop the direct participationof the various stakeholders, in-tervening in water resourcedevelopment and management,by involving them in the deci-sion-making processes whichaffect water quality, availabilityand conservation.Therefore, the Mexican Na-tional Water Commission(CNA) undertook to widelyreform this sector. Amongother things, this implies thecreation and development ofCouncils and Commissions forriver basins, sub-basins andaquifers.This decentralized participa-tion implies that these riverbasin organizations have rapi-dly access to the informationneeded to make appropriatedecisions.In order to meet these needs,the Rules of Organizationand Operation of these ri-ver basin councils plan thatthey can rely on Water In-formation and DialogueCenters (CICAs).Following an introduction tothe French experience in wa-ter data management, a co-operation program was laun-

ched, thanks to a joint finan-cing from the French Ministryfor Foreign Affairs and CNA,with funds from WMO (WorldMeteorological Organization).The purpose of this program isto assist with the coordinationof the River Basin Councils(RBCs) and with the Rural Pro-gram Unit (RPU) of CNA, forthe organization and setting-upof a Pilot Water Informa-tion and Dialogue Center.The actions deal with 4 mainaspects:➊ A reflection on the status

of the various informationsystems as compared tothe CICAs;

➋ Coordination between theCNA and the State andMunicipality departments;

➌ The preparation of a me-thodological guide for thesetting-up of these infor-mation centers;

➍ The preparation of a firsttwo-year action plan forlaunching a pilot informa-tion system in one of thepriority river basins.

National Water Commission [email protected]

INBO 10 17/01/2002 14:57


In 1989, an important landslideoccurred in the Soroche tor-rent.The study carried out for theWater and Land ManagementProgram (PROMAS), upon therequest of ELECAUSTROcompany (Electro Generadoradel Austro), shows a processof widespread erosion.Continuous mud inflows,forming an alluvial cone, can beobserved in the reservoirs, lo-cated between the landslideand the outflow of the Sorochetorrent into the Machangarariver.

This phenomenon of massmovement is alarming, due tothe volumes of solids involved.and endangers 15% of the sup-ply of drinking water to Cuen-ca city and 40% of the area’sagricultural production. Thesuspended solids have deterio-rated the irrigation systemsused for green house cropsand affect the arable land layer.The turbines of the Saucay andSaymirin hydropower stationsshow abrasion levels 5 to 10%higher than usual. In view ofsuch a situation the area hasbeen declared in a state ofemergency.

The actions planned in theMachangara basin require long-term vision and strategy (atleast 20 years). All the partnersare involved, thus ELECAUS-TRO, ETAPA, the IrrigationUser Association, CREA,CNRH, Cuenca University andthe Provincial Council ofAzuay have integrated the con-servation and sustainable de-velopment of natural re-sources.These guidelines are now re-cognized and integrated intothe yearly action plan of theMachangara TechnicalCommittee which has ini-tiated its first actions.

This agreement of joint mana-gement of natural resourcesled us to go further and plan anagreement between the part-ners for the management ofthis basin, using technologiesand methods that are also ap-plicable to the community forest development.Catalina Diaz G.Technical Secretariat of theMachangara River Basin Fax: 593 7 890 [email protected]

ECUADORRIO MACHANGARA: EROSION CONTROL

EL SALVADORWATER RESOURCE QUALITY AND QUANTITY

NICARAGUATOWARDS WATER MANAGEMENTAT THE RIVER BASIN LEVEL?A national workshop on riverbasin management, took placein Managua, Nicaragua, withinthe Local Capacity Buil-ding Program for themanagement of riverbasins and the preventionof natural disasters (FO-CUENCAS), financed by SIDA and executed by CATIE.It gathered the main stake-holders involved in natural resource management.The outputs were significant.Nicaragua belongs to theLatin-American countrieswhich have plenty of naturalresources and developmentpotentials but have very limi-ted possibilities, due to socialand economic problems. Popu-lation and poverty growth isthe main cause of the degrada-tion of natural resources in theriver basins. This includes de-forestation, water pollutionand use of unsuited farmingpractices, mainly in terraceagricultural areas where arethe poorest farmers. The ef-fects are felt: floods, landslidesand low water availability.Following the Mitch hurricaneon the north-west part of thecountry, where degradation ofriver basins has aggravateddamage, many initiatives weretaken, but with small scope.The Matagalpa basin project,the Sandino foundation, theADESUR project, theAPRODESA project and thePRO-DEMUJER foundationcan be mentioned among themost recent projects. They areinvolving actions such as soil

and water conservation, trai-ning and technical assistance,reforestation, organization ofcommunities, producers ortraders; farm management, theuse of alternative technologiesand, in some cases, credit sys-tems.Some centers of higher educa-tion, such as the NationalAgrarian University (UNA)and the Rivas AgriculturalSchool, have included researchon the characterization and as-sessment of river basins intheir curricula. The depart-ments of the Central AmericanUniversity use the river basinas geographical reference intheir work.The three institutions most in-volved in river basin manage-ment are: the Ministry of theEnvironment and Natural Re-sources (MARENA), the Minis-try of Agriculture and Forestry(MAGFOR) and the Ministry ofDevelopment, Industry andTrade. However, the set-up ofan institution in charge of poli-cy-making for planning, deve-lopment and management ofriver basins is becoming neces-sary.

Arcadio Choza LopezMinistry of the Environment and Natural Resources Suwar Project (MARENA)[email protected]

El Salvador has urgently to pri-oritize a best use of its waterresources.

QuantityThe Country has 360 rivers,regrouped in 10 river basin dis-tricts, the largest being the RioLempa basin (18,240 km2)shared by El Salvador,Guatemala and Honduras. Itswater is used for hydropowergeneration, irrigation, animalhusbandry and the supply ofdrinking and industrial water.The best known aquifers arethe Quezaltepeque-Opico andSan Salvador which are over-exploited. This required theconveying of water from theLempa to the San SalvadorMetropolitan Area.Although our country hasplenty of water resourcesthanks to rainfalls, water isnevertheless scarce for drin-king water supply purposes. Paradoxically, we are facingwater scarcity but also floodingin coastal areas, mainly due tothe overflowing of the Lempa,Grande de San Miguel, Paz andJiboa rivers. Poor managementof the river basins is the maincause of these floods: widelyspread deforestation, inade-quate soil uses and wrong agri-cultural practices.

QualityAll the rivers crossing towns,industrial and agricultural areasare usually polluted, althoughwastewater is treated in somecases.Pollution is also caused by soilerosion, by the sedimentstransported and/or depositedduring the rainy season in thevarious water bodies. Thisleads to accelerated eutrophi-cation in lakes, lagoons andrivers and prevents the use oftheir water for drinking watersupply purpose. Sediments arealso clogging the reservoir ofthe “5 November” hydropo-wer station and also starting toclog that of the CerronGrande station.Aquifers are polluted by coffeeproduction, landfills, fertilizersin agriculture, domesticwastewater and acid rains.Natural pollution by iron andexcessive arsenic and boroncontents in hot springs and inthe Llopango lake should alsobe mentioned.Sanitation in urban areas iscovered at 86,4% by sewersystems and latrines and in rural areas at 49,6% (latrines),but only 2% of wastewater istreated.Carlos Alberto Aguilar MolinaDepartment of Natural Heritage Ministry of the Environment andNatural Resources [email protected]

INBO 10 17/01/2002 14:57


TWINNING:FRANCE - ROMANIANATIONAL COMPANY “APELE ROMANE” (WATER DIRECTORATE OF SOMES-TISA) - LOIRE-BRITTANY WATER AGENCY INBO, of which the Loire-Brittany Water Agencyand the National Company“Apele Romane” arefounder members, and theGlobal Water Partnership(GWP) initiated an “Asso-ciated Program” for watermanagement at the riverbasin level. This program fol-lows the Declaration of Intenton the formulation of twiningagreements between Basin Or-ganizations, signed in theHague on 20 March 2000 du-ring the World Water Forum.BackgroundWithin the process of acces-sion to the European Union,Romania is committed totranspose and implement theEuropean Directives relativeto water management. Thisimplies gradual changes in theRomanian legal and regulatorytexts to comply with themwith the prospect of imple-menting the Framework Di-rective 60/2000.In addition, the country has al-ready committed itself todeeply reform the manage-ment of its water resources bylaunching a voluntary policy ofdecentralization and involve-ment of water users and elec-

ted representatives in the deci-sion-making process, thanks tothe creation of Basin Com-mittees.In such a context, it wasdeemed necessary to sign atwinning agreement with aFrench Water Agency.Project identificationThe agreement was signed bythe National Company “ApeleRomane”, represented by itsDirector General, Mr. CosticaSofronie and the Somes TisaWater Manager, Mr. Ioan Ro-su, on one hand, and the Loire-Brittany Water Agency, repre-sented by its Director General,Mr. Jean-Louis Beseme, on theother.The topics to be dealt with bythe specialists and representa-tives of both organizations arethe following:● initiation of information

and education programs,● formulation of a Water Ma-

nagement Plan for theSomes river basin in com-pliance with the EU Frame-work Directive,

● organization and operationof the Somes River BasinCommittee,

● improvement of the inte-grated water monitoringsystem,

● presentation of the WaterManagement Plan approachand assistance with its im-plementation,

● exchange of experiencesrelated to the managementof hydrological crises,

● collection and treatment ofdomestic wastewaters,

● control of the pollutioncaused by industrial andagricultural sources,

● use of the “polluter-pays”and “user-pays” principles,

● methods for financial simu-lation,

● economic analysis.Both organizations are respon-sible for implementing thistwinning agreement accordingto their respective contribu-tion possibilities.

This agreement will include inparticular:➨ exchanges of information

and documentation,➨ access to the website of

each organization,➨ the possible organization of

information meetings, ofworkshops or conferences,

➨ exchanges between stake-holders in water manage-ment of each basin (such aselected representatives,users, technicians, civil ser-vants, young people, etc.).

Loire-Brittany Water AgencyAvenue de Buffon - B.P. 633945063 Orléans cedex 2 - FranceFax : 02 38 51 74 74

www.eau-loire-bretagne.fr

Apele Romane9, Edgar Quinet StreetBucharest - RomaniaFax : 40 1 31 22 17 4

www.rowater.ro

APELE ROMÂNE S.A.

EUROPE

APELE ROMÂNE S.A. Next CEENBO General Assembly

will take place in Sinaïa (Romania)

from 1 to 2 February2002

INBO 10 17/01/2002 14:57


The Guadalquivir Hydro-graphic Confederation,like the other basin organi-zations which cover a largepart of the Iberian Peninsula,was entrusted, among other things, with themanagement of state wa-ter resources by the Spa-nish water act.Its mandate started in 1926and the 75th birthday of itscreation will be held next year.Its territory covers theGuadalquivir, Guadalete andBarbate rivers which outflowinto the Atlantic Ocean.The surface area of the basin is63,822 km2. 941 towns are lo-cated in the basin: Seville, Cor-doba, Granada, Jaen, Cadiz andJerez among others. Its popula-tion exceeds five million inha-bitants. 52 dams are exploited in thebasin.These dams supply all the bigtowns and the irrigated areascover 600,000 ha.The Hydrological Plan wasapproved by the Basin Wa-ter Council in April 1995and afterwards by theSpanish Government in1998. The Water Council ismade up of representativesfrom central and autonomouslocal governments, from users,farmers, drinking water supplyutilities and industry.The Hydrological Plan dealswith integrated management ofsurface and ground water. Itpromotes irrigation users’ as-sociations for the farmers ha-ving collective intakes, and other users’ associations.

Any request made to the Hy-drographic Confederation, re-lating to the use of water, isfirstly examined by the “Plan-ning Bureau”, which decideswhether this request is com-patible or not with the provi-sions and uses stipulated in theapproved Plan. When this re-quest is compatible, the con-cession process continues withthe “Water Commissary” upto the final decision of the“Presidency”. When compati-bility is not ensured, the re-quester is informed thathis/her request is not possible.The Hydrological Plan esta-blishes priorities of use, whichare usually the following:drinking water supply, ecologi-cal flow of rivers, irrigation, in-dustry, recreational activities,etc.It should be emphasized thatthe “Commission on DamWater Releases”, is the one inwhich the users’ participationis the most significant (95%). Itdecides of the filling up and wa-ter releases in dam-reservoirsfor water supply purposes.Over the last few years, theHydrographic Confederationhas limited, with the users’ co-operation, water allocationsfor irrigation, even in periodsof abundant water resources,in order to promote watersavings for future irriga-tion campaigns. Consumption has reduced from7,000 m3 to 4,500 m3/ha/year. Itshould be reminded that poten-tial evapotranspiration exceeds1,000 mm/year in the southernpart of Spain.

It should also be mentionedthat the “Water Quality Unit”,which has its own laboratories,is one of the most active of theConfederation.The basin has a Hydrologi-cal Information System(SAIH) which transmits, in re-al time, the impact of rainfall bymeasuring its intensity, run-offinto the river beds, to regulatethe water flow and level of thereservoirs. Its efficiency hasbeen proven over the last sixyears on three occasions ofheavy rainfalls. Another network, which con-cerns water quality (ICA), isparallel to this system. It trans-

mits, also in real time, the mostsignificant parameters of waterquality in rivers and reservoirs.Manuel Vizcaino AlcalaGuadalquivir HydrographicConfederation.Fax: 95 [email protected]

www.chguadalquivir.es

EUROPEAN UNION

THE EUROPEAN WATERFRAMEWORK DIRECTIVEThe Directive “establishing aframework for communityaction in the field of waterpolicy” came into force at theend of 2000. This text is ofprime importance for watermanagement. Its objective isto strengthen the consistencyof the European policy in thisfield: it provides a set of regu-lations which were previouslyscattered and only sectoral.Some points are emergingfrom this text:● Need for river basin

management, balancedbetween all the users andrespectful of the aquaticecosystems.

● Priority is given to en-vironmental protec-tion: the member Statesmust implement monito-ring programs to achievegood status of all kinds ofwater (surface water,groundwater and coastalwater) within fifteenyears. Six to twelve-yeardelays may be possibleunder some circum-stances. In addition, somewater masses, which we-re heavily modified, maybe subject to less strin-gent obligations.

● The prevention of fur-ther deterioration andimprovement of the quali-ty of “priority” ecosys-tems in all their aspects,and suppression in thelong-term (twenty yearsor more) of the dischargeof priority dangerous sub-stances.

● Prime importance isgiven to economic ins-truments and pricing:the principles of recoveryof the water managementand decontaminationcosts from the waterusers and from those whodeteriorate water, andthe “polluter-pays” prin-ciple.

● Involvement of the ge-neral public in mana-gement: the public mustbe informed and consul-ted in each river basin dis-trict.

● Strengthening of thegroundwater protec-tion policy (a draft di-rective is expected regar-ding this issue).

SPAINGUADALQUIVIR HYDROGRAPHICCONFEDERATION

Next INBO Liaison Bureau

will take place in Seville(Spain) on 25 and 26

February 2002

INBO 10 17/01/2002 14:57

24

Scientists considered thatthe Seine River wasnearly dead at the begin-

ning of the sixties. As a matterof fact, out of the 32 endemicspecies of fishes, hardly 3 ofthem could occasionally bespotted in Paris during thisperiod.In this context, the creation ofthe French Water Agencies bythe 1964 water lawmarked the beginning ofthe recovery of the waterecosystems.Starting in 1968, the Seine-Normandy Water Agency’sfirst tasks were to:● Implement at the scale of

the basin, involving all wa-ter stakeholders, sustai-nable and integrated waterresource management,

● Ensure water supply secu-rity,

● Protect the natural herita-ge,

● Reduce repeated accidentalpollution,

● Improve the efficiency ofthe water works.

The Agency’s financial re-sources come from the en-forcement of the “consumer-pays” principle, for quantitativemanagement, and of the “pol-luter-pays” principle, for quali-tative management. They arebudgeted through five-yearprograms, proposed by theBasin Committee (“WaterParliament”) which gathers allstakeholders, and approved bythe Board of Directors, whosechairman is the Prefect of theIle de France region.From the 1992 Water Actcame a new tool for more ap-propriate water planning: themaster plan called “SDAGE”. Itwill be reinforced by smallerplans (SAGEs), drawn by Lo-cal Water Commissions, ateach sub-basin level. At the same period, the sixWater Agencies joined theirwater databases to those ofthe National Water DataNetwork (RNDE) and de-veloped Quality Assess-ment Systems (SEQs).The Seine-Normandy WaterAgency still operates its ownmonitoring network and de-veloped from 1995 a yearly re-porting instrument, based on

performance indicators (Mana-gement chart for assessing theSDAGE orientations). This re-porting system aims at assess-ing and improving the effec-tiveness of the environmental,economic, social and adminis-trative actions undertaken inimplementing the master plan.It includes 45 indicators of va-rious natures, correspondingto the specific targets of theSDAGE, and gathered along 5indices linked to its respectivechapters. The report has beenproduced every year since1997.

ResultsFrom 1991 to 2001, the VIth

and VIIth programs investedsome Euro 5.6 billions sup-porting some Euro 10 billionwaterworks in the basin.More than 500 new wastewa-ter treatment plants were thusbuilt, increasing the previousmunicipal treatment efficiencyby about 20% for organic pol-lution control, and by morethan 50% for nitrogen andphosphorus. The treatment ofindustrial discharges has in-creased by more than 30%.As a result, reports show acontinuous improvement ofthe quality of rivers - particu-larly inside Paris, where theSeine hosts today more than24 endemic species of fishes -and bathing waters, except onnitrogen, which, for more thantwo thirds, comes from far-ming practices.On the other hand, groundwa-ter shows an overall increaseof its nutrients and pesticidescontents. Obviously farmerswere the missing taxpayerswhen it comes to pollution.Moreover, intense drainage

had ruined 50% of the basinwetlands, which play a key rolein nutrients removal.Another major source of pol-lution comes from uncon-trolled stromwater runningdown urban areas. Recentstudies concluded that the sus-pended solid load of annualrain waters of Paris alone, isequivalent to the load of all themunicipal discharges of the en-tire basin.From 1997, the agency startedbuying or restoring wetlands.In 2001, a permanent “wetlandand river unit” was created.The agency also entered intoeducation and job creation.Within the basin, some 900weekly water-classes are nowsupported every year, and2,000 new jobs for young peo-ple will have been created bythe end of 2001.Technical assistance to emer-ging basin organizations is alsoconsidered by the agency and asmall fund has allowed to sup-port 77 micro-water projectsin 28 developing countries.

ProspectiveThe Agency will address with astrong optimism those newenvironmental challenges de-fined from the above men-tioned experiences.It will benefit from the legal im-provements brought by thedraft water bill adopted by theCouncil of Ministers and of thenew European Water Frame-work Directive.

FRANCESEINE-NORMANDY WATER AGENCY36 YEARS TO RECOVER AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS

THESEINE-NORMANDY

BASINMain basin characteristics● 97,000 km2

● 17 million inhabitants● 60% live in the agglome-

ration of Paris● 8,715 municipalities● 37 million tourists/year● 60% of the national car

industry● 79% of the national

sugar production

Main challengesEnvironment:To improve the:● abatement of non-point

agricultural pollution● treatment of domestic

nitrogen and phospho-rus

● urban stormwater pol-lution control

● wetlands and reedbedsrestoration

● assessment of environ-mental performances

Economy● economic water ac-

counts (including dama-ge valuation)

● prospective scenariosfor 2015

● cost-effective analysis ofprograms

GovernanceTo reinforce the:● legitimacy of decision-

making● public’s participation● equity● solidarity


INBO 10 17/01/2002 14:57


The new law should also rein-force legitimacy of decision-making, public participation,and promote more equitablewater pricing and more effi-cient solidarity.The VIIth program of theAgency, which will startfrom 2002, has alreadybeen prepared along withthese ambitious targets,and with the guidance of a per-manent research program(PIREN/Seine), and of the“SDAGE” indicator system.It notably foresees a majorproject of stormwater pollu-tion control for the agglomera-tion of Paris which should alsoremove some 75% of the do-mestic nitrogen and phospho-rus presently discharged intothe Seine by the agglomeration(8.8 million population-equiva-lent). This program is there-fore expected to launch a newera for the recovery of thebasin aquatic ecosystem.The fresh new UN WorldWater Assessment Pro-gram will use the Seine-Normandy Basin as one ofits case studies.The Water Agency is there-fore expecting from these pro-grams improvement in itswork accuracy and hopes toimprove its efficiency, for boththe public and the natural envi-ronment in a way that leads tosustainable development.Olivier BOMMELAERSeine-Normandy Water AgencyFax : 33 (0) 1 41 20 16 [email protected]

www.eau-seine-normandie.fr

FRANCE - POLANDTWINNING:SEINE-NORMANDY AGENCY / GLIWICE RZGW

On 11 July 2001,the Seine-Nor-mandy WaterAgency hosted alarge Polish dele-gation from theMinistry of the En-

vironment, the National Wa-ter Authority and from the 7Water Agencies (RZGWs).Mr. Tomasz WALCZYKIE-WICZ, President of the Interna-tional Network of Basin Organi-zations, accompanied this dele-gation.This visit was part of the studytour organized under the aus-pices of the European Com-mission, within the pre-acces-

sion twinning agreement withthe French Ministry of Region-al Planning and the Environ-ment, financed out of the com-munity budget (PHARE) forthe Polish water sector.The key topic of this studytour was the implementa-tion in Poland of the newEuropean Water Frame-work Directive. Following this study tour, theSeine Normandy Water Agen-cy and the Gliwice RZGW(Silesia basin) signed on 9 Au-gust 2001 a twinning agree-ment, whose purpose is a co-operation program with hightechnical contents focusing on

the solving of the constraintsrelative to the implementationof the framework directive inthe two basins.This agreement is in line withthe Associated Program on in-ter-basin twinning agreementsinitiated by the InternationalNetwork of Basin Organiza-tions and supported by theGlobal Water Partnership(GWP).

THE WATER ACADEMYSTRATEGY FOR TRANSBOUNDARY WATER MANAGEMENTThe Paris Conference on Sus-tainable Development ofMarch 1998 had emphasizedthe need for joint manage-ment of transboundary riversand aquifers.In 1997, the Water Academyhad started an in-depth analy-sis of five transboundary riverbasins (the Rhine, Lake Gene-va, the rivers of the IberianPeninsula, the Oder andSenegal). It had also reviewedthe 145 existing internationalbasins to extract the rulesand principles used in orderto draw up “Advisory Guide-lines” for the creation and

operation of an InternationalBasin Commission. Theywere presented to the INBOGeneral Assembly of Bahia in1998.Owing to the interest shownby INBO General Assemblyand by the second WorldWater Forum, the WaterAcademy started, in 2000,about ten monographs of in-ternational river basins: theDanube, the Nile, Lake Chad,the Zambeze, the AmericanGreat Lakes and the Saint-Lawrence, the Rio Grande,the Parana, the Tigris and Eu-phrates, the Aral Sea, the

Ganges, the Mekong, toge-ther with an updating of thefive former studies. It is now planned to introducethe INBO Assembly of Que-bec (May 2002) to a signifi-cantly improved version ofthe “Advisory Guidelines” ad-dressing the countries whichwish to create an Inter-StateCommission for their sharedwaters.At the same time, the Acade-my will start reviewing theAfrican and North African ri-ver basins within the “AfricaFocus”. Its purpose is to carryout studies of these basins to

have them participate in theUnited Nations “World Wa-ter Assessment Program” incollaboration with the ArabWorld Institute and theUNCHS center of Nairobi.

François ValironWater AcademyFax: 33 (0) 1 41 20 16 09

INBO 10 17/01/2002 14:57


The international confer-ence, organized by theWater Agency, with theassistance of the Rhone-Alps Region, gatheredmore than 400 people onthe Rhone Riverside from6 to 8 June 2001.What are the inputs of scienti-fic knowledge in the manage-ment of large rivers? Whatquestions do the managers ofthese large rivers ask thescientific world? These impor-tant issues were the heart ofthe matter of the various pa-pers and debates: the purposeof this meeting was indeed toenable the scientists and deci-sion-makers’ viewpoints to bediscussed in order to formu-late and enrich the actionstrategies for the sustainablemanagement of large rivers.As Lyons was the host town,the Rhone was particularlydealt with, but other large “sis-ter” European rivers were alsoconcerned: the Rhine, theDanube, the Pô, the Ebro, etc.They illustrated the differenttopical approaches which con-stituted the core of thesethree days: ■ “High flows and uses of the

river space”, ■ “Shared management of

the resource”, ■ “Uses of the river and phy-

sical rehabilitation of theenvironment”,

■ “Activities in the river basinand water quality”.

Some key ideas sprung from itand it was possible to imaginesome significant changes in theway to comprehend our large(and small) river systems in thefuture:● significance of know-

ledge: of the need toknow and understand, fo-resee and efficiently act;

● the integration of hu-man sciences is to bereinforced: looking backon “history” is essential aswell as the use of a sociolo-gical approach which willhelp establish dialogue andconcertation with the ri-verside inhabitants, espe-cially regarding flood mana-gement;

● communication bet-ween scientists, deci-sion-makers and mana-gers is to be improvedin order to enable the ex-pression of needs andknowledge to be “adap-ted”, to facilitate consisten-cy between sectoral poli-cies, etc.

The fact, satisfactory indeed,that some “revolutionary”ideas of yesterday, such as thespatial concept of freedom ofwater courses, are now inte-grated into operational ma-nagement, should be empha-sized.The Framework Directive,adopted last September at theEuropean level, which aims toachieve, within fifteen years, ageneral objective of good sta-tus of the different kinds ofaquatic environments in theEuropean territory, undoub-tedly constitutes a challengeand an opportunity to pro-gress.The conference proceedingswill be available on CD-ROMor accessible on the WaterAgency website.

Rhone-Mediterranean CorsicaWater Agency2-4, allée de Lodtz 69363 LYON Cedex 07Tél.: 04 72 71 26 00 Fax: 04 72 71 26 03

www.eaurmc.fr

On 22 March 2001, during the8th World Water Day, theMinister in charge of Coopera-tion and the French SpeakingWorld, Mr. Charles Josselin,presented a new French stra-tegy for cooperation in the wa-ter sector.France, which allocates eachyear 1.2 billion French francs -intended for water - to OfficialAid to Development, hasthree main objectives inmind:➊ the continuation of the

financial efforts under-taken,

➋ better consistency bet-ween the different minis-tries involved in water ma-nagement, thanks to thecreation of an inter-minis-try water unit, in charge ofdesigning, coordinating andevaluating French actions inthe water sector,

➌ strengthening public-private-partnership todefine a common strategy,which takes account of thedrinking water supplyneeds of large towns or ofthe development of largerivers.

A huge communication cam-paign was undertaken to raisethe population’s awareness onwater issues. It included:◆ a kit, entitled “sharing

water”, which contained aCD-ROM in French, Ger-man, English, Arabic andSpanish and a leaflet pre-senting the worldwide wa-ter challenges;

◆ a collection of 42 docu-mentary films, entitled“water, life and the en-vironment”;

◆ a water exhibition, pro-posing a summary of know-ledge about this resourceand its related stakes;

◆ a technical document, enti-tled “water and health”,addressing any operator in-tervening in the supply ofdrinking water to the popu-lations of developing coun-tries.

François PENGUILLY Ministry for Foreign Affairs franç[email protected]: +33 1 53 69 33 35

www.france-diplomatie.fr

FRENCH COOPERATION AN INTER-MINISTRY STRATEGY IN THE WATER SECTOR

RHONE-MEDITERRANEAN-CORSICA WATER AGENCYINTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON “RIVERS IN 2001”

FRANCE

Switzerland

Italy

Spain

Mediterranean Sea

INBO 10 17/01/2002 14:58


Final resolutionsRepresentatives of organiza-tions and administrations incharge of water managementin their country and of basinorganizations (established orbeing set up in Central andEastern European countrieswith the support of interestedbi- and multilateral coopera-tion agencies) gathered inWarsaw on 22 and 23 June2001, within the framework ofthe International Network ofBasin Organizations (INBO).The delegates emphasized theneed for the creation of aCentral and Eastern Euro-pean Network of Basin Or-ganizations (CEENBO).The delegates discussed, wi-thin their limits of responsibili-ty, CEENBO draft statutes.The delegates thanked the Po-lish Government, the GWPand the GWP-Poland as well asthe INBO President, TomaszWalczykiewicz, for their warmwelcome and the perfect orga-nization of their Constitutivemeeting.The delegates gratefully re-ceived the invitation from theRomanian Authorities to hostthe Ist General Assembly ofCEENBO on 1 and 2 February2002 before the Vth GeneralAssembly of INBO in Quebec.

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE“CEENBO” CONSTITUTIVE MEETING OF THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN

NETWORK OF BASIN ORGANIZATIONS - WARSAW, 22 AND 23 JUNE 2001

DECLARATION OF WARSAWThe delegates declared thatthey already apply or intendto apply the following com-mon principles:● the implementation,

on the scale of large ri-ver basins, of an inte-grated water resourcemanagement, whichaims at preventing naturaland dangerous hazardsand disasters and also atrationally and equitablymeeting the various uses,to achieve sustainableeconomic developmentand to protect and resto-re the aquatic environ-ment;

● the creation of finan-cing systems for watermanagement (based onthe “user-polluter-pays”principle and the “publicinterest” concept) formultiyear development,equipment and protectionprograms;

● the setting up of part-nerships to associate na-tional Authorities, andpossibly competent inter-national institutions, withlocal authorities, waterusers and concerned non-governmental organiza-

tions in the planning andmanagement of river basinorganizations;

● the developing of infor-mation capacities ofthese partners’ represen-tatives to enable them tofully assume the responsi-bilities and missions assi-gned to them within theframework of the basinpolicy.

They agreed, within the limitsof their mandate, to adhere toINBO, to pursue INBO ob-jectives and to participate inits joint projects and, in addi-tion, to keep the Networkregularly informed of their ac-tivities in order to develop awider cooperation among itsmembers.Furthermore, through thisparticipation, they agreed topromote the benefits of inte-grated river basin manage-ment, thus contributing to thedevelopment of this approachin the Central and Eastern Eu-rope (especially for imple-menting the Water Frame-work Directive of the Euro-pean Union).In accordance with the INBOstatutes approved during theZakopane General Assembly(Poland, October 2000), andin particular with article 11 ofthe statutes, the delegatesemphasized the need for thecreation of a Central andEastern European Network ofBasin Organizations (CEEN-BO).

They wished that such an ini-tiative be developed in the re-gion in cooperation with theregional GWP CEETAC.Especially, the representativesdeclared, that CEENBO willbe:● created in conformity with

INBO objectives and sta-tutes,

● consistent with INBO ge-neral program, approvedin 2000 (especially to im-plement the INBO/GWPAssociated Program in theregion).

● implemented in partner-ship with the INBO mem-bers of other geographicregions.

The representatives empo-wered INBO President,Tomask Walczykiewicz, aswell as the GWP CEETACand the GWP-Poland, to pre-pare CEENBO draft statutesand to organize, with the IN-BO and GWP support, thefirst General Assembly ofCEENBO before the next IN-BO General Assembly.The delegates requested theINBO President and the Per-manent Technical Secretariatto ensure the widest possibledissemination of this “Decla-ration of Warsaw”.

The next General Assembly of CEENBOwill take place in Sinaïa

(Romania) on 1 and 2 Feb. 2002

Contact:[email protected]

INBO 10 17/01/2002 14:58


HUNGARYEUROPEAN FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVEHungary and the Netherlandshave a long relationship in thefield of water management.Both countries are indeeddominated by large interna-tional rivers, such as theDanube and Tisza in CentralEurope, or the Rhine andMeuse in Western Europe.One of the topics of this co-operation is integrated watermanagement with special re-gard to basin planning.The Dutch Government hasprovided assistance to Hun-gary, within the framework ofthe MATRA program, with re-gard to the project: “Imple-mentation of the EU WaterFramework Directive in Hun-gary”.The project started in April2001 and will be completed bythe end of 2002. It will be im-plemented in cooperation withthe Hungarian Ministry ofTransport and Water Manage-ment, the National Water Au-thority, the Ministry of the En-vironment, the interested localwater and environmental orga-nizations in the North Trans-danubian Region of Hungaryand the Budapest University ofTechnology and Economics.Technical assistance will beprovided by the consulting firmDHV which has an office in Bu-dapest, the Netherlands Insti-tute for Inland Water Manage-ment (RIZA) and the WaterBoard Uitwaterende Sluizenfrom the Dutch side.The project will lead to the fol-lowing results:➊ Definition of “river basin

units” in Hungary accor-ding to the requirements of

the Directive, and identifi-cation and remediation ofshortcomings in Hungarianlegislation and the organi-zation of institutional struc-tures, which hamper thesmooth implementation ofthe directive;

➋ A methodology for develo-ping a monitoring and as-sessment strategy;

➌ Improved knowledge of EUlegislation in general and itsimplementation by the ins-titutions dealing with inte-grated river basin manage-ment, including public par-ticipation;

➍ A management plan for theAltal-er river catchmentarea which can be used asan example on a wider sca-le in the whole country.

THE ALTAL-ER CATCHMENT AREAThe length of the Altal-er riveris 53 km. Its average flowabout 500 l/s. It starts south ofOroszlany and discharges intothe Danube at Dunaalmas. Thetotal catchment area is 521km2. The area was one of themost industrialized areas ofHungary with brown coal mi-ning and power production aswell as heavy industry (alu-minum and steel production)in the upper catchment areaand fish farming and agriculturein the lower catchment area.Most of the mining activitiesand heavy industry have ceasedsince the 1990s.The deep karstic groundwateris a major source of drinkingwater for most of the popula-tion. With the abandonedmines being filled up with wa-ter again, the future waterquality of these water wells re-

mains uncertain.The past miningactivities (browncoal mining) af-fected conside-rably the ground-water table in thecatchment area.Most wells havedried up down-stream, but it isobserved that thegroundwater isagain steadily ri-sing after closureof all of the mines.Many lakes existin the Altal-er ri-ver basin. Most ofthem have beenartificially cons-tructed in the past

30 years for water use by thepower plants (cooling water).The Tata Lake is much olderand has considerable impor-tance (the lake is a designatedRAMSAR site and a medievalroyal hunting lodge is situatedin the center of the lake. Thelake is used for swimming andfishing).The largest city is Tatabanya(about 70,000 inhab.) followedby Tata and Oroszlany (about20,000 inhab. each). In total,about 130,000 people live inthe catchment area.In June 2001, a series of work-shops gathering the stakehol-ders concerned were orga-nized in Budapest and Tata toprovide the best possible inputfor the project.In particular, the project aimsto develop a basin plan for theAltal-er region near the oldcity of Tata. The Tata Lake iscurrently heavily polluted andfaces some serious ecologicalthreats. The pilot plan will bemade through the Open Plan-ning Process in which the pu-blic will be asked to partici-pate. The water users andNGOs will be involved in thediscussions. This processshould lead to an increased ac-ceptance of the proposed mea-sures and to methods for theirimplementation.Kalman. PappNational Water Authority– OVFFax: 36-1 [email protected]

HUNGARY AND ROMANIA“TRANSBOUNDARY POLLUTION”Recent accidental pollution oc-currences, that affected atransboundary river betweenRomania and Hungary, haveemphasized the need tostrengthen cooperation be-tween the two countries as re-gards all river basin manage-ment aspects.The project, financed by theEuropean Commission and theFrench Ministries for ForeignAffairs and the Environment,consists in exchanging expe-riences between France, Ro-mania and Hungary. It dealswith the Crisuri river, forwhich an experimental Basin

Committee was created in1999 for the Romanian part,within the PHARE-Partnershipprogram.Its objective is to formulate ajoint work program for thebodies of both countries incharge of water managementat the level of this pilot riverbasin. This program mainlydeals with the following:■ Reinforcement of the

warning systems for ac-cidental pollution andthe improvement of poli-cies for the preventionagainst industrial pollution;

■ Study of the existing toolsfor integrated water re-source management andprocedures for the formu-lation of a managementplan for the transboun-dary pilot basin, withinthe implementation of theEuropean Framework Di-rective;

■ Organization of dataexchanges and standardi-zation of analytical me-thods;

■ Information of execu-tives of local authoritieson their role in the basinmanagement;

■ Access of the generalpublic to the informa-tion.

This international project in-cludes French experts’ assign-ments and different tripartitemeetings in the three coun-tries, in order to assess the sit-uation and exchange expe-riences.Beyond this first stage, an in-ternational project has beenplanned, based on the terms ofreferences under preparation.

INBO 10 17/01/2002 14:58


POLANDTHE PILOT NAREW RIVER BASIN

Regrouped in a consortium,BCEOM - project leader,VERSeau and IOWater havebeen executing for a year nowa project financed by theEuropean Commission(TACIS). This project aimsto provide the bases forthe institutional reformsrequired to implement in-tegrated water resourcemanagement, directly inspired from the Euro-pean models. Its test area isthe Volga, and more particular-ly its tributary the Oka (sub-basin on which the supply andeffluents of Moscow depend).The setting-up of a planningunit and of a dialogue structurefor this sub-basin is now immi-nent.The creation of an informationsystem for the Basin WaterManagement Units (BVUs) hasbeen particularly studied du-ring this project.The tasks of the Russian“BVUs” are changing. This or-

ganization is becoming, amongother things, the executiveagency which will have to pro-duce the information to facili-tate decision-making by newriver basin Councils.The “BVU” Planning Entity de-partment will particularly be incharge of organizing the infor-mation system for integratedwater management at the basinlevel.In order to organize the pro-duction of useful information,the “BVU” will have to com-bine, on the one hand, infor-mation related to the pressureon water resources with, onthe other hand, informationrelated to the status of waterresources.Thus, in a first step, the “BVU”information system will haveto deal with the following maindata:● Water bodies and hydrau-

lic installation characteris-tics

● Surface water (quantity /quality) and meteorologicaldata

● Groundwater (quantity /quality) data

● Water users’ and waterpolluters’ characteristics

● Abstractions, uses and discharges in the river basin

In Russia, like in most countriesof the world, the collection andmanagement of this informationis scattered through various or-ganizations, which themselvesdepend on various state bodies(federal executive bodies in thecase of Russia), each one havingits own procedures for data col-lection and management.Within the framework of theTACIS project, the support tothe development of the “BVU”information system began witha “Data flow institutional anal-ysis”. It aimed to study the ex-isting information flows andthe possibilities of their useand up-grading with the pur-

pose of providing the “BVU”Planning Entity with a guaran-teed access to the necessaryinformation.At first, the existing situation(the legislative, institutionaland organizational environ-ment) was analyzed .In the light of the data flowschemes produced, it wasshowed that the “BVUs” havepresently no access to a lot ofdata that they will need forcorrectly fulfilling their waterplanning tasks.The study report thus con-cluded with recommendationsto enable the necessary ex-change of information betweeninstitutions and with proposalsfor the drawing up of decreesneeded to strengthen the“BVUs” capacities.Margarita ChevchenkoMinistry of Natural ResourcesFax: 7 095 230 86 60

RUSSIATHE VOLGA - A PILOT BASIN

This pilot Narew river basin,the longest Vistula tributary,whose spring is located in Be-larus, covers a surface area ofabout 27,000 km2 in the Polishterritory which ends at theconfluence with its main tribu-tary (the Bug river) at theUkrainian border.An action plan included the fol-lowing steps (carried out wi-thin the “pre-accession twin-ning” with France): ➧ The nomination of the

Polish team in charge ofthe project: under the su-pervision of the Ministry ofthe Environment, the War-saw RZGW was entrustedwith the management ofthis experiment, especiallyits Deputy Manager, Mr. Ju-rek Zielinski, with a teamof 5 part-time specialists;

➧ The creation of variouscommissions for dia-logue and decision-ma-king, especially the “Na-rew Commission”, com-posed of 45 representa-tives coming (in equal num-ber) from local authorities,users and the administra-tion, an Arbitration Com-mission, composed of 5 re-presentatives of the NarewCommission, and a Techni-

cal Steering Committee atthe national level;

➧ The writing of an inven-tory document, outli-ning the challenges andpriority problems atthe level of the pilot ba-sin: this study was submit-ted to the Technical Stee-ring Committee for valida-tion,

➧ The organization of 3“Narew Commission”meetings. The inventoryof the basin was then pre-sented and a debate tookplace on the challenges,priority problems and themethods of consulting thegeneral public. The Arbitra-tion Commission thenwrote the documents, for-mulated and defined thepriority issues to be stu-died;

➧ The formulation of amonitoring program:Due to the time cons-traints, the proposal onlydealt with one of the prio-rity issues: the limiting ofdischarges in areas with significant groundwaterpollution;

➧ Cost estimate of theproposed measures andfinancial mechanisms

USE OF WATER IN THE REGA RIVER BASINThe Rega river basin coversthe northern coastal areas onthe Baltic sea (2,860 km2).According to the new WaterLaw, the Regional WaterManagement Board of Szczecinis under the obligation to ela-borate regulations includingconditions for the use of waterin this river basin.This document enables thelimitation of water uses andprovides guidelines for the in-vestments required.It has to take into account thewater resource balance, theenvironmental protection re-quirements from voidvoidshipsand regions, provisions of spa-

tial management plans, hydro-geological documents, bindingwater permits and the physico-spatial and economic charac-teristics of the basin.It is a formal document of law.Once approved by the localadministration, and after con-sultation with local parlia-ments, it is confirmed by theMinistry of the Environment bymeans of a decree.It will also include a water re-source assessment relying onthe creation of necessarydatabases.Andrzej KreftSzczecin Regional WaterManagement [email protected]

to be considered for in-vestments: its conclu-sions were submitted tothe 2nd Narew Commissionmeeting at the end of June2001;

➧ Training activities werecarried out. They were in-tended for elected repre-sentatives from the localauthorities and technicalexecutives in charge of sa-nitation utilities in the pilotbasin. Their organizationwas entrusted to theGdansk Water Foundation,which has now 5 years of

experience in training onwater professions in Poland.

The objective of this experi-ment was to test the methodsand processes needed for for-mulating the future river basinmanagement plans in compli-ance with the EuropeanFramework Directive.The French Adour-GaronneWater Agency provided a pre-cious support in the implemen-tation of this experiment byparticipating in the meetingwork and discussions and inthe result analysis.

INBO 10 17/01/2002 14:58


KOSOVOESTABLISHING AN INTEGRATED WATER POLICY

THE MEDITERRANEANJORDANA REGULATION SYSTEM FOR THE KING ABDULLAH CANALThe Jordan Valley Authority,under the Ministry of Waterand Irrigation, has recentlycompleted the installation of adynamic regulation system tomanage and control the opera-tion of the 110 km long KingAbdullah Canal (KAC).The canal is the backbone ofthe water conveyance and dis-tribution system in the JordanValley. It is fed mainly by theYarmouk and Zarqa Rivers andother small wadis, and used tosupply water for irrigation anddomestic purposes.The dynamic regulation systemperforms the following threeassociated actions at 28 out ofthe 38 check gates of KAC: an-ticipation (feed forward), cor-rection (feedback) and coordi-

nation (cumulative carry for-ward). Accordingly, the dis-charge at each check gate andat each regulation time step iscalculated.The system predicts the vo-lume which will be stored inKAC at the end of the day, theflow for each outlet and inletfor the next hour and the tar-get volume for each reach ofthe canal. These forecasts areupdated every 15 minutes.The operator at the controlcenter is able to display, foreach reach, the curve of thetarget volume, the curve of themeasured volume and the up-stream discharge evolution.

The dynamic regulation sys-tematically checks that the ad-justments are made properly.If an error is observed, a signalis activated and a message is is-sued on printer together withan audible alarm displayed onthe supervisor’s screen. Thesupervisor can over-ride thesystem and adjust the checkgates remotely. The checkgates can also be locally con-trolled by the KAC operators.Youssef HassanJordan Valley AuthorityFax: 962 6 5689 [email protected]

The Department of Agricul-ture, Forestry and Rural De-velopment (DAFRD) of Koso-vo has prepared, in liaison withthe other Departments con-cerned: Local Administrations,Environmental Protection,Health, Reconstruction andPublic Utilities, Trade and In-dustry, an analysis of a con-certed and integrated watermanagement policy in Kosovo.The bilateral and multilateraldonors were also involved inthe preparation of this docu-ment.The Interdepartmental Grouphas identified the problems anddrawn up a proposal for thesetting-up of suited institu-tions.A two-day workshop, entitled“Use of water resourcesand development of a wa-ter strategy in Kosovo”,took place in Pristina on 30and 31 August 2001. It dealtwith five significant topics (da-ta, demand and availability,quality and environmental pro-tection, institutional aspects,laws and regulations). It al-lowed the definition of orien-tations and recommendationsto support and clarify the cur-rent trends and face priorityneeds.The conclusions included, inparticular, the implemen-ting of an institutionalframework providing forthe creation of a “WaterResources Department”at central level and twobasin organizations.The intermediate level betweenthe central and local levels (localauthorities, associations andfarmers, etc) will have to be par-ticularly taken care of. The following points will be es-pecially reviewed:● Role and tasks of a basin

organization,● Its integration into the ove-

rall institutional frameworkof Kosovo,

● Its organization: represen-tatives and participation ofmunicipalities, of the diffe-rent groups of users, of theadministrations,

● Processes used to imple-ment a management plan,in accordance with theEuropean Water Frame-work Directive; possiblespecific provisions for sub-basins will be studied,

● Methods for financing andoperation.

France, in liaison with theDAFRD, the Interdepartmen-tal Group and Finland whichwill analyze the institutionalframework, will make tangibleproposals for the organizationand structure of two basin or-ganizations adapted to theKosovar context.A system for managing da-ta and information on thewater sector is also to berebuilt.Efficient decision-making inwater resource managementrequires available access to rel-evant and reliable informationto meet the decision-makers’needs.In the case of Kosovo, either atthe level of provinces or riverbasins, the information needed(description of monitoring net-works, data on the quantitativeand qualitative status of avail-able resources, characteristics

of the “polluters/users”, oftheir water discharges and ab-stractions, etc.), is dispersed,non homogeneous and sometimes lacking.It is thus necessary to studythe opportunities for establi-shing a suited organizationaland technical framework toproduce and disseminate theinformation expected by deci-sion-makers and users.The French expertise will dealwith the identification of:➨ legislative texts related to

water data management;➨ the main institutions

concerned in the currentsystem and in the plannedinstitutional frameworkand the analysis of theirtasks in water data manage-ment;

➨ the main data producersand managers of water in-formation systems;

As well as the analysis of:■ the main data flows bet-

ween operators;■ the main results expected

from the water informationsystems to be developed;

■ priority equipment.The French experts’ reflectionon these priority topics will becarried out in close collabora-tion with the Kosovar Autho-rities, the UNMIK (United Na-tions Mission in Kosovo) andwith the teams of the Euro-pean Reconstruction Agencyand of the World Bank.

Ian McAllister AndersonPr. Ruzhdi PllanaDepartment of Agriculture,Forestry and Rural DevelopmentFax: 381 38 504 [email protected]

INBO 10 17/01/2002 14:58


ALGIERS-HODNA-SOUMMAMDuring the three years sincethe creation of the BasinAgency, activity focusedmainly on:■ An inventory of the three

large basins, which are: Al-giers region, the Hodna andthe Soummam

■ Assessment of pollution inthe basins and their envi-ronmental status, the pro-tection of water resourcesin particular.

■ The gathering of data onresources and pollution.

■ The creation of a water da-tabase.

■ The continuation of thetraining programs, initiatedby the Algerian-French co-operation. These programswill spread over the 2001-2003 period.

Due to the current impossibi-lity of adequately managing wa-ter, which is an acute problemfacing almost all Algeriantowns, the Government deci-ded to create, by decree, twonew public organizations, es-sential for implementing thenew policy started in 1994.

They are the “Algériennedes Eaux” (Algerian Wa-ter Company) and the Na-tional Sanitation Board.These organizations will haveto cope with problems to pro-tect surface and ground waterresources and to start a pro-cess for wastewater reuse, es-pecially in the industry andagriculture.These two establishments willrely on five regional agencieswhich correspond to the limitsof the River Basin Agencies.In addition, the Ministry incharge of the Environment in-vited the Basin Agency to takepart in discussions on the sta-tus and future of the environ-ment at national and local le-vels. These debates started on8 May and will end on 31 De-cember 2001. They associatelocal authorities, associations,the university, schools, deve-lopment agencies and the eco-nomic and social partners.Mekki ABROUKAlgiers-Hodna-Soumann BasinAgencyFax: 213 2 68 75 17 / 28 71 [email protected]

Population : 461 municipalities9.922.558 inhab

Surface area : 47.000 km2

Surface water resources : 4300 hm3

Groundwater resources : 475 hm3

Bore holes : 1284 Exploited dam-reservoirs : 10 i.e. 424,7 hm3

Dams under construction : 4 i.e. 581 hm3

Dams under study : 12

CHELIFF-ZAHREZ ASSISTANCE TO LOCAL AUTHORITIESThe new water policy adoptedby Algeria implies that the clas-sical approach of administra-tive management per sector ofwater use, which has no rela-tion with the natural hydrolo-gical cycle, is replaced by inte-grated management at the le-vel of the natural hydrogeolo-gical units to ensure, on oneside, the rational and planneduse of this scarce property ofthe national community and,on the other side, its protec-tion against pollution, wastageand overexploitaiton.Five River Basin Agencieswere created in 1996 toimplement this policy andto put the principle of inte-grated management intouse. They are regionaltools for the planning,management and protec-tion of water resourcesand rely on 5 Basin Com-mittees, participation andconcertation bodies.The Cheliff-Zahrez BasinAgency is mobilizing its meansand competences and focusesits efforts to apply this new ap-proach and, beyond this, is try-ing to create a dynamics in aplanned framework in whichconverge the actions of the dif-ferent people intervening andpartners in the water sector. Its field of action involves 254townships in 12 provinces on asurface area of 56,227 km2, (i.e.22% of Northern Algeria).In the framework of its statu-tory tasks and of the nationalwater resource plan, the agen-cy has focused its activities ontwo main areas:➊ Preparation of the hydrau-

lic cadastre,➋ Participation in the monito-

ring of water resource pol-lution.

Preparation of the hydraulic cadastreThe hydraulic cadastre springsfrom the inventory of the basindata relative to water re-sources, their use and to exis-ting hydraulic installations. Inorder to build a database, theagency has designed a compu-terized tool for processing thecollected statistics and carto-graphic data.Knowledge of the resourcestatus is a prerequisite to plan-ning.

Monitoring of water resource pollutionIn order to fight against pollu-tion of water resources and topreserve their quality, theAgency has undertaken twostudies:● The first study, carried out

with the NEE department,dealt with the protection ofthe Cheliff wadi against ur-ban and industrial pollutionon the Harbil wadi-Sly wadisection.Analysis campaigns wereundertaken on the tributa-ries and dam-reservoirs ofthis region together with asampling program at thedischarge points of the pol-luting industries. The re-sults have shown a high de-gree of pollution of theCheliff wadi.

● The second study, concer-ning the mapping of aquifervulnerability in the sub-ba-sins of the Cheliff, the coas-tal sub-basin, the Sersouand the Mina plain, is car-ried out in partnership withthe HYDROG office.

The first part is now complet-ed and dealt with the aquifersof the middle and lower Che-liff, of the western Sersou andof the Mina Plain. It used theDRASTIC method.The Agency has preparedsome web pages, now availableon its intranet server:(213) 027 77 18 65 User name: abh Password: czMohammed DeramchiABH – Cheliff zahrezFax : (213) 027 79 06 [email protected]

ALGERIARIVER BASIN AGENCIES:

Geographic location of the five Algerian Basin Agencies

INBO 10 17/01/2002 14:58

Secretariat:

21, rue de Madrid75008 PARIS - FRANCE

Tel.: +33 1 44 90 88 60Fax: +33 1 40 08 01 45E Mail: [email protected]

N° ISSN: 1265-4027

Publishing DirectorC. RUNEL

EditorA. BERNARD

Editorial AssistantG. SINE

ProductionF. RANSONNETTE

PrintingChastanet Imprimeur - LIMOGES

The “Network Newsletter”is published with the support

of the French Water Agencies,the Ministry of Regional Planning

and the Environment and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs

INTE

RNATIONAL NETW

ORK

OF

BASIN ORGANIZATIO

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On the Web:http://www.iowater.org/inbo/

EURO-MEDITERRANEAN WATER INFORMATION SYSTEM

SEMIDEE M W I SA NEW ACTION PLAN FOR 2002-2005The European Commission’srepresentative and the Gene-ral Managers for Water ortheir representatives from Al-geria, Austria, Cyprus, Egypt,Germany, France, Israel, Italy,Jordan, Lebanon, Luxembourg,Malta, Morocco, the Nether-lands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden,Tunisia, Turkey and the Pales-tinian Authority participated inthe meeting of the Euro-Mediterranean Informa-tion System on the Know-how in the Water Sector -EMWIS- in Madrid on 12and 13 November 2001.They especially emphasizedthat water had been consi-dered a priority in the declara-tion adopted in Barcelona inNovember 1995 and was con-firmed as being one of the sixpriority topics of the econo-mic cooperation in the Euro-Mediterranean region duringthe conference gathering theMinisters for Foreign Affairs inStuttgart in April 1999.Owing to the declarations ofthe Ministerial Conferences of

Marseilles (November 1996)and Turin (October 1999)which emphasized the impor-tance of EMWIS as a strategictool for exchanging informa-tion in support of the PriorityAction Plan for water, and ac-count taken of EMWIS mid-progress report on its firstphase (planned for 1999 -2002) and of the viability studyin the medium and long terms,the participants agreed to thefollowing:➊ EMWIS progress report af-

ter two years (1999-2001)is highly positive and showsthat this tool meets a realneed and a strong demandof all partners in complian-ce with the decisions madeduring the ministerialconferences of Marseilles(1996) and Turin (1999).The Managers reaffirmedthe sustainability of EMWISwhich should have themeans necessary to conti-nue its action in the long-term.

➋ Approval of a new four-year program for 2002-2005 to continue the firstphase. It would include thefollowing terms:

➨ Continuing the operatio-nal implementation andthe strengthening of theNational Focal Pointsand of the TechnicalUnit and the develop-ment of the followingnew activities:

● Strengthening of the NFPsby way of technical supportand assistance with the fin-ding of additional financialresources,

● Directing and operatingthe information systems tomaintain and improve theservices offered by EMWISaccording to the presentevents and technologicaladvances,

● Extension of new servicesbased on the users’ expec-tations and on an analysisof their interests,

● Development of means forpromoting the system,

● Development of topical ac-tivities which will lead tothe organization of eventsand electronic forums ba-sed on syntheses.

● Dissemination of specificinformation on the MEDA-Water program of theEuropean Union to act as areference and dialogue sys-tem addressing the stake-holders concerned of theEuro-Mediterranean part-nership,

● Continuing having contactswith the other internatio-nal initiatives, espacially with INBO, in order to co-ordinate activities and thedevelopment of joint ac-tions;

➨ Defining the conditionsfor financing this four-year program 2002-2005,presently estimated atabout 5,200 MEuro, tocontinue the current ar-rangements and structu-re:

■ The activities of EMWIS-TU, especially regarding re-gional coordination, sup-port and technical assis-tance to the NFPs,

■ Assistance to the Euro-Mediterranean countrieswith the activities of theirNational Focal Points.

➌ The General Managers ortheir representatives pro-posed to renew EMWISsteering bodies for a new4-year period, startingfrom July 2002:

◆ The following countries:Algeria, Cyprus, France,Italy, Jordan, Malta,Morocco, Spain and thePalestinian Authority willcompose the SteeringCommittee. Spain will fulfilthe task of chairmanshipand Cyprus the vice-chair-manship.

◆ Morocco will be Chairmanof the Coordination Com-mittee and Malta the vice-chairman.

www.emwis.org

The network newsletter

INBO 10 17/01/2002 14:58

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