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This project is funded by

the European Union

A project implemented by

GFA Consulting Group GmbH / Oieau / BRL

The European Union’s Cards Programme for Kosovo

Institutional Support to the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning (MESP) and River Basin Authorities

CRIS N° 2008/162-152

Final Report

Reporting Period: 20.01.2008 - 28.02.2010

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Your contact personswith GFA Consulting Group are:

Conrad HOYOS (Project Director)

KOSOVË/KOSOVO

Institutional Support to the Ministry ofEnvironment and Spatial Planning (MESP) and

River Basin Authorities

CRIS N° 2008/162-152

Final Report

Author: François BAUDRY, Wilfried HUNDERTMARK

Reporting Period: 20.01.2008 - 28.02.2010

DisclaimerThe content of this publication is the sole responsibility of François BAUDRY

GFA Consulting Group / Oieau / BRLi and can in no way be takento reflect the views of the European Union

AddressGFA Consulting Group GmbH

Eulenkrugstraße 8222359 Hamburg

Germany

Telephone: 0049-40-60306-175Telefax: 0049-40-60306-179E-Mail: [email protected]

REPORT COVER PAGE

Project Title: Institutional Support to the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning (MESP) and River Basin Authorities

Project Number: CRIS: 2008/162/152

Country: KOSOVO/KOSOVË/KOSOVE

Beneficiary EC ConsultantName: Ministry of Environment GFA Consulting Group GmbH /

and Spatial Planning (MESP) / Oieau / BRLi

Address: Rr.”Bill Clinton” Eulenkrugstr 8210 000 Prishtina D 22359 HamburgKOSOVO/KOSOVË/KOSOVE Germany

Tel. number: +381 (38) 211 804 +49 (40) 603 06 175+381 (38) 225 286

Fax number: +49 (40) 603 06 179

E-mail: [email protected] [email protected]

Contact person: Nasser BAJRAKTARI Conrad Graf HOYOSHead of Water Unit GFA Project Director

Signatures: _____________________ ______________________

Date of report: 28.02.2010Reporting period: 20 January 2008 - 28 February 2010Author of report: François BAUDRY, Wilfried HUNDERTMARK

EC M & E team ____________________ ___________________ _____________[Name] [Signature] [Date]

EC Delegation ____________________ ___________________ _____________[Name] [Signature] [Date]

ECLO ____________________ ___________________ _____________[Task manager] [Name] [Signature] [Date]

Institutional support to the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning (MESP) and River Basin AuthoritiesAn EU funded project managed by the European Commission Liaison Office (ECLO)

Final Report

Table of contents

List of Abbreviations

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1

PROJECT SYNOPSIS 6

1 BACKGROUND 8

1.1 Government/sector policy 8

1.2 Features of the sector 81.2.1 Legislation- institutional setting 81.2.2 General status and key issues of water resources in the Drini

River basin 91.2.3 Flood risks 11

1.3 Beneficiaries and parties involved 11

1.4 Cross-Cutting Issues to be mainstreamed 12

1.5 Other interventions 12

1.6 Documentation available 13

2 INTERVENTION 14

2.1 Overall Objective 14

2.2 Project purposes 14

2.3 Results and achievements 162.3.1 Result 1: Water Information System (WIS) 162.3.2 Result 2: Monitoring network programme 192.3.3 Result 3 - Modelling with WEAP for river basin planning 272.3.4 Result 4a - Flood risk planning 312.3.5 Result 4b: Water Supply and Sanitation Investment Plan. 342.3.6 Result 5: Legislation and institution: support to River Basin

District Authorities (RBDAs) 352.3.7 Result 6 Training & capacity-building 37

2.4 Activities 382.4.1 Project strategy 382.4.2 Main elements of the Pilot Project approach 392.4.3 The Project’s visibility activities 412.4.4 Activities for mainstreaming of cross-cutting issues 42

3 ASSUMPTIONS 43

3.1 Assumptions at different level 43

3.2 Risks and flexibility 43


Final Report

4 IMPLEMENTATION 45

4.1 Physical and non physical means 45

4.2 Organisation and implementation procedures 464.2.1 General relationships between parties and Steering

Committee 464.2.2 Meetings and training sessions 464.2.3 Timetable 46

4.3 Costs and financing plan 48

4.4 Special conditions/accompanying measures taken by the government 48

4.5 Transfer process and availability of products 494.5.1 Technical reports and training material 494.5.2 Water Information System (electronic files) 494.5.3 Visibility materials 494.5.4 Information events for municipalities 504.5.5 Administrative instruction for water permit issuing 51

5 FACTORS ENSURING SUSTAINABILITY 52

5.1 Appropriate technology 52

5.2 Effective mainstreaming cross-cutting Issues (CCI) 53

5.3 Institutional and management capacity (public and private) 53

5.4 Policy support 55

6 MONITORING AND EVALUATION 58

6.1 Definition of indicators (including indicators for CCI) 58

6.2 Reviews/evaluation 58

7 CONCLUSIONS AND PROPOSALS 59

7.1 Effort required for implementation of Water European Directives 59

7.2 Support to institutional change 59

7.3 Stakeholders involvement 59

7.4 Reconstruction of system and capacity building 60

7.5 Prospects and proposals 61


Final Report

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Contribution to general objectives and risks 14

Table 2: General assessment of the contribution to project objectives 17

Table 3: Achievements towards Result 2 objectives on monitoring, and first steps in implementing the WFD 20

Table 4: Summary information on irrigable area and actual irrigated area in the Drini I Bardhe river basin given by sub-basin 30

Table 5: Project contribution to objectives for the WEAP modelling aimed at River Basin planning 30

Table 6: Daily maximum flow rate for a ten-year return period 32

Table 7: Project contribution to objectives for flood risk planning 34

Table 8: Project contribution regarding Water Supply and Sanitation Investment Plan 35

Table 9: Project contribution regarding Legislation-Institution 37

Table 10: Project contribution regarding training aspects 38

Table 11: Evaluation of the Status of water bodies 40

Table 12: Steps for modelling River Basin and Flood Risk Management 41

Table 13: Comments on Project assumptions 43

Table 14: Expenses on incidental budget 48

Table 15: Summary information on informative municipality events 50

Table 16: Support for continuation of activities (groundwater) 62

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Project support of data flow from the field to the public domain 15

Figure 2 Visualisation of the phased monitoring concept in Kosovo, Drini Basin 19

Figure 3: Global water balance of the Drini I Bardhe River Basin 28

Figure 4: Procedural steps for WFD programme of surveillance 39

Figure 5: Project implementation and training schedule 47

Figure 6: Activity schedule for flood risk assessment studies 63


Final Report

LIST OF GRAPHS

Graph 1: Status of quality element macro-invertebrates in biological monitoring stations in Lumbardhi Peja (WFD compatible index) 21

Graph 2: Status of quality element Macro-invertebrates in biological monitoring stations in Lumbardhi Prizren (WFD compatible index) 23

LIST OF MAPS

Map 1: Land use in the Lumbardhi Peja river basin 22

Map 2: Location of biological monitoring station River Lumbardhi Peja 22

Map 3: Land use in the Lumbardhi Prizrenit River Basin 24

Map 4: Location of biological monitoring stations River Lumbardhi Prizrenit 24

Map 5: Inferred Groundwater Flow in the Northern part of Drini River Basin (July - August 2009) 26

Map 6: Distribution of Biological Oxygen Demand in Groundwater Data (July - August 2009 from alluvial groundwater body No 2) 26

Map 7: Hot spots for flood risk in Drini i Bardhe River Basin 32

Map 8: Flood risk maps – town of Skenderaj (October 2009 – BRL) 33


Final Report

List of Annexes

VOLUME 1: - ANNEXES in Main Text Annex 1 Logical framework Annex 4 Resources utilisation report 1 and 2 Annex 7 Result performance reportAnnex 8 Detailed list of achievements compared to ToR and Inception

Report requirementsAppendix 1: Dynamic plan for groundwater and flood risk assessmentAppendix 2: Administrative instruction on process, content, form and

conditions of issuing water permitsAppendix 3: Report on a river basin management study tour to Germany

and FranceAppendix 4: PowerPoint Presentation - Final Project Steering Committee

Meeting Appendix 5: Minutes of Meeting of Final Steering Committee Meeting

VOLUME 2: ANNEXES - ManualsAnnex 10 Manual on basic ground water data acquisition Annex 11 Manual on hydrology Annex 12 Manual on flood risk mappingAnnex 13 User manual on WEAP modelAnnex 14 User Manual on data catalogueAnnex 15 User manual on permit issuing databaseAnnex 16 User manual on water analyses databaseAnnex 17 User Manual on web portalAnnex 18 User manual on project web site

VOLUME 3: - ANNEXES - Technical Reports Annex 19 Drini River Basin Characteristics - HydrologyAnnex 20 Drini River Basin Characteristics - HydrogeologyAnnex 21 Drini River Basin Characteristics - BiologyAnnex 22 Technical Report on Water Information SystemAnnex 23 Technical Report on GroundwaterAnnex 24 Technical Report on Drini River Basin hydrological studyAnnex 25 Technical Report on WEAP modellingAnnex 26 Indicative Water Management Plan for Decani-Radoniqi water

systemAnnex 27 Flood risk report on the flooding zone of SkenderajAnnex 28 Indicative Flood risk management Plan for Drini River Basin


Final Report

L I S T O F A B B R E V I A T I O N S

BAT Best Available TechnologyCIS Common Implementation StrategyDTM Digital Terrain ModelEAR European Agency for ReconstructionECLO European Commission Liaison OfficeEU European UnionEU-WFD European Union – Water Framework DirectiveFIDIC Fédération Internationale des Ingénieurs-ConseilsGIS Geographical Information SystemGTOPO30 A global Digital Elevation Model (DEM)GWB Ground Water BodyHMIK Hydro-Meteorological Institute of KosovoICMM Independent Commission for Mines and MineralsJSTE Junior Short-term ExpertKCA KOSOVO Cadastre AgencyKE Key ExpertKEPA KOSOVO Environmental Protection AgencyKTA KOSOVO Trust AgencyKIRP KOSOVO Irrigation Rehabilitation ProjectLTE Long-term ExpertLF Logical FrameworkMEA Multilateral Environmental AgreementsMAFRD Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural DevelopmentMPS Ministry of Public ServicesMESP Ministry of Environment and Spatial PlanningMTI Ministry of Trade and IndustryOCR Optical Character RecognitionODBC Open Database ConnectivityPCU Project Coordination UnitPS Permanent SecretarySCM Steering Committee MeetingQPR Quarterly Progress ReportRBDA River Basins District AuthoritiesSDTS Spatial Data Transfer StandardSSTE Senior International Short-term ExpertTA Technical AssistanceTL Team LeaderToR Terms of ReferenceUWWD Urban Wastewater DirectiveWD Water DepartmentWFD Water Framework DirectiveWWRO Water and Waste Regulatory OfficeWWTP Waste Water Treatment Plant


Final Report

E X E C U T I V E S U M M A R Y

Project scope and environmentThis Project is part of the effort to prepare Kosovo’s administration for the country’s accession to the EU. It addresses the information gaps and the capacity of the administration to implement important Directives in the water sector, the Water Framework Directive and the Flood Risk Directive and to a lesser extent the Urban Wastewater Directive. The Project area is the Drini River Basin, the largest River Basin in Kosovo, which also comprises parts of Albania and Macedonia.

Kosovo is facing very serious environmental issues: almost all municipalities discharge waste waters directly into rivers, the construction boom generates massive extraction of gravel in river beds and the ground waters are contaminated in many places. The resulting health hazard for the population is alarming. There are other consequences such as increased erosion and scarcity of potable water. In order to raise the population’s awareness, a documentary was produced at the end of the project and presented these issues and project activities.

As yet there are no efficient financial or legislative mechanisms providing incentives to reduce the pressure on available water resources. Moreover, information is missing because the monitoring system is still under reconstruction. Environmental pressure groups are not yet strong enough to effectively support resource protection. In addition, poor employment conditions and insufficient budgets in the water administration affect the performance of tasks requiring often specialist skills.

Since the end of the 1999 war, the donor community has been providing support to enhance the institutions’ capacity. Also the European Agency for Reconstruction (EAR) has supported the reconstruction of the hydrological monitoring network and the strengthening of the capacity of the MESP. A task force, including Ministries concerned with water issues, was created at Prime Ministry level and is supported by the Swiss Cooperation Agency.

Since the beginning of the Project, the MESP Permanent Secretary was changed four times, and the Water Director three times. There were also long periods with an Acting Permanent Secretary. These changes had a harmful impact on improvements to the legislative and institutional framework.

Another factor affecting the Project was the change in the EU administration. Initially the Project was managed by EAR. In June 2008, it was handed over to ECLO. During a three-month handover period no experts or incidental budgets for Project activities could be approved. The Project adapted to this situation and, at the request of the Water Department, undertook additional activities as the filling of information gaps by implementing four Pilot Projects that was not foreseen in the ToR.

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The Project’s contribution to the achievement of ResultsResult 1 - Water Information System (WIS)During the Project’s term the information needs for the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and Flood Risk Directive (FRD) were assessed and data gaps documented. To fill the information gaps and test data acquisition protocols, four pilot projects were implemented in specific zones of the 'Drini i Bardhë' River Basin. Biological, hydrogeological and hydrological data were acquired in the summer of 2008 and 2009.

A Water Information System (WIS) tailored to MESP needs was progressively set up. A WIS monitoring group conducted these activities. A major WIS component is a geographical information system (GIS) managed by ArcGIS software. This was used to produce more than 70 water resource and management maps in subject areas such as hydrogeology, land use, monitoring systems, irrigation perimeters and water sources. The WIS also includes databases for water monitoring data, water body characterisation and permit issuing. The data acquired were recorded and captured in the databases using standard forms.

To facilitate water information dissemination, web-based applications were also installed on the Ministry of Public Service’s server. They included a Data Catalogue providing information about data and a Web Portal where files and documents can be accessed through the internet. The Project designed a website www.kosovo-water.eu to present its achievements.

Progress was also achieved in data quality assurance. GIS layers of river basin boundaries were corrected.

Result 2 - Monitoring Network ProgrammeThe Project supported the Water Department with the preparation of strategies for surface and groundwater monitoring including priority parameters. Standard sampling and analytical protocols and software for the evaluation of quality elements (e.g. macro-invertebrates and fish) for surface water body status, according to WFD requirements, were introduced tested and validated.

The Groundwater Pilot Project, implemented near Istok, collected basic data to assess aquifer and groundwater characteristics (e.g. permeability, depth to water level, groundwater elevation, direction of flux and chemical composition).

The staffs of the WD, HMIK and KEPA were trained to use these protocols. Through these pilot projects and other related Project activities the WD staff acquired the necessary knowledge and skills to undertake similar activities in other parts of Kosovo. However, the WD and HMIK do not yet have the capacity to control, validate and correctly analyse data. The role of the different institutions, especially the collection of biological and groundwater data, has still to be clarified.

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Result 3 – Tools for Water Resource Assessment and Planning The Water Evaluation and Planning System (WEAP) was applied to the situation in the Drini River Basin. WEAP is a computer modelling tool for water management. The Project used good quality historical river flow data of the period from 1950 to 1986 as inputs to validate this model for this basin. It was also applied specifically on the Decani-Radoniqi water system. The outputs of the model are graphics and other visual displays, which over a period of time and at various locations provide an assessment of water demand, available resources and the resulting river flow mass balance.

Field information is important to correctly interpret the outputs of the WEAP model and so information was collected on actual perimeters and losses in irrigated canals.

Based on these data, the WEAP model allowed scenarios to be built on available water supplies and the allocation of water. The model water demands included water use for domestic purposes, irrigation, industry and environmental flow (E-flow for fish survival). The analyses of the outputs from different scenarios provide information in order to select options for optimising water allocation. Analyses of various scenarios were used to formulate an Indicative Water Management Plan for the Decan-Radoniqi pilot area.

Result 4 - Flood Risk Management Plan and Wastewater Study TORA pilot project on flood risk management was implemented in the municipality of Skenderaj. This pilot project acquired topographic data in the pilot flooding zone, which was used for the production of flood inundation and flood risk maps. The methodology was aligned to the respective EU flood risk management directive. Furthermore, maps were produced to delineate zones with low, medium and high flood risk.

Based on this information, and other hydraulic data, various measures for flood prevention and protection of people, buildings, infrastructure and natural resources were proposed.

The methodology and the maps were presented to and discussed with Skenderaj Municipality; moreover practical and urgent measures were proposed to reduce the impact of flooding. Based on experience gained in the Pilot Project on Flooding in Skenderaj, criteria for flood risk assessment in other parts of the Drini Basin can be derived and presented to a wider audience.

In addition, the Project prepared the Terms of Reference (ToR) for a comprehensive Water Supply and Wastewater Investment Study in Kosovo. The ToR were discussed during a Donor’s meeting in January 2009.

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Result 5 - Institutional Development of River Basin District AuthoritiesTo comply with the EU Water Framework Directive, Member States must ensure that the appropriate administrative arrangements, including the identification of an appropriate competent authority, are initiated. This is the prerequisite for the application of the Directive’s rules within each River Basin District lying within their territory.

Kosovo has four River Basins in its territory that are part of an international River Basin District. Administrative arrangements are crucial for the enforcement of WFD rules. The Project submitted a document and proposals to the WD and MESP for the development of River Basin Institutions in Kosovo, including an organisational structure, staffing and budget estimates. The development of appropriate River Basin administrative arrangements and the reinforcement of staff working on River Basin entities highly depend on the financial support received from the government.

Result 6 - Training & Capacity-building.

The Project has substantially contributed to capacity building in different technical fields of the Project such as information systems, monitoring, River Basin planning, flood risk mapping, groundwater assessment, data validation and analysis.

Various types of training activities were carried out and included on-the-job training in small groups, training on specific issues (e.g. English training, GIS, and data analysis), study tours, as well as workshops and presentations at the end of each expert’s mission.

The training focused on methodologies, protocols for data acquisition, measurements in the field, recording measurements and data on standard forms, and capturing data in computers. The Project also raised the awareness of MESP staff on data validation procedures. To this end, the Project organised several study tours to EU Member States, including France and Bulgaria, during which best practices in subjects such as hydrology, quality management for laboratory analysis, and River Basin management were shown to groups of five to ten water professionals from Kosovo.

Article 14 of Water Framework Directive requires stakeholder consultation and public participation. Progress was made in this field especially during workshops organised by the Project.

While MESP staff skills have improved, in many fields the staff’s capacity is insufficient to perform complex analytical tasks required for water management or flood risk planning. This is especially the case where sophisticated software is needed for data processing, data control and interpretation of results.

Often these tasks require high-level qualifications and many years of experience to be correctly performed. External support for some of these complex tasks will be needed over the coming years. To attract well

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qualified and skilled specialists it is recommended to improve the conditions of employment in the public sector.

Recommendations for continuationThe different inter-institutional working groups, which were established by the Project, should meet every six months to define and oversee a working plan allocating various tasks to its participants. The topics of these groups were WIS, biological status and monitoring, groundwater, water allocation and water balance.

There is still a need to clarify the responsibilities of the different data producers. Collaborative work should, however, continue taking into account the skills acquired by staff during the Project.

To continue each methodology the Project developed various steps and proposed necessary support for the implementation. Specific attention should be paid to:

Proper maintenance of equipment, computers, archives, web-applications, GIS and databases should be carried out.

Motivated officers who are willing to continue Project activities in collaboration with the University or other partners, should be continuously supported by the MESP hierarchy.

The allocation of a sufficient budget for MESP activities needs to be provided.

The planning of external support in collaboration with other institutions needs to be initiated.

The involvement of stakeholders in the planning of water sector needs to be continued.

The implementation of an ECLO twinning Project to further develop an environmental monitoring system will provide opportunities to continue data acquisition and institutional strengthening. The methods introduced and successfully tested and validated by the Project will be useful for this.

In the long run, all policy-making instruments should be introduced, including:

Economic instruments such as taxes, through the “polluters-pay”-principle, and subsidies for investment.

Reinforcement of education and encouragement to use good practice and environment friendly technologies.

Legal instruments, including permitting, inspections and sanctions against law breakers. The effectiveness of the judiciary system is critical in this regard.

Efficient communication to change people’s behaviour and everyday habits to environmental protection.

Finally, it should be recalled that the mid-term Project Monitoring Mission highlighted the need to enhance the water administration’s capacity to

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attract young, skilled and motivated specialists by improving conditions of employment in the water public sector.

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P R O J E C T S Y N O P S I S

Project Title Institutional Support to the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning (MESP) and River Basin Authorities

Project Number CRIS - 2008/162-152Country KOSOVË/KOSOVO2.1 Overall Objective To contribute to improved environmental conditions of

KOSOVË/KOSOVO and water resources managed in a sustainable manner meeting EU standards.

2.2 Project Purpose / Specific Objectives

The technical, institutional and administrative capacity of the Water Department of the MESP in KOSOVO/KOSOVË is consolidated, and their water resource management functions including planning, policy-making and regulation are strengthened.River Basin District Authorities are established and further developed in a way that they have adopted a participative approach in their policing activities in accordance with “environmental justice”, minorities’ inclusion and gender mainstreaming principles.

2.3 Planned Results(for indicators and activities see annex 1)

Result 1: Information system for integrated water resource management. An integrated water resource data and information management system of the Drini i Bardhe/Beli Drim River Basin has been established, functional and tested, including the collection, quality control, processing and storage of relevant sets of data and information.

Result 2: Monitoring network programme. The needs for a basin-wide water resources monitoring network programme are assessed and Terms of Reference agreed to expand the existing system for both surface and ground-water. The assessment will include a ground-water data acquisition plan and the Terms of Reference for a drilling programme.

Result 3: Modelling toolbox. A modelling toolbox is readily available and used as a practical means for water resource assessment (water balance) and water demand estimation of the Drini i Bardhe/Beli Drim River Basin. The toolbox will be pilot-tested before it is up-scaled to the basin level.

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Result 4: Flood and wastewater management planning. The planning capability of the WD/RBDAs is significantly enhanced through: A) the production of a flood risk map at basin level supported by GIS-based modelling and publicly available historical satellite images. Flood risk hot spots are identified and one chosen for the development of a pilot flood management plan at sub-basin level. B) The Terms of Reference for an Urban Wastewater Master Plan of KOSOVË/KOSOVO are drafted, based on an assessment of key issues, existing plans and strategies. Priority needs on national and basin level will be taken into account and a participatory planning approach proposed.

Result 5: Institutional support to RBDAs. The Water Department will receive assistance with regard to the preparation of the administrative instruction on procedures, content and structure of River Basin District Authorities. Members of the Drini i Bardhe/Beli Drim River Basin Organisation are actively supported in the effective fulfilment of their functions.

Result 6: Training & Capacity-building. Staff of the Water Department and River Basin District Authorities and other Project partners is adequately trained and familiar with their specific job requirements. Key training areas include the legal needs (according to international and EU principles and legislation in force in KOSOVË/KOSOVO), institutional arrangements for water resource planning and administration in KOSOVË/KOSOVO, and the use of participative facilitation, analysis and communication tools.

Beneficiaries/Target Group Water Department MESPLocal stakeholders in the Drini i Bardhe/Beli Drim River Basin, to be organised in the District River Basin Committee;Other relevant stakeholders on the government level, e.g. KEPA.

Counterpart Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning – Water Resources Management Department

Project Timing Project starting date (start of activities): 20.01.2008Project end: 28.02.2010

Duration 25.5 months

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Institutional support to the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning (MESP) and River Basin AuthoritiesAn EU-funded project managed by the European Commission Liaison Office (ECLO)

Final Report

1 B A C K G R O U N D

1 . 1 G o v e r n m e n t / s e c t o r p o l i c y

The Government had approved an environmental strategy in July 2004 and the MESP had prepared a draft five-year action plan. A strategy for water was also drafted with main components and priorities as follows:

1) Legislation improvement and institutional setting;

2) Development of a better access of population to water supply and sanitation;

3) Increased revenue from water services (payment and reduction of losses);

4) Preservation of water resources and improvement of their status;

5) Reduction of potential damage due to flood events;

6) Private sector participation in water services.

Some elements of this strategy have been incorporated into the Project, namely:

1) Legislation improvement and institutional settings;

4) Preservation of water resources;

5) Reduction of potential damage due to flood events.

Many other actions envisaged in this strategy were not financed or implemented; however, it would have been risky to do so at the same time as the Project because of the limited capacity of water institutions.

1 . 2 F e a t u r e s o f t h e s e c t o r

1 . 2 . 1 L e g i s l a t i o n - i n s t i t u t i o n a l s e t t i n g

a) LegislationUNMIK Regulation 2003/9 promulgated the law adopted by the Assembly of Kosovo on Environmental Protection (Law 2002/8), establishing a legal framework for the gradual introduction of EU environmental standards. A Water Law was endorsed in 2004 and was considered as a step towards approximating the EU legislation in the water sector. This Water Law provides important policy provisions for water management. However, few provisions have been implemented. As a result, municipalities have only limited competencies and responsibilities in the management of rivers, lakes and streams. Competent River Basin District Authorities have not yet been established. A draft revision of this Water Law has been circulating since the beginning of 2009. Experts’ comments on these revisions, written in September 2009, highlighted that important parts of the EU water legislation in the water sector still need to be approximated.

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b) Institutions in the water sectorThe responsibilities in the water sector are divided between the following Ministries:

- The Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning (MESP) was created in 2002. It is in charge of water policies, water monitoring and protection.

- The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development (MAFRD) has overlapping responsibilities with MESP on irrigation infrastructure issues.

- The Ministry of Health (MH) is in charge of monitoring and protection of drinking water quality.

The following bodies play also an important role in water sector issues:

- The Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) and publicly owned companies (PoE);

- The Water and Waste Regulatory Office (WWRO);

- The Water Task Force at the Prime Minister’s office, a mechanism for improved sector coordination.

1 . 2 . 2 G e n e r a l s t a t u s a n d k e y i s s u e s o f w a t e r r e s o u r c e s i n t h e D r i n i R i v e r b a s i n

There are four River Basins in Kosovo (Drini I Bardhe, Moraves, Ibrit and Lepencit). The Drini River Basin is the largest one. Drini waters flow into a large reservoir which extends into Albanian territory and this receives the pollution and solid wastes coming from the town of Prizren and villages upstream.

Observations and measurements made in various parts of this basin suggest that, in general, the status of water resources and river ecosystems status is deteriorating, except for water located in remote mountain regions. The main driving factor is the development of activities without any efficient control of their negative impact on water resources. Political issues related to Kosovo’s status, reconstruction, economic development are in the front line. Environment protection is not receiving as much attention.

The following main factors contribute to water resource and ecosystem deterioration in Kosovo:

The wastewaters from almost all the towns and villages either leak into the soil, with a risk of polluting groundwater, or are discharged through badly maintained pipes or canals into rivers. As a result, water bodies are polluted. Water analyses in rivers and wells have shown that organic, nitrogen and phosphorus contents are high. During the summer, the status of water deteriorates as flows reduce.

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Untreated waters are also vectors of dangerous diseases. In many places this creates major drinking water supply problems, especially in villages, but also in towns where groundwater is contaminated and the storage of clean water is located far away. Groundwater knowledge is very poor and so it is difficult to plan the correct use of this resource for drinking purposes.

As a result, groundwater often does not meet EU Directives on water for human consumption. In several instances, it was seen that water was also not fit for watering food crops and vegetables.

The industrial wastewater is not treated and the effluent is also discharged in rivers. Also, there is no monitoring of industrial pollution discharges into rivers.

The Project addressed some of these issues through the elaboration of ToR for the production of a Water Supply and Sanitation Investment Plan for Kosovo.

A significant portion of the available surface water comes from the mountains. This water is required for many competing purposes. It is reported that around 25% of the arable land in Kosovo is under irrigation. The Project observed that there are many water losses in the irrigation system’s canals and pipes.

In summer, almost all of the water coming from mountains is diverted into irrigation canals. This canalised water is used in properties for different purposes. As a result, the flow downstream is only recharged by groundwater or polluted water returning to the river after its use. Hence, the water ecosystem downstream is dramatically impacted by these abstractions and pollution.

The Project’s ToR requested the water demand and water balance be assessed in Drini River Basin. The idea was to develop a tool to assist in decision-making for water allocation and water management in the Drini River Basin, including its water system. To this end, the Project focused its efforts on the Radoniqi Lake water system where there is competition in drought periods between drinking water supply for the town of Gjakova and water for irrigation downstream of the lake.

Many different kinds of large and small solid waste are dumped on the banks of rivers. A large volume of material comes from the remains of houses destroyed during the war. Solid wastes are also disposed of near rivers. These are washed away during flood events. As a result, considerable amounts of solid waste are accumulating in the river system.

Since more than 20 years, the Drini I Bardhe River Basin is subject to severe gravel excavation along both river banks. Gravel is extracted in large quantities from river beds to feed the booming construction sector. This has resulted in significant changes of the morphology of the river. The gravel excavation process involves the separation of mainly medium coursed material from the inert material. In the process, finer particles are washed out leaving behind a disturbed river landscape of mud heaps. Especially during the occurrence of floods, the mainstream is charged with

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High water abstractions

Damage to river banks and river beds – solid waste


Final Report

considerable loads of suspended material, which is consequently deposited further downstream. The totally affected area is estimated to cover some 1,156 ha.

1 . 2 . 3 F l o o d r i s k s

Within the Drini River Basin large alluvial flood plains have been formed, which span several hundred meters at both sides of the rivers. Below the confluence point of the Peja River the topography of the river bed changes and flood plains are much narrower and less extended. This situation continues until about two kilometres below the confluence point of the Decanit River. Beyond that point the riverine landscape opens again into an alluvial flood plain, which is typical for the Drini River. Accordingly, three types of flood occur within the Drini River Basin:

1. Upper tributary floods, which are generated by heavy rainfall in the catchment areas of the tributaries Istok, Peja on the right bank side and the Klina River on left bank side of the Drini;

2. Drini River mainstream floods; and

3. Flash floods from mountainous areas.

The increased need for firewood and timber for construction has led to uncontrolled and illegal felling. Deforestation is likely to affect the hydrological characteristics of the river basin and increases erosion, especially in upland areas. For several years, land use has also been changing rapidly in the plains and hills. Towns are expanding and the transport infrastructure is enlarging. As a result, large surfaces are covered by impermeable structures. Roads crossing flood plains are elevated, which act as obstacles to surface water flow. All these changes increase the risk of flood damages during flood events. Some investments have been done for protecting inhabitants and houses in flooding zones, however, flood risk mapping have highlighted that these investments do not always provide a high level of protection. Moreover, they might increase the risk of damage during flooding events.

1 . 3 B e n e f i c i a r i e s a n d p a r t i e s i n v o l v e d

The main beneficiaries are the following:

- The Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning (MESP): this Ministry, which was established in 2002, was given the responsibility for all water resource management issues;

- The Hydro-Meteorological Institute of Kosovo (HMIK): this institute is in charge of acquiring information and data regarding water resources and meteorology;

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- The Kosovo Environment Agency is in charge of environmental status monitoring and reporting including the creation and maintenance of an environmental information system; KEPA is also involved in the preparation of plans and programmes for environmental protection.

Other partner institutions involved in Project activities, to different degrees, were as follows:

- The services of Municipalities of the Drini River Basin, especially in the area where the Project carried out pilot activities;

- The water supply companies and irrigation companies in Drini River Basin;

- The fish associations, which provided guidance especially for the acquisition of data regarding fish populations;

- Other Ministries in charge of different aspects of the water sector or of the information system, include: the Ministry of Public Service (MPS), which is hosting the web tools that the Project installed; the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), which is responsible for irrigation; and, the Institute of Public Health (IPH), which is responsible for the potability of water, taken from springs, ground and surface water, and which is used for human consumption.

Other institutions involved in the Project were:

- University of Prishtina;- Independent Commission for Mines and Minerals (ICMM);

- Water and Waste Regulatory Office (WWRO).

1 . 4 C r o s s - C u t t i n g I s s u e s t o b e m a i n s t r e a m e d

The Project addressed environmental sustainability in its design and included the participation of minority groups. Serbs and Roma living in the region of Istok and Bosnians from Peja were identified. Their participation in project activities was, however, restricted to informal meetings during the pilot works on groundwater and irrigation system assessment.

1 . 5 O t h e r i n t e r v e n t i o n s

The World Bank carried out a water sector strategy in 2005, components of this strategy resulted in the Project‘s ToR. A study for updating the water sector strategy is planned at the beginning of 2010. The Swedish International Cooperation Agency has also completed a study for programming investments in the water sector.

The Swiss Government agreed to support the activities of a Water Task Force (WTF). The WTF in Kosovo is a committee of Government Ministers chaired by the Prime Minister.

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It is responsible for improving the situation in the water sector through the development of sector policies and action plans, based on good practices, by financing long- and short-term consultants assisting the Kosovo Government in integrating water related issues in its development policies.

The GTZ supported Hidrodrini, a regional company in Peja, which was established in October 2004 by merging municipal water supply utilities. Hidrodrini became an independent legal entity in mid-2007, and in consequence new water rates were established.

The European Agency for Reconstruction supported the establishment of 24 gauging stations of a new hydrological network in Kosovo. Support was also provided by ECLO to increase the law enforcement capacity of the Municipalities in the environmental sector. In addition, a twinning Project is planned to support KEPA in the implementation of monitoring tasks. Besides, few NGOs support water supply or initiatives for environmental protection.

1 . 6 D o c u m e n t a t i o n a v a i l a b l e

The most important documents, which were used extensively by the Project, were the following:

- The Water Resource Master Plan for Kosovo. 1982. (Baza e Hidroekonomisë së KSA-të Kosovës. Atllasi i Hartave. Instituti për hidroekonomi ,,Jaroslav Cerni”, 1983);

- The hydrological reports for the years 1953 to 1986;

- The manual on different aspects of water management, written by Brian Faulkner, including the document on monitoring stations;

- The documentation and the databases prepared by a Project supported by the Swiss Cooperation Office.

At the beginning of 2009, the Project delivered the Data Status Report, in Annex 19 of Quarterly Report Number 3. This provided an assessment of available water information and data gaps that needed to be filled.

A Data Catalogue was installed by the Project during 2008. It describes the characteristics and source of available data. It can be accessed through the web at http://siu.rks-gov.net:8080/katinfo.Important maps and documents produced or updated by the project have also been uploaded in the Project’s website, which is located at www.kosovo-water.eu.

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Data Status Report

Data Catalogue


http://siu.rks-gov.net:8080/katinfo


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2 I N T E R V E N T I O N

2 . 1 O v e r a l l o b j e c t i v e

The overall objective of the Project as per the Logical Framework of the EAR approved Inception Report is as follows:

“To contribute to improved environmental conditions of KOSOVË/KOSOVO and water resources managed in a sustainable manner, meeting EU standards.”

2 . 2 P r o j e c t p u r p o s e s

The Project’s objectives, contribution and comments, related to the Project environment, are shown in Table 1.Table 1: Contribution to general objectives and risks

Purposes Project contribution Comments

The technical, institutional and administrative capacity of the Water Department of the MESP in KOSOVO / KOSOVË are consolidated, and their water resource management functions including planning, policy-making and regulation are strengthened.

All Project activities were designed to contribute to this purpose. The WD and HMIK staff has had many opportunities to increase their capacity. However, several tasks, that are entrusted to these institutions, cannot yet be fulfilled without external support

The head of the WD as well as the MESP changed several times, which hampered the project management, policy-making and sector regulations

River Basin District Authorities are established and further developed in a way that they have adopted a participative approach in their policing activities in accordance with “environmental justice”, minorities’ inclusion and gender mainstreaming principles.

A proposal for a subsidiary act was delivered and discussed. The Permanent Secretary of the MESP indicated in October 2009 that the implementation of the proposal will take time.He stated that for the time being governmental authorities are not willing to increase human and financial resources to create new institutions such as River Basin District Authorities.

It was expected that the position of the WD vis-à-vis the River Basin District Authorities would be clarified and the means of verification was the writing of a subsidiary act of MESP.

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Figure 1: Project support of data flow from the field to the public domain

During the Inception Report a Logical Framework was produced. Several changes were proposed and approved by EAR. Project activities were broken down into six results as follows:

Result 1: Water Information System (WIS): the WIS activities are related to GIS, specific databases for controlling, storing and displaying measurement and process data, web-based applications to share the information between institutions and specific groups of users.

Result 2: Surface and Groundwater Monitoring and water bodies’ status assessment: these activities included setting up routine measurements of new parameters such as macro-invertebrates and groundwater parameters, which were not monitored at the beginning of the Project. It also included proposals for the introduction of a system of classification, protocols for sampling and analyses, procedures for quality management and validation processes. These activities are part of the implementation of the first steps of the WFD, especially its Article 5 and Annexes II and V regarding River Basin characterisations and human pressure on water bodies.

Result 3: Modelling tool box for River Basin Management: once data are available, these are utilised for policy- and decision-making for producing river basin management plan or water development plans, including the estimation of water resources, water demands and a water balance. Computer tools are useful to assist in estimating the water balance but also to figure out what are the best options for water management.

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Monitoring system

Data capture and storage, exchange

Data use for planning, decision Standard

information for public and stakeholders

Laboratory analysis

Insure good quality of data

GIS and data bases Water information system

Indicators, Water quantity & quality assessment

Modelling tools for data analysis and scenario evaluation

Mechanisms and techniques for the formulation of plans and programs

Effectiveness of measures Stakeholders River basin organisations

Result 1 - 2 Result 3 - 4

Result 5 and 6

Program of surveillance according to WFD


Final Report

To be efficient, this process requires the involvement of planners, decision-makers and water users, because the final outcome is a plan for optimising the allocation of available water and concrete measures to implement this plan.

Result 4 a: Preparation of investment for Water Supply and Sanitation: the Project s’ ToR included the production of ToR for Urban Waste Water. It was decided during the course of the Project that this work should be ToR for an Investment Plan for Water Supply and Sanitation.

Result 4 b: Flood Risk management: a Directive on Flood risk was passed by the EU in 2007. During the inception period it was decided to focus Project resources and work on pilot zones to enable the development of practical methodologies, especially the mapping of risks, using modelling tools, and to discuss the results with town planners. On the basis of experience gained, it was planned to produce a Flood Risk Plan of Drini River Basin, which would provide guidance to replicate this methodology in other flood hot spots.

Result 5: Legislation-institution: during the inception period it was proposed that this component be reinforced with legislation and institutional settings to provide a basis for the improved efficiency of MESP actions. The main aspect to be addressed was the establishment of River Basin Authorities as requested by the 2004 Water Law.

Result 6: Training: training activities are dealing with topics regarding the five above-mentioned results. They also include the planning of training activities and the implementation of specific activities such as study tours, participation in conferences and the assessment of the staff’s ‘skill improvement.

2 . 3 R e s u l t s a n d a c h i e v e m e n t s

2 . 3 . 1 R e s u l t 1 : W a t e r I n f o r m a t i o n S y s t e m ( W I S )

As previously mentioned, a major obstacle for defining a water policy, and planning and optimising water investments was the information gap between existing and needed information. Where data existed, the problem was also the assessment of its reliability because there were no routine validation processes being utilised by water institutions in Kosovo.

Project Result 1 included the setting up, design and transfer of Water Information System tools such as GIS and databases, as well as training to a few WD and HMIK specialists, who have skills or an education background in this field.

A Working Group on water monitoring conducted WIS activities. Members of the Working Group included the responsible officers from the WD, HMIK, KEPA and MH in charge of data acquisition or processing.

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The logical steps for the WIS activities were as follows:- Define the objectives of the WIS by taking into consideration the tasks

to be performed and the skill of the users;- Assess in a current status report the gaps between the objectives and

the existing data;- Compile the characteristics of the data sets in a data catalogue;- Set up or reinstall databases and GIS systems;- Design of data entry forms for capturing data;- Train staff on computers tools through their use;- Codification of tables for sharing information;- Provide possible future links between databases and other

information systems;- Transfer the tools and data sets to the beneficiaries.

Work related to Result 1 focused particularly on the assessment of information gaps and the production of GIS products such as maps and metadata. Thus, essential needs for water policy and planning were addressed, especially with regard to provisions of the European Water Directives.New data was acquired by pilot projects through standard procedures. These were captured in tailor-made databases. Historical data was also transferred accordingly. During study tours to French water institutions, participants were sensitised concerning the importance of good quality data processing and availability.To increase ownership of the web-based applications the data catalogue of data sources and the web-portal are hosted in the Ministry of Public Service (MPS) at the following URL’s: http://siu.rks-gov.net:9000/portal, and http://siu.rks-gov.net:8080/katinfo. Unfortunately, there were frequent disruptions of the access to these web addresses.

Table 2: General assessment of the contribution to project objectives

Result 1 Water information system for River Basin Management

Logical framework expected results

Contribution to objective Risks

An integrated water re-source data and informa-tion management system of the Drini i Bardhe/Beli Drim, River Basin has been established, func-tional and tested, includ-ing the collection, quality control, processing and storage of relevant sets of data and information.

Several databases and GIS web-based tools have been established and data sets captured. They were designed to respond to the needs and the existing skills in the beneficiary’s institutions,The beneficiary staff gained experience and improve their skills in the use of GIS and databases.The data validation procedures have been initiated.

Practice of using the WIS components properly might not be sufficient.People who have these skills might find better conditions of employment else-where and may not be motivated enough for the routine use of these tools.

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http://siu.rks-gov.net:8080/katinfo

http://siu.rks-gov.net:9000/portal


Final Report

At the beginning of the Project, objectives were identified to respond to the need for carrying out the following tasks:

- Data acquisition for regular monitoring of surface and groundwater resources according to European Standards;

- Water Framework Directive implementation;

- Flood Risk Directive implementation;

- Permit issuing procedures.

The first step of the WIS construction was to propose a general organisation of the data sets including codification. This is important for data sharing between institutions. Links between databases and GIS tools can be facilitated by agreements on codification and data exchange formats. Knowledge on these aspects was transferred to members of the WIS Working Group.

It was reported by the independent monitoring mission taking place in February 2009 that the databases and computer tools provided by different projects to WD and HMIK are not routinely used after a project ends.

This was confirmed by the Project. The use of advanced computer tools in HMIK and WD is limited. Excel knowledge is not satisfying. The individuals being skilled in GIS and databases have an essential role in promoting the ownership of the databases created.

Daily practice of the tools which are operated by end-users should be better supported by WD and HMIK.

It is concluded that WIS skills, the use of databases and a general understanding of functionalities and concepts of WIS improved during the Project. However, in general, the WD and HMIK staff’s skills are insufficient for data analysis, control and validation of data.

Current conditions of employment for professionals able to use advanced tools and check data are not attractive in the WD and HMIK.

As a result of this analysis and assessment of employee skills, it was decided to avoid the complexity of creating a unique database of all water data. To increase the sustainability and facilitate maintenance and update in the future, the Project designed simple, user-friendly GIS and database tools and provided training tailored to the user’s needs. Further developments are necessary as shown in Annex 22.During the Project’s life-span it was seen that computer security (e.g. firewalls and antivirus software) in the WD, HMIK and the server in the Ministry of Public Service (MPS) was not adequate.

Moreover, backup is not routinely practiced. This results in damage to data sets, which affected the motivation of the staff in charge of these tools and data. The Project has reported on this issue several times, as it hampered the transfer of tools.

A detailed list of achievements compared to ToR and the Inception Report’s requirements is provided in Annex 8.

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2 . 3 . 2 R e s u l t 2 : M o n i t o r i n g n e t w o r k p r o g r a m m e

1. Progressive approach for WFD implementationA strategy for surface water monitoring of the Drini River Basin was proposed, which seeks to enhance the current surface water monitoring programme and laboratory capacity in two phases:

The first step (Phase I, called the sub basin approach) would result a robust description of the state of surface waters using basic physico-chemical parameters and hydrological observation data (water level and flow). At this stage biological monitoring shall be introduced into the monitoring exercise as they are two of the biological quality elements of relevance of the Water Framework Directive (60/2000/EC) (WFD). This is done in order to gain experience with the field works and to train the methodology for a later stage which is reflected in WFD compliant surface water monitoring. Phase II, involved the shift to a more detailed monitoring approach called WFD compliant approach, which would gradually replace the sub basin approach over time as funds, staff and equipment become available. The conceptual approach proposed is visualised in Figure 2.

Figure 2 Visualisation of the phased monitoring concept in Kosovo, Drini Basin

WFD compliant monitoring considers water bodies as the smallest unit subject to monitoring. For the Drini River Basin alone, approximately 55 surface water bodies were identified. In general, all water bodies that have been classified as “at risk of failing to achieve good status” should be

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monitored. In other words, the monitoring effort can be reduced if the number of water bodies is kept relatively small.

In the future, it will be important to coordinate all monitoring activities related to WFD at central level. Regular meetings of experts should be held to ensure consistent implementation of the monitoring. The range of topics results directly from the implementation of the monitoring programmes and can include e.g. applied methodologies, the evaluation of results, overall ecological status assessments, inter-calibration as well as necessary amendments. Working groups should be set up for chemists and for biologists; joint meetings should be held as appropriate.

2. Progressive approach for WFD implementationA working group conducted the activities related to WFD and especially to River Ecology. Two Pilot Projects (PP) were implemented for improving data acquisition in two different priority areas:

- River Ecology (RE) for evaluating the status of water bodies according to WFD requirements was carried out by KEPA, University Biologists and the WFD unit of the WD during summer 2008 in Lumbardhi Peja, and 2009 in Lumbardhi Prizren.

- Characterisation of Groundwater No 2 in the Istok region was carried out by WD and HIMK staff during summer of 2009. 99 wells were visited.

The data were acquired according to the protocol and procedural steps compatible with Article 5 and Annex II and V of the WFD.

These PP activities were not foreseen in the Project’s ToR and were launched due to very few existing data. It was seen as a good opportunity to implement WFD compatible procedures and to train staff on these.

The PPs were very successful and the partners’ motivation and participation in field data acquisition and analyses was generally high. Some knowledge and tools were also transferred. However, significant data control and analyses tasks still need to be carried out through external support (see Annex 23: Technical Report on Groundwater).

Table 3: Achievements towards Result 2 objectives on monitoring, and first steps in implementing the WFD

Result 2 Surface and Groundwater Monitoring and water bodies status assessment

Objectives Contribution to objectives

Comments

The needs for a basin-wide water resources monitoring network programme are assessed,

A strategy for development of WFD monitoring network has been developed.

The continuation of groundwater and biological monitoring require high-level support and coordination between WD, HMIK and external support. All these conditions might not be met at the end of the Project.

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Organisation of surface water monitoring


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and ToR agreed to expand the existing system for both surface and ground-water.The assessment will include a ground-water data acquisition plan and the terms of reference for a drilling programme.

The priority steps for its implementation were tested with pilot projects on ground-water and biology.ToR and documents for drilling monitoring and test boreholes have been prepared.The quality control of laboratory analyses has been improved.

The role of institutions in groundwater and biological monitoring is not clearly defined.The resources for implementing the programme are not secured in the short term.The efforts of the HMIK to improve quality management of the laboratory and hydrological and hydro-chemical analysis have to be closely monitored.

3. Results of Pilot project on River Ecosystem Sampling and analysis of macro-invertebrates protocols have been introduced. The software which was used for WFD inter-calibration exercises was utilised by the Project for calculation of a WFD compatible index. Reference conditions were found in the upper part of Rugova Canyon (they are required for calculating the index with the software). The results of this data processing provided an idea of the status of water bodies on Lumbardhi Peja (5 sites) in 2008 and in Lumbardhi Prizren in 2009 (3 sites) for WFD implementation.

Graph 1: Status of quality element macro-invertebrates in biological monitoring stations in Lumbardhi Peja (WFD compatible index)

Graph 1 clearly shows the impact of human activities. The biodiversity is very high in the stations of Rugova Canyon (Station 1), but the index decreases even in the mountains. The impact of Peja town is visible: it corresponds to a reduction in the index (between Station 2 and 3). The supply of groundwater into surface water induces the index to increase (Station 4 to Station 5) near the confluence with the Drini River.

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Map 1 describes land use in the Lumbardhi Peja River Basin and Map 2 show the location of the biological stations along this river.

Map 1: Land use in the Lumbardhi Peja river basin

Map 2: Location of biological monitoring station River Lumbardhi Peja

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Peja town

Rugova caňon

Irrigated perimeter


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Test of Intercalibration indexes

0

0,2

0,4

0,6

0,8

1

Station 1 Station 2 Station 3

Final Note (East)

Graph 2: Status of quality element Macro-invertebrates in biological monitoring stations in Lumbardhi Prizren (WFD compatible index)

Graph 2 shows that the human impact of villages (station 2) and of Prizren town (station 3) on aquatic life is very bad. This was confirmed by interviews with the fishing association and by electro-fishing.

Few fish are living in these waters. The quality of the water is also a source of concern for public health (cholera and many other water borne diseases may occur).

Map 3 describes land use in the Lumbardhi Prizrenit River Basin and Map 4 shows the location of the biological stations along this river.

Map 3: Land use in the Lumbardhi Prizrenit River Basin

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Result 2: Monitoring network programme


Final Report

Map 4: Location of biological monitoring stations River Lumbardhi Prizrenit

In order to pursue a smooth implementation of the above-mentioned Surface Water Monitoring Programme, Kosovo appears to be eligible for the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange (TAIEX) of the European Commission.

The following topics are suggested for TAIEX support:

1. Analysis of pressures (anthropogenic activities) and impacts

2. Development of river typology and reference conditions

3. Documentation of monitoring results and reporting

4. Sampling of sediments and suspended matter and sample preparations

5. Instrumental analysis of hydrocarbons and organ chlorine compounds in sediments and water samples using gas chromatography

6. Instrumental analysis of heavy metals in sediments and water samples using atomic absorption spectrometry

7. Quality assurance of laboratory assessments

4. Results of the Groundwater Pilot Project The overall knowledge of groundwater body 2 notably increased thanks to measurements made during the summer of 2009 in 99 wells, with the

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Follow-on support needs


Final Report

participation of the WD and HMIK staff. After the training the staff was able to carry out measurements by themselves. The main characteristics of the alluvial aquifer have been estimated thanks to these measurements.

The values were checked, analysed and processed to produce maps, which provided very valuable information. Two examples are given below. These maps are also visible on the Project’s website (www.kosovo-water.eu) - see Annex 23: Technical Report on Groundwater)

Map 5 shows the circulation of groundwater in the Istok region.

Map 5: Inferred Groundwater Flow in the Northern part of Drini River Basin (July - August 2009)

Map 6 shows that many wells near Istok have elevated levels of Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), which implies that the water is polluted by human activities. Further investigation of the sources of pollution would be useful.

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Map 6: Distribution of Biological Oxygen Demand in Groundwater Data (July - August 2009 from alluvial groundwater body No 2)

2 . 3 . 3 R e s u l t 3 - M o d e l l i n g w i t h W E A P f o r R i v e r B a s i n p l a n n i n g

a) Water demand and water balance estimationAround 25% of the human resources of the Project were devoted to this activity. In the Radoniqi water system, water users are competing for water resources. The situation becomes critical after a long period without sufficient precipitation and inflows in the reservoir. When the level of stored water reduces, restrictions might have to be organised to cover priority demand. Management problems to resolve are then:

Which users should have priority?

What are the options for water allocation to the competing users?; and

How to optimise water use and allocate it fairly to users?

To assess how critical the situation is, the water balance in a sub-basin and a river basin can be calculated by estimating water demand and available water resources. Since precipitation and water demand varies from one year to another, any analyses must take into consideration the hydrological characteristics of the river basin.

b) Selection of the WEAP modelling toolModelling software designed for river basin management are useful tools to analyse such situations and estimate the water balance. The Project’s ToR requests that the water demand be estimated with the Water Resources Yield Model (WRYM), which was supposed to be established in MESP

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services. It appeared that MESP was unaware of the existence of a WRYM, and it was not available in the WD.

The modelling tool selected by the Project was the WEAP model developed by the Stockholm Environment Institute's U.S. Centre (http://www.sei-us.org/). It was chosen as it is a very user-friendly model. It can be used free of charge by public institutions. Moreover, its functionality and expected results can be easily explained to stakeholders and water users with its GIS-based interface. It can also be used to build scenarios, identify progressively feasible objectives and develop options for water allocation rules and future investment. WEAP is, therefore, a very useful tool for discussing water shortage risks.

Using the WEAP model, estimates of the water balance and water demand were produced at the Drini River Basin and Radoniqi level for the whole year and for a dry season.

c) Baseline hydrological assessment of historical dataBetween 9 and 28 June, 2008, the Basin Hydrologist (SSE 3-1) carried out an in-depth hydrological data quality assessment. 35 years of both daily and monthly data series, with a variable degree of completion, were considered. Analyses involved standard frequency statistical analysis and mapping.

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http://www.sei-us.org/

http://www.sei-us.org/


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d) Water Balance input data assessmentThe Project has established a methodology for the estimation of a water balance for the Drini I Bardhe River Basin, which is also applicable to the whole Kosovo area. This was done in three inter-related steps:

1. A global water balance of the Drini I Bardhe River Basin was established;

2. Setting out a flow mass-balance taking account of annual mean inflows to and outflows from the tributaries. The latter contribute to the flow measured in Drini I Bardhe’s main river.

3. Estimating a naturalised flow mass-balance taking account of monthly mean inflows to and outflows from the river’s tributaries.

Overall, the annual mean precipitation (P) for the Drini I Bardhe River Basin was estimated to be 934 mm. This is a weighted mean, calculated from twelve stations representing an area of 4,132 km2, which is more than 90% of the total area of the basin. Uncertainty and unavailability of reliable climatic data from the mountainous areas made it impossible to separate precipitation into rain and snow.

Groundwater investigations in Northern Kosovo lead to a groundwater recharge estimate of 149 mm (16% of precipitation; refer to the Hydrogeology Report). River flow along the main tributaries of Drini I Bardhe amounts to 413 mm. It is implied that springs contribute some 46 mm. If we apply component results to the above described water balance equation, actual evapotranspiration is calculated to be 419 mm. Compared to this estimate, potential evapotranspiration ranges between 500 and 650 mm, depending on which formula is used.

Precipi-tation (P)

(mea-sured)

Springs (B)

(partly-mea-sured)

Evapo-transpi-ration (E)

(calcu-lated)

Groundwater

recharge (G)

(mea-sured)

Tribu-tary dis-

charge (Q)

(mea-sured)

Control Vermice (mea-sured)

Balance (resid-

ual)

-200

0

200

400

600

800

1000

Global Water Balance - Drini i Bardhe River Basin

Inflow & outflow water balance components

Depth (mm) as weighted mean of 1952-1986

Figure 3: Global water balance of the Drini I Bardhe River Basin

The development of a mass-balance for the entire territory of Kosovo could be performed by applying the methodology developed by the Project for the Drini River Basin. It would, however, involve a substantial effort from the staff involved in such a task for data acquisition and processing because data and other relevant information are not readily available. Outsourcing

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and external assistance will be needed for the proper use of the WEAP modelling tool in other zones or river basins.

e) Stakeholders involvement for water allocation at sub-basin levelA working group was organised to conduct a Pilot Project on the Decani River-Basin and the Radniqi Lake water system to test the WEAP methodology.

Stakeholders, such as water users and planners were involved in the WEAP model utilisation process. The participants to Project training workshops were representatives of water supply and irrigation companies, municipality services, the WD and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Through several workshops and field visits in the pilot project zone, participants became familiar with the water issues and the methodology developed with the model.

They gained an understanding on how the WEAP model could be used to define reasonable options for water allocation and they took part in discussions about management options resulting from scenario analyses.

Awareness on the need to protect the river ecosystem by securing an Environmental Minimal Flow (E-flows) was raised. All stakeholders appeared agreeable with the E-flow concept, which implies that at each water abstraction / diversion point, a fraction of flow has to be left in the river. Analyses using WEAP modelling unveiled that the introduction of E-flows in combination with ambitious irrigation developments and increased water needs for domestic use may pose significant water supply shortages for irrigation and drinking water.

While the irrigation systems linked to storage enjoy a rather comfortable position, this could not be said about the irrigation systems which are located upstream on the Decan River. Annual variations of river flows would result in a significant water supply risk.

A manual explaining the methodology has been prepared. The idea is to facilitate the replication of methodologies in other areas.

f) Data acquisition for improving the model inputsUncertainty of important inputs in the WEAP model for water allocation in Radoniqi water system had to be reduced. This is why the Project developed methodologies for data acquisition.

In 2008, GIS data on irrigation perimeters were acquired and checked with the collaboration of irrigation companies. This information clearly showed that the area currently serviced by the irrigation companies is only half of what could be irrigated (see Table 4). The exercise also shows that much of the projected area has been subject to land use change.

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Table 4: Summary information on irrigable area and actual irrigated area in the Drini I Bardhe River Basin given by sub-basin

In 2009, measurements were performed to better estimate water losses in canals and pipes in the irrigation schemes (see QR6, Annex 15). These measurements contributed to an improvement in the quality of the inputs and outputs of the WEAP model. Measurements for the calculation of the Environment Minimum Flow (E-flow) with the EstimHab Method were also carried out. However, additional measurements in high-water conditions are necessary for E-flow calculations.

g) General assessment of achievementsThe Project’s achievements and comments for continuation of the WEAP model in the future are provided in Table 5.

Table 5: Project contribution to objectives for the WEAP modelling aimed at River Basin planning

Result 3 Modelling with WEAP for river basin planning

Objectives Contribution Risks

A modelling toolbox is readily available and used as a practical means for water resource assessment (water balance) and water demand estimation of the Drini i Bardhe/Beli Drim River Basin.The toolbox will be pilot-tested before it is up-scaled to the basin level.

The WEAP model was set up to calibrate and generate inputs with old hydrological data. These were used to estimate the water balance and water demand.Data were acquired for an irrigation area, irrigation system losses and for E-flow estimation.A consultation process was set up, which led to the elaboration of a tentative management plan.

One concern is that no hydrological data are validated for recent periods. This will be a handicap for the accuracy of the model in the future.Many assumptions have been made but the model proved useful. External support is still needed for data control and result analysis.

31

Scheme -Sub basin Irrigable (ha) Irrigated (ha)

Lumbardhi i Deçanit 1 962 1 850

Lumbardhi i Lloqanit 714 385

Lumi i Istokut 2 404 540

Lumi Vrellush 892 90

Lumi Lumbardhi i Pejes 7 710 3 500

Drin ii Bardhë 1 893 990

Liqenit i Radoniqit 5 306 4 380

Lumbardhi i Prizerenit 3 734 1 090

Total 24 615 12 825


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h) Water Management Plan for the Decani - Radoniqi water systemAt the request of the Drini River Basin Coordination Unit, the Project prepared the main elements of a management plan for the Decani Radoniqi water system (pilot zone). These were in addition to the outputs required to be delivered under the Project ToR. This plan will be an additional output of the Project that can be used for implementing management measures, especially for fair and rational issuance of permits.

In October 2009, a four-day planning workshop was organised at the premises of the Drin I Bardhe River Basin Coordination Unit, Gjakova. The workshop identified the main components of the Plan. These included goals and objectives for the management of the water system, and proposals for rules and strategies that will ensure that objectives will be met.

2 . 3 . 4 R e s u l t 4 a - F l o o d r i s k p l a n n i n g

A European Flood Risk Directive was promulgated in 2007. For Kosovo’s accession to the European Union, flood risk mapping and planning has to be in line with its requirement and standards

a) General methodologyDuring the Project’s Inception period, it was proposed to concentrate the mapping of flood risks on a small area. This approach provided an opportunity to test the methodology and to produce a sufficiently detailed map of risks in three classes (high, moderate and low), as required by the Flood Risk Directive. Only a detailed map is useful for urban planning.

A second step was regarded as essential, i.e. to describe the experience gained during the risk mapping and the presentation of the results to the town planers. A manual has been produced. It provided details on the methodology. It will be very useful to facilitate the replication of the method in other flooding zones.

The third step was to provide guidance for replication of the methodology and describe the measures for flood risk management in the Drini River Basin in a general Flood Plan.

b) Mapping the risk at Drini Basin levelFlood risk hot spots have been mapped using different indicators, such as historical records and hydro-morphological methods.

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Map 7: Hot spots for flood risk in Drini i Bardhe River Basin

Map 7 shows several flood hot spots identified through a basin-level flood risk assessment of 1 in 10 year return periods.

With a flow rate of 453 m3/s, the Ereniku River shows the highest theoretical maximum of all tributaries in the Drini I Bardhe River. As a result, the town of Gjakova has a high flooding risk.

This flow (79%) is close to the theoretical maximum obtained for the mainstream station at Kapuz, which represents the total accumulated flow of the upper Drini I Bardhe, Istok, Kline, Peja and Mirusha

Table 6: Daily maximum flow rate for a ten-year return period

Station RiverWatershed

surface (km2)Elevation

difference (m)Length of flow

path (km)Q10 log-

Pearson (m3/s)Vermicë Drini i Bardhë 4320 344 113.5 uncertainGjonaj Drini i Bardhë 3904 320 99.9 uncertainKapuz Drini i Bardhë 2050 280 47.7 523.6Gjakovë Ereniku 455 2000 39.9 453Klinë Klina 430.1 1031 70.9 99Orqush Plava 253.4 631 19.5 94.1Grykë Bistrica e Pejës 254.2 1300 28.6 81.3Prizren Bistrica e Prizrenit 167.9 1560 19.4 74.5Mirushë Kpuzaj 332.5 530 37.5 64Drelaj Bistrica e Pejës 166.1 900 17.3 55.3Deçani Bistrica e Deqanit 118.9 1410 21.1 54.4

Table 6 shows the daily maximum flow in the different monitoring station of the Drini i Bardhe River Basin for a period of return of ten years. Hydrological information and the methods used can be found in the hydrological report (See Annex 19: Drini River Basin Characteristics – Hydrology).

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c) Selection of the pilot zoneThe project selected the town of Skenderaj as a pilot zone due to repeated flooding of houses and a school. The damage in the flooding zone had increased after the construction of a road crossing the flooding zone.

d) Detailed map of the risk in the Skenderaj flood zone

Map 8: Flood risk maps – town of Skenderaj (October 2009 – BRL)

It should be noted that for a correct data processing with the model requires long experience, which cannot be transferred in a short time frame. To carry on flood risks mapping in other zones will require specialised external support.

e) Formulate an Indicative Flood Management Plan for the Drini i Bardhe Basin

To formulate an Indicative Flood Risk Management Plan, the Project method was to combine the pilot flood risk assessment at a detailed scale with the general assessment of hydrological flood risks at the basin scale. A general flood risk management plan describes the following measures:

- Non-structural measures including: (i) regulation of human activities in the zone with high and moderate risk to prevent damage, (ii) increase the degree of peoples’ preparedness to prevent and reduce damage to human health, the environment, cultural heritage and economic activities.

- Structural measures including: (i) the maintenance and/or restoration of floodplains, (i) levees and other structure to protect up to a limit the inhabitations and infrastructure in the flooding zone.

34

OASIS model from BRL Ingénierie was used to map the flood risks in the pilot zone.

This model combines various functions: topographic data processing, hydraulic modelling and GIS automatic mapping. Topographic data were acquired through a detail survey.

Legend:

High risk

Moderate risk

Low risk


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Such a plan should be periodically reviewed and, if necessary, updated taking into account the likely impacts of climate change on the occurrence of floods.

f) General assessment of the achievementTable 7: Project contribution to objectives for flood risk planning

Result 4a Flood risk planning

Objectives Contribution Comments

The planning capability of the WD/RBDAs is significantly enhanced through the production of a flood risk map at basin level supported by GIS-based modelling and pub-licly available historical satellite images.Flood risk hot spots are identified and one chosen for the development of a pilot flood management plan at sub-basin level.

The flood risk map pro-duced was discussed and the awareness on the need to produce such map before investing and deciding on urban planning has been raised.The methodology developed has been described in a manual. It can be used in other flooding zones but the sup-port of a flood risk expert is necessary.

There is the risk that urban plan and private owners overlook the flood risks. This might cause avoidable damage one day.The continuation and the application of the method required highly qualified specialist and accurate topographic data. If this support is secure, replication can be achieved in the hot spots identified.

Additional information can be found in the following documents:

- Annex 11 Manual on hydrology

- Annex 12 Manual on flood risk mapping

- Annex 24 Technical Report on Drini River Basin Hydrology

- Annex 27 Flood risk report on the flooding zone of Skenderaj

- Annex 28 Flood risk management Plan for Drini River Basin

2 . 3 . 5 R e s u l t 4 b : W a t e r S u p p l y a n d S a n i t a t i o n I n v e s t m e n t P l a n

It was decided in July 2008 to prepare ToR for a Water Supply and Wastewater (WSS) investment plan. The focus on investment responds to the need of donors in the water sector.

The WSS investment plan has been submitted to ECLO in the QR6. It takes into account the comments collected during the donor meeting in January 2009, especially the possibility of creating a credit facility.

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Table 8: Project contribution regarding Water Supply and Sanitation Investment Plan

Result 4b Term of reference for Water supply and Sanitation Investment plan

Objectives Contribution Comments

The Terms of Reference for an Urban Wastewater Master Plan of KOSOVË/ KOSOVO are drafted, based on an assessment of key issues, existing plans and strategies. Priority needs on national and basin level will be taken into account and a participatory planning approach proposed

The need for a WSS invest-ment plan has been well recognised by donors.The ToR provided objectives and tasks for the develop-ment of the WSS investment plan, including the possibility to use the most suitable technology.Emphasis has been on setting up a facility and a process for project financing.

The coordination of action between donors is difficult as each of them have their own planning instruments.Donors stressed that technology should be carefully selected and take into account maintenance issues.

2 . 3 . 6 R e s u l t 5 : L e g i s l a t i o n a n d i n s t i t u t i o n : s u p p o r t t o R i v e r B a s i n D i s t r i c t A u t h o r i t i e s ( R B D A s )

a) The 2004 water law requirements - links to WFDThe legislation and institution improvement is of particular importance. However, in the ToR the tasks for these activities were not well developed.

In the inception period, this issue was discussed with the WD during a meeting. An institutional study was carried out by Wilfried HUNDERTMARK and the project team proposed additional outputs for Result 5.

The establishment of RBDAs is required by the 2004 law. Water planning institutions on river basin territory facilitate the consultation of stakeholders and municipalities as well as the coordination of efforts. It is helpful for the production of a management plan and the implementation of a programme of measures as per Water Framework Directive.

An administrative unit part of WD, based in Gjakova is organised at Drini River Basin level. The other three Kosovo Sub-River Basins are regrouped in a basin unit. This unit is not staffed.

b) Weak political support to the RBDA establishmentSoon after the Project had commenced in January 2008, discussions were held on high level of MESP concerning the establishment of River Basin District Authorities. It was confirmed that support of two separate River Basin District Authorities had been modest in the past. Doubts had been raised regarding the needs and value-added of such institutions.

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Indeed, it was felt that water issues in Kosovo should be managed within the framework of the existing administration without an additional administration and bureaucracy layer. Another argument was that the establishment of two geographically separated entities might generate additional costs.

c) Project contributions to legal and institutional aspectsThe project submitted a proposal to the MESP in June 2009 and presented two options for the organisation of river basin based units including the human resource required and the role of this institution. These options are as follows:

1. A semi-autonomous authority headed by a CEO and governed by a board of directors from competent institutions;

2. A line agency headed by a Deputy Director and governed by MESP in collaboration with stakeholders from the Drini River district.

A draft subsidiary act has also been produced to provide a legal basis to these units.

In early 2009, a new Director was nominated to lead the Water Department of MESP. One of his priority tasks was to form a ministerial working group for the review of the 2004 Kosovo Water Law. This was in accordance with the Government’s desire to amend the legislation to the new status of Kosovo. The working group began its work rapidly, however, initially without a direct involvement of the Project.

The establishment of river basin administrative units has become very unclear as the 2009 draft water law included a new option for the setting of River basin administrative units.

The MESP regarded the June project proposal as interesting for the future, but no decision to staff has been taken to establish new units.

The project also contributed to legislation improvement by providing guidance in the elaboration of consistent legal texts in the field of water resource management. It was pointed out that an important work was needed to simplify the 2009 draft law in order to facilitate its enforcement.

The Water Law should better approximate the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and be consistent with other laws especially in the field of the environment. Additional more detailed work was carried out by REC in this connection.

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d) General assessment of project contributionTable 9: Project contribution regarding Legislation-Institution


The Water Department will receive assistance with regard to the preparation of the administrative instruction on procedures, content and structure of River Basin District Authorities.Members of the Drini i Bardhe/Beli Drim River Basin Organisation are actively supported in the effective fulfilment of their functions.

Clarification of the human resources needed and proposals regarding the function and development of river basin units.Recommendations for producing better and more consistent legal texts properly approximating EU Water Directives.

Kosovo is a small country. Centralisation trends might prevail. It will require time to develop units able to carry out river basin management functions.

2 . 3 . 7 R e s u l t 6 : T r a i n i n g & c a p a c i t y - b u i l d i n g

Training activities have been reported in the Results 1-5, they included:- Specific training courses in ArcGIS, on WISKI software;- Workshops to present the results of specific activities and discuss

about a particular methodology;- Training on the use of software or computer tools, which was

developed or used by the project: data catalogue, web-portal, WEAP model, water body and monitoring database, GIS-SqL permit database;

- On-the-job training on measurements, quality management procedures, recording, data analyses and processing etc.;

The Project assessed the training needs through questionnaires. A training plan was prepared on the basis of the training need identified.

Two types of Manuals have been produced:

a) Methodological manuals, which describe steps, equipment, methods and procedures for measurements, water body status evaluation, data processing, validation process etc.

b) User manuals for computer tools

Annex 29 provides a list of the manuals produced. The details regarding the training activities and the participants to these activities are given in a table of Annex 8.

Study tour to Nancy: as the quality management of measurements and laboratory analysis is a major issue in Kosovo, a study tour was organised on this topic in March 2009. The HMIK laboratory staff benefited from training in the private laboratory of the Institute Pasteur de Lille located near Nancy. The training focused, in particular, on sampling, traceability and validation methods.

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The quality management process was further developed in the HMIK laboratory in close collaboration with a quality management expert.

Study tour to Nimes: in mid-June, a one-week study tour to Nimes was a good opportunity for the HIMK trainees to learn about hydrological, minimum biologic with EstimHab method and flood risks methods, procedure and tasks. The training was with French public and private services in the use of meteorological and hydrological data.

Study tour to Bulgaria: a study tour on institutional aspects to Bulgaria was carried out from 27 September until 01 October, 2009. Following an initial meeting with the Director of the River Basin Directorate at the Ministry of Environment and Water in Sofia, the ten professionals spent two days at the Danube River Basin Directorate in Pleven. The Directorate had made a significant preparation effort, and thus the visit was a full success. The delegation met with members of the River Basin Council and visited the Pilot Gorna Oryahovitsa Waste Water Treatment Plant. Key discussions focused on the integration of EU WFD compliance and water sector development project management.

Table 10: Project contribution regarding training aspects


Staff of the Water Depart-ment and River Basin District Authorities and other Project partners is adequately trained and familiar with their specific job requirements.Key training areas include the legal needs (according to international and EU principles and legislation in force in KOSOVË / KOSOVO), institutional arrangements for water resource planning and administration in KOSOVË / KOSOVO, and the use of participative facilitation, analysis and communication tools.

Noticeable achieve-ments have been reached. The WD and HMIK staff has been trained in new methods and procedures.The training focused on methodologies, proto-cols for data acquisition, measurements in the field, recording the measurements data on standard forms, captur-ing them in computers. Staff’s skills on these aspects have improved.

Other tasks, such as data checking, data analyses and the meaningful use of data and information from different sources for water management are requiring further qualifications and experience.Some tasks could be outsourced in the coming years. In the future there is a training need of administrative staff in outsourcing work and monitoring technical contracts.

2 . 4 A c t i v i t i e s2 . 4 . 1 P r o j e c t s t r a t e g yThe Project strategy, as defined during the inception period, relies on the following key elements:

- To build on existing tools and experience gained in recent years;- To support and clarify institutional responsibilities and set up;

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- To involve and report to stakeholders in each key project component;- To test methodologies through pilot projects (learning by doing);- To respond to emerging needs expressed by the partners;- To put emphasis on on-the-job training for know-how transfer;- To prepare the continuation of the Project by providing manuals and

training, and preparing computer tools handed over to partner staff.

The general idea was to build the confidence of partner staff by proceeding step by step and developing their skills in priority areas. This did not mean that mistakes, errors and observed shortcomings were not pointed out.

2 . 4 . 2 M a i n e l e m e n t s o f t h e P i l o t P r o j e c t a p p r o a c h

As presented at the end of the inception period, Pilot Projects were designed to develop know-how in new areas and to prepare replication for routine work. The Pilot Projects on biology and groundwater used methods and procedural steps in line with WFD. These are described in Figure 4.

Figure 4: Procedural steps for WFD programme of surveillance

Each Pilot Project (PP) was conducted by a working or specialist group from various institutions. These Pilot Projects were focused on the first steps of WFD implementation, which include the characterization of water bodies and the evaluation of their status. The different steps are described in Table 11.

The PPs included field activities during which partner staff acquired know-how for performing the different steps of analytical protocol. They also became familiar with quality management procedures.

Significant time was spent to prepare clear and well illustrated PowerPoint presentations of pilot project activities, results and conclusions. Follow-up office-training with introductions to data analysis tools and techniques were also carried out with partner staff.

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Final Report

Water Body delineation

Use of the knowledge of WD staff and existing data on pressure.

Maps of water bodies.

Use of hydrogeological and geological maps and cross sections.

Creation of a 3D preliminary conceptual model.

Pilot zone selection Lumbardhi Peja (2008)

Lumbardhi Prizren (2009)

Ground Water Body No 2

Located near Istok

Parameters Macro-invertebrate

Fish

Physio-chemistry

Piezometry

Permeability

Physio-chemistry

Lab analysis University – HMIK Project team – HMIK

Classification system proposed

Macro-invertebrate Index, Fish index.

References to the Groundwater Directive

Capture database Data stored in Excel files and software tools.

Databases and special forms created.

Processing – control and analysis

With external support SSTE biologists

With external support KE 3

Status of Water Bodies (WB)

Evaluation of WB status for biological monitoring stations

Statistical analysis, and mapping results

Table 11: Evaluation of the Status of water bodies

Steps Surface Water Body Ground Water Body

General methodology

WFD Article 5 Annex II and V. Identification of the quality elements to assess.

WFD Article 5 Annex II and V Identification of target results/data requirements.

PP launching May 2008 March 2009

Planning campaign of measurement

Selection of monitoring sites for sampling.

Preparing equipment.

Involvement of students.

Creation of location maps.

Identification and purchase of equipment and check-list.

Creation of data collection forms.

Pilot projects were also launched for two other purposes:

- Water management planning for the Decani–Radoniqi water system; and

- Flood risk management for the town of Skenderaj.

The organisation of the modelling work is described in Figure 6, the main steps of the planning with the use of modelling tools is shown in Table 12.

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Final Report

Table 12: Steps for modelling River Basin and Flood Risk Management

Steps Water Balance Flood RiskGeneral methodology, selection of model

Water Evaluation And Planning System (WEAP)

OASISTopo Hydraulic - GIS

Working group Inter-ministerial inter-departmental

Municipality planners

Selection of pilot zone Radoniqi - April 2008 Skenderaj – April 2008

Model set up & calibration February 2009 October 2009

Planning campaign of measurements

Irrigation command area assessment (2008)System water losses (2009)E-flow (2009)

ToR for topography.Questionnaires for inhabitants in flooding zone

Preparing data to input Hydrology Topography of the flood zone (June 2009)

Mapping and displaying the model results

Graphic displayFlow charts

Flood risk mapFlood risk hot spot

Interpretation of results with stakeholders

Stakeholder workshops Meeting with Municipalities

Analyzing options under different scenarios and assumptions

Stakeholder workshops. Joint work: Project team and WD unit in Gjakova.

Second meeting with Municipalities and WD.

Preparing a plan for concrete measures and actions

Tentative River Basin management plan (additional output).

Flooding zone and proposals for measures.

2 . 4 . 3 T h e P r o j e c t ’ s v i s i b i l i t y a c t i v i t i e s

In 2008, the Project’s visibility activities included the design of six posters informing the public about the Project’s activities and objectives. Events were organised in five Municipalities in December 2008 to present the first achievements of the Project and to discuss the prospects of developing river basin management plans in Kosovo.

In September 2009, another visibility plan was drafted. It included the creation of a website, the production of a documentary, the design and printing of leaflets and booklets as well as the distribution of caps and pens to schools.

Many of the Project’s products were uploaded on the website www.kosovo-water.eu and were delivered in three languages. Photos and videos also provided an insight into Project activities, especially protocols for sampling and measurements.

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2 . 4 . 4 A c t i v i t i e s f o r m a i n s t r e a m i n g o f c r o s s -c u t t i n g i s s u e s

An issue raised by the Project’s monitoring mission concerned the minorities in Kosovo. The mission pointed out that by February 2009, the Project had not included any of the minority villages in the Drini River Basin in its activities.

During the summer 2009, the WD and the Project team visited numerous villages and 99 households to carry out various measurements. Some of these households were Serb, Bosnian and Roma. This field work was a good opportunity for the Project to explain the purpose of the measurements and to discuss the local water issues. The WD and the Project gained knowledge of the problems faced by the households due to pollution and water shortages. Where possible and appropriate, the Project’s experts or WD staff provided advice and information. The good cooperation and warm welcome of the households visited was very much appreciated. It was observed that although the Serb households in the Istok region were living in relatively isolated places, they seemed to be on the same footing as other households regarding water issues. One Roma family (GPP-94) complained that it had a very poor water supply and was being discriminated against.

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3 A S S U M P T I O N S

3 . 1 A s s u m p t i o n s a t d i f f e r e n t l e v e l

The ToR mentioned different assumptions regarding Project implementation, see Table 13.

Table 13: Comments on Project assumptions

Assumptions Comments

Continuous support and active involvement of the Project’s Beneficiaries.

Support has been active especially for data acquisition in pilot projects.

Smooth and effective co-operation and interaction between all parties involved in the project.

The consultant has supported the definition of roles and responsibilities for each stake-holder.

Sufficient support and commitment from the recipient institutions.

Weekly meetings were organised.

Absorption capacity and technical capability of the institutions to fulfil their commitments.

Absorption and technical capacity limited the transfer of know-how especially as far as data control and processing is concerned.

Unrestricted access to all available relevant data including maps, water quality and quantity records, etc.

Access in WD and HMIK was provided but data from private sources or other institutions were difficult to access.

Unrestricted access to any required information relevant to the subject of the project.

Generally speaking, access to information was provided.

Timely approval of the submitted reports by the authority and timely approval of necessary actions, licenses etc. from the appropriate authorities.

There were a few difficulties regarding the procedures for the approval of JSTE experts. In June 2008, these led to the cancellation of the recruitment of JSTE.

Additional Assumption Comment

The River Basin Councils are established at the beginning of the project.

There has not been a high support for establishment of River Basin institutions.

3 . 2 R i s k s a n d f l e x i b i l i t y

Several risks were identified by Project’s ToR including: - The poor quality of data;- The unwillingness of data-holders to share data freely; - The uncertainty regarding the political support to establish River Basin

District Authorities.

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The Project did face these risks to various degrees, so with the support of partners, strategies were developed to overcome these difficulties. For example:

- Good quality data from the period 1950 to 1986 were utilised for calculating key hydrological parameters. The Hydrology Expert also used special techniques and methods to fill data gaps.

- A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between MESP and the Independent Commission for Mines and Minerals (ICMM). This memorandum assisted the Project in obtaining some key geological and hydro-geological maps and data for Drini River Basin. However, on-line access to the ICMM database including most recent ortho-photographic maps was not permitted.

Where existing data could not been obtained, new data were collected and generated during the Pilot Projects. This approach was revealed to be particularly fruitful.

It was observed that quality control and checking of the consistency of the measurements were poor. Improvements are needed in both the public and private sectors. The Project organised training for this purpose including study tours. The Project also recruited a JSTE to check the quality of topographic data to be input in the OASIS software, which was utilised for flood risk mapping.

Other unforeseen circumstances, which had to be tackled by the Project included:

- The handover process between EAR and ECLO hampered the approval process of experts and the incidental budget during a three-month period from June to September 2008.

- The great instability in the top position of the MESP hampered the development of the Project‘s legislative and institutional contribution.

- The circulation of a new draft Water Law in 2009, which included a new institutional setting that did not follow the 2004 Water Law.

To smooth the impact of these unforeseen circumstances, the Project had to adjust its work plan. Some activities were postponed, human resources were allocated to data acquisition through Pilot Projects, and posters were produced to explain technical details of Project activities. Fortunately, the Project caught up on its work plan in February 2009, and the external monitoring mission confirmed that the project made up for the time lost, thus reaching a normal pace of implementation by the beginning of 2009.

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4 I M P L E M E N T A T I O N

4 . 1 P h y s i c a l a n d n o n p h y s i c a l m e a n s

The Project was installed in the premises of the WD, which provided office space against the provision of formal English training of staff. The Project also rented additional office space in the same building.

The Project employed local staff for office management, transport and translation. Two vehicles were used for transportation. Equipment for office work, most notably computers and software for GIS development, were purchased for the use of the Project staff.

For the Pilot Projects’ implementation, measuring equipment was purchased. The EAR then ECLO approved the software acquisition through the use of the Incidental Budget. This included ArcGIS licenses as well as software for processing the data, which were recorded by the measuring equipment.

For laboratory analyses of the Pilot Project on river ecology, the equipment of the zoology laboratory of the University of Prishtina was utilised. The physio-chemical analyses and hydrological measurements were performed by the HMIK staff with HMIK equipment. The KEPA provided the electro-fishing equipment, which was operated by a KEPA employee.

For the groundwater pilot project, the Project purchased several specialised items of equipment (GPS units, dip-meters, transducers, water sampling equipment, field chemistry meters and calibration solutions) using its own resources.

The Project’s human resources included 3 Key Experts, 2 Junior Long-Term Experts (JLTE), 13 Senior Short-Term Experts (STE) and 9 Junior or local STE. The specialities covered by the experts were Water Information Systems including Database-GIS, River Basin Planning, Water Framework Directive Implementation, Hydrology, River Ecology, Hydrogeology, Modelling Water Balances, Modelling Flood Risk, Water Supply and Sanitation, Software Programming, Quality Management for Laboratory Analyses, Legislation, Communication and Awareness.

A consortium meeting was organised on 18 April 2008, which was attended by the Project Directors of the consortium’s partners (GFA, Oieau and BRL Ingénierie). The GFA Director carried out many backstopping missions and provided extensive support especially for reporting and liaising with ECLO and the Project’s partners.

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Physical means

Non physical means


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4 . 2 O r g a n i s a t i o n a n d i m p l e m e n t a t i o n p r o c e d u r e s

4 . 2 . 1 G e n e r a l r e l a t i o n s h i p s b e t w e e n p a r t i e s a n d S t e e r i n g C o m m i t t e e

Steering Committee (SC) meetings were organised, in principle, every three months and were chaired by the ECLO Task manager (before June 2008, EAR officer) and the MESP Permanent Secretary. Other members of the SC were the Directors of the WD, the HMIK and the KEPA. The consultant organised, attended and wrote the minutes of these meetings.

Besides a report of the Team Leader highlighting the main progress made, Steering Committee meetings focused on issues related to a swift implementation of the Project. The environment for the development of River Basin Authorities has been a regular issue. Other issues included the improvement of regular communication and operation planning between Project and MESP management as well as formal training needs.

4 . 2 . 2 M e e t i n g s a n d t r a i n i n g s e s s i o n s

In principle, a joint meeting was held every week between the Director of the WD, the heads of each WD unit and Key Experts. Information was exchanged on the achievements of the past week and the planning for the next week. It was also an opportunity to reach an agreement on particular issues.

All Expert ToR included the preparation of PowerPoint presentations to explain the findings of their mission to the concerned partners. Their presentations were translated in Albanian and handouts were given to participants. Usually, at the end of these presentations discussions developed future steps and action to be taken.

Other meetings were held to train partner staff in specific methods to prepare them for particular activities. Many meetings, comprising smaller groups of 4 to 5 people, were also organised for more technical discussions and the transfer of knowledge.

Requests for the inclusion of new experts into the Project with the respective ToR, were approved by the Director of the WD before these were sent to ECLO.

4 . 2 . 3 T i m e t a b l e

The detailed work plan prepared in the Inception Plan was simplified at the end of 2008 to facilitate reporting after the handover process between EAR and ECLO. Activities were grouped or reshuffled. This Inception Plan had the following new elements and activities:

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- Activities on the Information System were extended, for several months. This included: (i) the delay required to agree on the WIS main concepts and to acquire and train staff in ArcGIS software use. It should be noted that the KEPA Information Officer did not support the development of a WIS in the WD, as KEPA was using MapInfo. (ii) The difficulty in finding an available and qualified local expert for developing a computer application.

- Institutional support was extended up to September 2009 as there was an unclear high-level commitment.

- Taking into account the conclusions of the Project’s mid-term review, especially the need to acquire groundwater information and to increase knowledge transfer, additional activities were launched through the Pilot Projects in April-May 2009.

- These PP covered biology for the River Lumbardhi Prizren and groundwater characterization in the Istok region, as well as the formulation of a water management plan for Decani-Radoniqi water system (the PP on flood risk was already decided, before the mid-term review.

Figure 5: Project implementation and training schedule

48

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DECJAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DECJAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB

2008 2009

Inception Planning & field work / training

Institutions

Data acquisition and gap analysis

Institutional capacity needs

Hydrology

Biology

WFD

WEAP

Extension

Monitoring

Scenarios

Water quality Biology

Water balance

Water demand

Groundwater acquisition

Flood Management Plan

StudyStudy StudyStudy

3 210

Irrigation

Plans

GIS Data Base Water information system


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4 . 3 C o s t s a n d f i n a n c i n g p l a n

The incidental budget consumed is detailed in Table 14.

Table 14: Expenses on incidental budget Incidental Budget (before allocation for extension of one month -addendum Dec.09)

Planned Budget

EURUsed Budget EUR

open subtotal EUR

A Travel Cost and Per diems in Kosovo 15 782 1410 14372B Training, workshops and related

travels and per diems in Kosovo; including study tours 115 000 81593.28 33406.72

C Translation of training material & Interpretation 10 000 7276 2724

D Provision of digital maps and other data necessary (aerial photographs) 20 000 9960 10040

E Software licenses 10 000 4300 6700Incidental Grand Total 170 782* 104539.28 66242.72

* In addendum dated 14.12.2009 of the contract, the Grand Total of the IB was reduced by 29,218 €, from 200,000 € to 170,782 €

Most of the incidental budget was utilised for the study tours, numerous workshops and for travel expenses for Pilot Project activities. 15% of the remaining budget has been allocated to inputs for an extension of one month from 20 January to 28 February 2010. This extension has been approved by ECLO in December 14 2009.

4 . 4 S p e c i a l c o n d i t i o n s / a c c o m p a n y i n g m e a s u r e s t a k e n b y t h e g o v e r n m e n t

The Project saw several changes of senior staff members of the MESP, which to some extent affected the implementation of planned Project activities. For example, the Permanent Secretary of the MESP was dismissed in 2008 and subsequently replaced by two consecutive Acting Permanent Secretaries. At the level of the Water Department, the Director was changed in 2008 and replaced in March 2009. For the interim period, an Acting Director was in charge of the daily affairs of the Department. Although such turnover of staff is not unusual, it slowed down the Project’s institutional design process of River Basin District Authorities.

Beside, the following shall be noted:

The MESP recruited a biologist, a person in charge of flooding and a person in charge of permitting in the Water Department to be involved in Project activities related to these technical areas;

The HMIK and KEPA provided equipment for some of the field measurements and analyses;

The MESP staff carried out measurements with Project staff during Pilot Project field activities.

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4 . 5 T r a n s f e r p r o c e s s a n d a v a i l a b i l i t y o f p r o d u c t s

Besides the hosting of the data catalogue and the web-portal on the MPS server, the main process of transferring Project products started in July 2009. In July it was decided to prepare the files of the different products to be delivered at the end of the Project. A large number of the output files were uploaded in three languages to the Project’s website (www.kosovo-water.eu). Some sensitive material on this website is password protected.

The products or outputs include:

4 . 5 . 1 T e c h n i c a l r e p o r t s a n d t r a i n i n g m a t e r i a l

Project progress, mission and technical reports including PowerPoint presentations;

The training documents and manuals (In Albanian, English, and Serbian language);

The hand books on methodology and procedures (quality management documentation provided to HMIK).

The manuals, the methodologies guidelines, and the databases were designed to support routine tasks of the partners’ staff which they have to perform in their daily work.

4 . 5 . 2 W a t e r I n f o r m a t i o n S y s t e m ( e l e c t r o n i c f i l e s )

In September 2009, staff of the Water Department was trained to upload documents delivered by the Project in electronic format on the MESP web-portal, which was installed on the server of the Ministry of Public Service.

This included:

The software tool ArcGIS;

The databases and the data captured;

GIS maps and files;

The sets of data collected on standard field forms and in Excel files (biology and groundwater);

The topographic files of the flooding zone of Skenderaj.

4 . 5 . 3 V i s i b i l i t y m a t e r i a l s

The Project’s visibility has been enhanced through a range of media and materials. The project’s produced:

- Multi-lingual posters focusing on each of the six results, leaflets and booklets to present Project topics and results;

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- A Project website has been created and training on the web-portal was provided. These websites have restricted areas where documents can be downloaded and accessed with a password;

- Photographic documentary especially for the description of field measurements and training units;

- Video images documenting training and field activities mainly;- A professional 30-mins Documentary on Project activities.

4 . 5 . 4 I n f o r m a t i o n e v e n t s f o r m u n i c i p a l i t i e s

During a six-week extension period, the Project invited Municipality representatives to attend two informative meetings. While a first meeting focused on Municipalities from the project area, a second targeted Municipalities from other parts of Kosovo.

Both events were well received. Discussions confirmed the burning need for MESP to address water issues in Kosovo through a more informative coordinated working approach. A summary of key discussion points is given in Table 15.

Table 15: Summary information on informative municipality events

Topic Drini I Bardhe River Basin District

Iber Lepenc & Morava Basin District

No. of participants from municipalities

30 40

General comments and questions

Appreciation of the information provided, especially concerning maps of groundwater and flood issues;

Readiness to cooperate with the MESP confirmed;

Strong desire to participate in water resource management projects.

Appreciation of the information provided;

Why has the Drini I Bardhe River been studied and not other more polluted rivers;

Strong interest expressed through an environmental NGO working on fish habitat.

Issues Flooding issues in Istok;

Health and water quality awareness issues (inspectorate for sanitation);

Moving forward with river basin plan for Ereniku River.

Strong need for continuation of flood risk studies;

Need for a groundwater study in Mitrovica;

Support need for flood management in Lipjan;

Recommendations

Improve information on water, environment and health issues especially where potable water quality is concerned

Extend project approach to other parts of Kosovo;

Provide financial support to MESP to conduct ground-water study for Mitrovica.

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4 . 5 . 5 A d m i n i s t r a t i v e i n s t r u c t i o n f o r w a t e r p e r m i t i s s u i n g

In December 2009, the Water Department requested the Project to include in its extension period a review of the current Administrative Instruction on the Content, Form and Procedures for Issuing Water Permits. Accordingly, a water permit application and issuing process has been revised including 15 administrative steps grouped into four stages:

a) Pre-consultation and applications stagei. Consultation and informationii. Submission of requestiii. Registration (water information system)

b) Screening and evaluation stagei. Initial screening for completeness of minimum requirementsii. Public noticeiii. Inter-agency consultationiv. Additional documentation requestv. Water resource allocation and restriction checkvi. Technical and operational evaluation

c) Approval / refusal stagei. Decision-makingii. Appeal stageiii. Final decision-making stageiv. Estimate of fees

d) Final approval stagei. Sending out signed letter and water permits standard form

including an invoice stating incurred feesii. Completion of registration and monitoring and reporting schedule

The full text proposed is attached in Appendix 2.

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5 F A C T O R S E N S U R I N G S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y

5 . 1 A p p r o p r i a t e t e c h n o l o g y

Appropriate Project tools, technologies and techniques were selected after consideration of their easy use and maintenance, update support, reputation, industry acceptance, priority needs and partner abilities.

For the Water Information System the following technologies were selected:

ArcGIS, produced by ESRI, was selected as the GIS software. Research showed that this is the industry de facto software used by 70% of GIS users worldwide so it was selected for this Project. ArcGIS has some short-comings, such as ease of transfer of products and cost, but other alternatives were not deemed appropriate.

It was decided to host the data catalogue and a web-portal in the Ministry of Public Services (MPS) to increase ownership of the tool.

Specific and simple databases were created in ACCESS for capturing of hydrological times series, water quality data and water body characterisation.

An SqL GIS client-server application was developed for the WD for permit issuing, which facilitates the process management and identification of permit applicants and abstraction sites.

At the request of the HMIK, an already existing Data and Information System for hydrological data called WISKI was reinstalled by the Project. In a 5-day session, staff form the HMIK and the WD were given training on the set-up, data manipulation and other functions of the software. The Kisters AG, which is based in Aachen offered a 2-year free of charge maintenance for HMIK’s hydrological data. The programme is currently hosted on the company server. Access is ensured through a web-link.

The choice to host the data catalogue and web-portal in the MSP had a major inconvenience: it increased their vulnerability to MSP server failure and maintenance problems. This occurred many times during the Project, which resulted in the data catalogue and web-portal being inaccessible.

The WISKI software is a very useful tool especially to control, correct and visualise synthetic data. However, the HMIK capacity to maintain it is questionable. Running WISKI requires a well functioning internet link and a responsible person to liaise with Kisters when problems occur. HMIK had problems maintaining the access to WISKI data. In 2011, a budget to pay for Kisters’ services will also need to be secured, if the HMIK still want to benefit from these services.

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WISKI needs budget for maintenance


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For river ecology and groundwater monitoring the Project experts trained staff to use simple and robust methods, which did not require expensive equipment. Simple software were utilised to process data according to EU standards.

For River Basin modelling the most important selection criterion for software selection was the requirement that it should be possible to use it for training purposes: WEAP was the best software in this regard.

As for flood risk mapping, the BRL’s OASIS model was chosen. Flood risk maps of good quality were produced very quickly.

The ToR for the Water Supply and Sanitation Investment Plan has a strong appropriate technology component, which takes into account local circumstances for building Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTP) and sewage systems. Selection criteria for building WWTP in Kosovo should include, for example, affordability of maintenance, energy consumption and protection against vandalism, etc.

5 . 2 E f f e c t i v e m a i n s t r e a m i n g c r o s s -c u t t i n g I s s u e s ( C C I )

Democracy and human rights are both Cross Cutting Issues. The possibility to receive compensation when you are a victim of someone else’s action is important in this regard. This right is well respected when the judiciary system is functioning correctly. Currently in Kosovo, law enforcement in the environmental field is very limited. This is partly due to reasons linked to the degree of preparedness of institutions to enforce laws but other reasons are important too.

Discussions with people concerned by river ecology deterioration revealed that it was difficult to raise a case in court, because they feared reprisals in the aftermath of a judgment. Collecting evidence to build a case or even filming can be dangerous. For instance, it was reported that Project staff filming and taking photos of gravel extractions was threatened. It was observed in many places, that impunity prevails for such illegal activities.

In Kosovo, there are few pressure groups in the environmental field and, as a result wrongdoers are not stopped, punished, fined or deterred from environmental damaging activities.

5 . 3 I n s t i t u t i o n a l a n d m a n a g e m e n t c a p a c i t y ( p u b l i c a n d p r i v a t e )

In the public sector, the institutional capability could be improved by better management practices, quality control and by rewarding officers who contribute to problem solving. However, in practice, given the low pay and poor conditions of employment for civil servants it is difficult to increase staff motivation.

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OASIS for flood risk assessment


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Apart from increasing pay, sources of motivation include participation in the achievements of well-considered professional work and activities, which can have a positive impact on ordinary people’s lives now or in the future. Showing and advertising MESP achievements can also enhance people’s confidence in their administration.

The continuous development of practical professional know-how is another source of motivation. The Project has provided important training material, practical tools that can be used to achieve noticeable progress in this regard. Interesting work experience can also be valued in a CV and appreciated in the job market.

In this respect, an issue that constantly came up was the lack of attention given to computer maintenance. Breakdowns and computer viruses were common in WD computers, which lead to lose of data, poor data acquisition, intermittent training and loss of professional confidence.

As far as the sustainability of Project’s technical assets are concerned, it is recommended making sure that the partner staff have or are given required equipment and guidance to practice the methods and procedures that they have learnt from the Project. This is of particular importance for the implementation of first steps of the WFD, which include water body characterisation and the development of WFD compatible monitoring programmes (see Chapter on conclusions and proposals).

To maintain the know-how and the institutional capacity developed during the Project, the MESP also needs to make sure that key staff trained by the Project continue to work in the MESP and do not quickly find another job elsewhere. Technical guidance will be needed beyond the end of the Project especially for quality control, data processing and result interpretations.

For fields not yet covered by MESP, specialists and additional qualified persons are needed, e.g. hydrology, hydrogeology, modelling, flood risk mapping. It should be clarified which part of such activities should not be tendered to private companies or to the university or other specialised partners. The long-term experts who were recruited by the Project gained considerable experience and this is a very valuable asset for sustainability, because they have developed skills to support the application of procedures and methods.

The Project observed that it was sometimes difficult to find local experts with the appropriate technical background. In general, the quality of local experts’ work has to be carefully checked as quality control is not well developed even in engineering fields.

As far as management is concerned, decisions have to be better recorded and achieved. Methods and procedures to be applied in the WD and HMIK should be documented to provide guidelines to the staff employed. The manuals prepared under the Project could be helpful in this regard.

Initiatives taken by WD and HMIK to improve results and coordination with other institutions should be better supported and guided by the WD and HMIK management.

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5 . 4 P o l i c y s u p p o r t

In the short term, support, a realistic budget, adequate human resources and a good technical understanding of critical water resources issues in MESP are needed for the continuation of Project activities and for improving the protection of river ecology and groundwater.

In other words, the continuation of activities launched during the Project also depends on high-level support from MESP and the Ministry of Finance. The Water Task Force within in the Prime Minister’s Office can play a role in this regard.

In December 2009, in preparation of a water conference organised by MESP and the Task Force Project of the Swiss Cooperation Agency, the Water Department assisted by the Project proposed a planning process for improved and sustainable development of projects in the water sector. This approach shows how national strategies and plans can evolve from a needs assessment at municipal level in conjunction with publicly owned enterprises. It also shows how River Basin District Authorities would contribute through the formulation of River Basin Management Plans, which define environmental objectives and set environmental targets. Screened projects would undergo a rigorous impact assessment before they are cleared and promoted for implementation. This would ensure that both water sector development and environmental protection objectives are fully recognised and integrated.

In the long term and on a broader scale, education and actions to encourage the public and local companies to adopt good practices should be encouraged. For example, preventative action to reduce the number of plastic bottles and metal cans which are thrown away on the street and in the countryside need to be taken. For this to be effective, it is clear that penalties must be introduced to punish wrongdoers. Efficient police can change the landscape.

In Skenderaj, the Project observed that the quality of the technical study to alleviate flooding was poor, which indicates that checks need to be made on the experience and qualification of experts to achieve good results and protect investments. Missing data and insufficient quality control can easily lead to technical errors, which have costly consequences. There should be a strong policy support for careful design and selection of appropriate technology, including sustainable technology with low energy efficiency and low carbon emissions. These policies can easily receive support from donor institutions. In Kosovo, it is sometimes difficult to select adequately experienced people and companies in design work, to closely monitor project implementation and to disregard undesired interferences.

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Planning process for sustainable development of water projects


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To induce a change of behaviour of polluters, new policies have to be implemented with the following:

Economic instruments, such as taxes to deter people from polluting and damaging rivers, and investments to remove pollution need to be introduced. The public finances are limited, which creates a very difficult environment for institutional development. The political recognition of the importance of water management issues can contribute to improve this situation. However, institution building requires increased allocation of local funding.

The information, participation and consultation process to produce planning documents such as the River Basin Management Plan needs to be introduced. These processes are essential to increase public and decision-makers’ awareness on the possible negative impact of certain types of activity development. Broad agreement on a programme of measures to alleviate these impacts is necessary. Elected bodies, officials, company managers, workers, farmers and households have to be convinced that they can contribute to the efforts required in this regard.

Legal means such as the issue of permits and sanctioning law-breakers are required. A well designed legal body is the basis for efficient organisation of the environmental sector including institutional coordination. Currently, there is a large confusion among the water users about complicated water permit procedures. Moreover, there is a weak capacity within the authorities for a proper administration of water permits as many data are missing. It is not easy to improve the situation. First, the texts ruling permits should be revised in order to facilitate law enforcement. Secondly, the policy to discourage law-breakers at all levels is not yet very successful. Another difficulty is the lack of qualified human resources of institutions to fulfil their responsibilities.

Educational opportunities to gain the necessary know-how and to act for a better water resource protection have to be developed. Good practices, clean technologies have to be adjusted to Kosovo circumstances.

For many years, it has been difficult for Kosovo Albanians to acquire a proper university scientific background. Furthermore, it was difficult for Albanian employees working in the administration to get high-level positions and so administrative procedures and standards have to be re-established.

Moreover, there is not yet a strong environmental NGO to raise cases and to lobby for better water resource protection. There are also vested interests that might thwart such efforts.

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Instruments to reverse the trends affecting water resources status


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The first step to improve water management is to precisely assess the current situation. To this end, good information is necessary, but accurate and reliable information in the water sector is missing. The Project had to address this issue. The gap between the data needed to make management plans according to EU standards and the available data was wide. Mostly, there were only out-dated information on water resource availability and its status. Good quality information exists for pre-1986 data, and this is useful, but there is little reliable recent hydrological information. There are scattered pockets of data in different institutions. However, generally speaking, data holders have shown little willingness to share their data (e.g. ICMM) or requested unrealistic sums of money for sharing these. These are also major obstacles for improving planning, prioritising and optimising investment as well as for managing the existing water system.

The Project’s first important output was the preparation of a data status report which assessed these information gaps and provided proposals and recommendations to fill these gaps.

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6 M O N I T O R I N G A N D E V A L U A T I O N

6 . 1 D e f i n i t i o n o f i n d i c a t o r s ( i n c l u d i n g i n d i c a t o r s f o r C C I )

Project indicators were defined in the logical framework. A table comparing the requirements of the ToR with the Project achievements is summarised in Annex 8.

6 . 2 R e v i e w s / e v a l u a t i o n

A mid-term review workshop took place at the beginning of March 2009. The main objective of the review was to discuss the Project‘s achievements. Three questions were raised: how to increase the Project’s positive impact; which tools could be maintained; and, how to ensure sustainability. The discussion was organised around three general topics:

Legislation-Institution and River Basin Planning;

Monitoring Water Resource / Information Systems;

Flood risk mapping.

This mid-term review was an opportunity to discuss various options for the continuation of activities after the end of the Project, and the responsibility of each institution.

An external monitoring visit took place from 26 to 28 January 2009. This mission pointed out that good progress had been made. The Project’s partners had reported to the mission coordinators that the quality of the results delivered was very good, especially the capacity building, the design of the information system and the modelling toolbox. However, the monitoring mission had concerns about the slow procedures being followed by MESP for RBDA establishment.

This mission also stressed that insufficient attention and funds were allocated to maintenance of equipment, and that the number of staff needed to be increase. Staff remuneration was considered by the mission as a factor hampering potential sustainability. The Mission recommended:

1. To create a more competitive employment environment for specialised staff;

2. To speed up the establishment of the RBDAs, ideally based on existing units so as to preserve knowledge and expertise; and

3. To reinforce monitoring and inspection units and put in action penalty imposing mechanisms when necessary.

The mission also stated, that in view of the current politically sensitive situation in Kosovo the Project was not involving minorities enough, particularly the Serb community, even though the areas covered by the Drini River Basin include some small Serbian enclaves.

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7 C O N C L U S I O N S A N D P R O P O S A L S

7 . 1 E f f o r t r e q u i r e d f o r i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f W a t e r E u r o p e a n D i r e c t i v e s

There is frustration on the part of municipalities, water companies, irrigation service providers and water users about the lack of responsiveness to their desire to abstract water from rivers and springs in sufficient quantity and quality and within the permitted limits set by the authorities. Faced with this situation and important information gaps, WD officials are getting increasingly frustrated by the fact that staff positions remain vacant and budgetary shortcomings continue to persist.

Since Kosovo is taking steps towards its accession in the EU, it is likely that the way rivers and groundwater resources are managed will change. Although the 2004 Water Law of Kosovo adopted most of the key principles of the EU Water Framework Directive into its provisions, there is an apparent gap between legal provisions and what is happening on the ground. Closing this gap will require a major effort on the part of all the relevant agencies and actors including the Government, Ministries, River Basin Units, municipalities as well as publicly owned enterprises at both central and regional level.

7 . 2 S u p p o r t t o i n s t i t u t i o n a l c h a n g e

However, institutional arrangements for the management of Kosovo’s River Basin districts are likely to remain stagnant if further political and financial support is kept at the current minimum level. Senior administrators need to recognize the importance of adequate institutional arrangements and competent authorities to implement a River Basin-oriented policy in line with the WFD.

The WD and the units in charge of River Basin management must continue to be strengthened if they are expected to fulfil their leadership role in the water management sector. A strong commitment is needed, especially for filling information gaps, acquiring data and for issuing permits.

The Project provided clarification about the role and responsibilities of institution and tasks to be performed.

7 . 3 S t a k e h o l d e r s i n v o l v e m e n t

Acting in a multi-stakeholder environment with various partners requires good coordination and collaboration skills. The Project has involved counterparts in, sometimes, difficult stakeholder discussions, consultation meetings, and negotiations. The involvement of stakeholders especially in modelling exercises for water allocation in Decani Radoniqi water system and flood risks in Skenderaj led to the identification of priority actions to be implemented.

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7 . 4 R e c o n s t r u c t i o n o f s y s t e m a n d c a p a c i t y b u i l d i n g

The Project’s strategy led to noticeable achievements in introducing new technical methods to tackle each Result. The WD and HMIK staff had opportunities to practice these methods. This was possible thanks to the good cooperation between the partner staff and Project team.

This Project has made important contributions to MESP institutions to enable them to play an important role in River Basin and flood risk resource management. This included:

Information system, identification of information gaps to fillBuilding a reliable information and knowledge base is a clear key to informed policy and decision-making. Computer tools such as a web catalogue for metadata, GIS and databases have been created or improved.

Data acquisition and proposals for monitoring and water body evaluationThrough its pilot-approach the Project also encouraged water professionals and chiefs of divisions to get involved in practical on-the-ground work. By carrying out practical hands-on activities in the pilot areas, the Project has demonstrated how things can be achieved in Kosovo by Kosovars, even under difficult circumstances. This underlined their need to have a good commitment and capability to do a job properly. However, it is not the role of civil servants to carry out field work themselves rather their role must be becoming managers who initiate activities under an agreed plan, and within a collaborative network programme.

Water bodies’ characterization and WFD pressure analysis To help characterise Drini River Basin significant amounts of water resource information, monitoring and assessment data, and GIS maps were produced for hydrology (Drini Basin and sub-basin), river ecology (Peja and Prizren sub-basins) and hydrogeology (Istok region) through the Project’s pilot projects.

River Basin management planning / Flood risks management An Indicative Water Management Plan for the pilot area of Decani-Radoniqi was formulated. It guides the way as to how river flow regimes can be established providing an appropriate balance between priority water supplies (abstractions) for consumptive use and environmental requirements. Key to this plan is to take the environmental needs in Kosovo’s rivers seriously and to manage the supply systems in line with this important policy requirement. It requires the establishment of agreed management rules.

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On-the-job-trainingAltogether, the Project has provided examples and extensive on-the-job-training with joint work programmes that included both expert and partner staff. Through this joint collaboration, the water resource status have been assessed, the water balance estimated, flood risks have been mapped in Skenderaj and for the Drin I Bardhe River Basin and, practical options and measures for action formulated for the Decani- Radoniqi water system.

7 . 5 P r o s p e c t s a n d p r o p o s a l s

The Water Department and RBDA are now in a much better starting position to assume its role especially to continue its effort and develop a cooperative River Basin management approach.

However, the momentum created by the Project’s continuous action and support may fade. The degree of support required for activity continuation or method replication in other zones depends on the degree of task complexity. Some activities can be continued or replicated without external support; other activities will require light support or substantial technical support.

Insufficient financing, unavailability of the persons who were trained, IT problems or hesitation in the right methodology to apply can make replication very difficult.

The working group established during the Project should meet every six months to prepare a work plan and review activities under each important topic, including:

- Water information Systems;- Water Framework directive implementation focusing on Ecological

status and monitoring;- Groundwater;- Water management planning and use of the WEAP model;- Flooding risks;- Institution and legislation.

A dynamic plan has been proposed for the Water Department to follow-on from the Project activities. The Report attached in Appendix 1 proposes four main activities including three focusing on groundwater aspects and one with a focus on flood risk assessment. For each activity, the report provides information on project rational, input and requirement and project implementation arrangements including a first budget estimate. It is proposed that activities shall be prioritised by the management of the MESP and implemented as soon as adequate project funds become available.

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Dynamic plan for groundwater and flood risk assessment


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Activities would include the following:

1. Expansion of the Groundwater Pilot Project in the Drini River Basin;

2. New quantitative and surveillance monitoring points;

3. Identification of significant pressures on Groundwater Bodies;

4. Expansion of flood risk assessment studies in the Drini River Basin.

An example of the support required for continuing the Project’s groundwater activities is provided in Table 16. It is noted that many data interpretation skills appear to be lacking in HMIK and WD staff, especially basic and advanced Excel skills. In the short term, local private and international experts can fill the staffing gaps and help collate, interpret and present data. In the long-term an increase in the WD and HMIK analytical capacity could be achieved in the following ways:

- By the recruitment of staff who have a combination of water resource (e.g. hydrogeology or hydrology), computer and GIS skills.

- Additional expertise could be gained by sending young staff members on M.Sc. courses and older staff member on short-term training courses.

Table 16: Support for continuation of activities (groundwater)

Objective Tasks Input

Groundwater Pilot ProjectIdentify status of 6 other alluvial groundwater bodies in Drini River Basin

Data collectionData analysis

WD and HMIK sfaff 4 months

IE Hydrogeologist4 months + IB for equipment, transport & meals(€ 22,500)

Environmental Monitoring for Drini Basin

Install an institutional groundwater monitoring network

Bidding Document and specification

Borehole construction & testing€ 400,000

Construction phase of the monitoring boreholes

WD and HMIK staff for 5.5 months

IE Drilling Engineer and Hydrogeologist5.5 months

Supervise installation of the monitoring equipment and interpretation of data

IE Hydrogeologist 2 months + IB for monitoring equipment(€ 46,500)

Evaluate progress and interpret future monitoring data

Hydrogeologist1 month per year

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Groundwater Status evaluation

Field work and studies to meet the requirements of the WFD

Determine the location and abstraction rates of all significant water sources

WD and HMIK staff for 7 months

IE Hydrogeologist 7 monthsDetermine the location of major pollution sourcesInterpret Orthophotos Budget for photos, transport and

equipment(€ 150,000)

Water Body DelineationDelineate groundwater bodies in other river basins in Kosovo

WD to interprete ICMM maps, hydrology and topography.

WD Staff for 3 months

Check methodology and review the results

Hydrogeologist1 month

Activities related to Flood Risk Assessment should be scheduled according to the activity plan given in Figure 6. Following a one-month tendering and evaluation period, a national flood management expert would be charged with initial training on the job, supported by a first mission of the international flood management specialist. Field works would start by the middle of May and continue until the end of September 2010. The analysis of flood risks could start by August once first topographic surveys are completed. All seven assessment studies should be ready for submission by the end of December 2010.

Item Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Tendering

Training of supervisory teams

Topgraphic surveyGjakovaPejaPrizrenIstogSuharekaPrilepKlina

Flood hydrology

Analysis and mapping

Figure 6: Activity schedule for flood risk assessment studies

Proving the proposed project activities are being extended to the whole of Kosovo, the overall budget estimate amounts to 3.5 million Euro. Details are given in Table 17 and Appendix 1.

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Table 17: Budget estimate for the extension of proposed project activities to all Kosovo

Budegt GW pressur

e analysi

s

Well inventor

y

Monitoring well

Flood risk assessme

nt

Total

Personnel 414,400 €

160,000 €

520,000 € 157,500 € 1,251,900 €

International 340,000 €

100,000 €

440,000 € 120,000 € 1,000,000 €

National 74,400 € 60,000 € 80,000 € 37,500 € 251,900 €Equipment, services

300,800 €

10,100 € 855,306 € 903,300 € 2,069,506 €

Transport, meals 68,448 € 58,800 € 21,520 € 31,950 € 180,718 €Total Budget 783,648

€228,900

€1,396,826

€1,092,750

€3,502,124

€

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Annexes


Final Report

Annex 1

Logical framework


Final Report

Annex 1: Logical framework1

Results Objectively Verifiable Indicators Means of Verification ImportantAssumptions

Overall ObjectiveTo contribute to improved environmental conditions of Kosovo so that water resources are managed in a sustainable manner meeting EU standards

The Drini River Basin’s status is known

Key EU standards particularly in relation to water quality and public health are adopted in Kosovo

Water resource management decisions are based in improved data and information of the river system

A regular monitoring program for surface and sub-surface water resource is under way

Current water resource status assessment report of the Drini River Basin

Environmental status report of KEPA

European Environmental Agency bulletins

Agreed monitoring programme plan

The social, economic and political situation in Kosovo will gradually stabilize and the EU integration process will continue further without major delay.Current budgetary constraints will relax as socio-economic conditions improve

PurposeTo strengthen the Institutional capacity of the Water Resources Management Department of Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning, particularly in respect of water resources management

The position of the Water Department vis-à-vis the River Basin District Authorities is clarified.

Annual work programmes are detailed, regularly up-dated and monitored

Water resource database and information is frequently utilized

The level of satisfaction of Departmental, River Basin Authority and municipal staff is increased

Subsidiary Act of MESP Annual work plans and

performance sheets Data exchange protocols

Continued Government commitment and support at national and municipal level to capacity development and water resources management

1 As per Inception Report of February 2008

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To contribute to the establishment of River Basin District Authorities and their further development which also need to adopt a participative approach (ensuring minorities’ inclusion and gender mainstreaming) in their policing activities, in accordance with “environmental justice” principles.

By the end of the Project: The status, roles and

responsibilities of the River Basin District Authorities are clearly defined, understood and broadly accepted

Activity and staffing schedules are prepared, budgets increased and physical assets maintained

New permits for water uses within the Drini River basin are issued following broadly accepted water allocation rules and procedures

In 2 sub-basins of the Drini River Basin, An inventory of water resources

has been completed, mapped Water resource protections zones

are identified and delineated River basin management

guidelines are adopted by planners

Annual work plansLegislations, regulations and administrative instructions in connection with the administration of Kosovo’s water resources

The establishment of River Basin District Authorities is stipulated in Article 19 of the Kosovo Water Law (Law No. 2004/24). According to paragraph 19.4, the procedures, composition and structure of the River Basin District Authorities shall be determined by the MESP in a Subsidiary Act. However, this still is pending. If the Project wants to achieve its full impact, it will be important to ensure that the issuing of respective administrative instructions will be given high priority on the part of the MESP. 2

Result 1: Information system for integrated water resource management.

An integrated water resource data and information management system of the Drini i Bardhë/Beli Drim River Basin is established, functional and tested, including the collection, quality control, processing and storage of relevant sets of data and information

Information technology at Water Department is functional

Relevance, consistency, accuracy and coherence of standardised data stored in a database are assured

Meta data and formats are fully compatible

Analytical error of data is within the accepted range

Sources of analytical errors are detected

Relevance checkConsistency checksData exchange protocolsDuplication survey results for water quality parameters

All available raw data and information is transparent and willingly shared amongst the project partners.Project partners have access to sufficient resources and capacity to fulfil their tasks with the required accuracy and within set time limitations.

In order to test procedures and data quality a successful pilot

2 According to paragraph 19.4 the procedures, composition and structure of the River Basin District Authorities shall be determined by the MESP in a Subsidiary Act.

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Information system enables officers of the Water Department to carry out specific queries and easy data retrieval and exchange

sub-basin can be completed with the full support of all stakeholders

Result 2: Monitoring network programme

The needs for a basin-wide water resources monitoring network programme are assessed and ToR agreed to expand the existing system for both surface and groundwater. The assessment will include a groundwater data acquisition plan and the ToR for a drilling programme

Specific water resource monitoring tasks are included in work plans of network partners

Water quality parameters are monitored in concert with water quantity and biological systems

The ToR for a groundwater data acquisition plan of the Drini i Bardhë/Beli Drim River Basin is submitted to the MESP for tendering

Annual budgets and work plans; Resources allocation decision

for water resource monitoring

All network partners understand the importance of water resource monitoring for sustainable development and environmental protection. Input proved through Result 1 is of sufficient detail and quality to make informed decisions regarding design and specifications of the ToR

Result 3: Modelling tool box.A modelling tool box is readily available and used as a practical means for water resource assessment (water balance) and water demand estimation of the Drini i Bardhë/Beli Drim River Basin. The tool box will be pilot-tested before it is up-scaled to the basin level.

A set of routine hydrological indi-cators is calculated for all stations with more than 15 years of data (such as mean annual and monthly river flows, standard deviation frequency in the form of plots of how often a flow is equal or exceeded)

5 out of 6 minimum model suitability criteria fulfilled

Model calibration and validation accuracy are within acceptable limits

Water balance and water demand estimation piloted and demon-strated at sub-basin level

Level of stakeholder participation and involvement in scenario for-mulation, analysis and interpretation

Hydrological baseline reportModel description and key outputs such as water balance, protocolsMunicipal and national spatial plansModel outputs and mapsMinutes of stakeholder meetings and working groups sessions

A practical and relevant tool box can be developed using available data and information provided under Result 1.Effective collaboration is ensured with planners at municipal and national level. Ministries and national agencies willingly share data, sector development plans, project and programme information and environmental management plans.The Water Resources Yield Model is made available by the MESP

Result 4:Flood and waste water management planning.

The planning capability of the

By the end of the Project: Unit flood hydrographs of the Drini

i Bardhë/Beli Drim River Basin

Flood and erosion hazard assessment Report of Drini i Bardhë/Beli Drim River Basin

An accurate and recent Digital Elevation Model (DEM) can be developed for the Drini i

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WD/RBDAs is significantly enhanced through:a) The production of a flood risk map

at basin level supported by GIS-based modelling and publicly available historical satellite images. Flood risk hot spots are identified and one chosen for the develop-ment of a pilot flood management plan at sub-basin level.

b) The ToR for an Urban Wastewater Master Plan of KOSOVË/ KOSOVO are drafted, based on an assessment of key issues, existing plans and strategies. Priority needs at national and basin level will be taken into account and a participatory planning approach proposed.

calculated Basin-wide flood inundation,

duration and hazards maps at adequate scale of 1:50.000 are disseminated to relevant municipalities and planners

Minimum of 5 flood risk ‘hot spots’ are identified

Flood impact assessed at 1 sub-basin for typical urban/industrial and agricultural land and infrastructure damages due flood and river bank erosion

ToR for an Urban Wastewater Master Plan in KOSOVË/ KOSOVO are finalized and submitted to MESP for tendering

Municipality development plansPilot flood impact assessment reportUrban development plansTender documentsFlood assessment report

Bardhe/Beli Drim River Basin suitable for basin planning.Input from Result 1 meets the minimum requirements to support the basin and sub-basin flood models.Stakeholders and Project partners are willing to participate and support a pilot flood risk and planning exercise on the ground.A consensus on direction, content and scope of works of the Urban Waste Water Management Master Plan is reached amongst the key stakeholders

Result 5: Institutional support to RBDAs.

The Water Department is assisted with the preparation of the administrative instruction on procedures, content and structure of River Basin District Authorities. Members of the Drini i Bardhë/Beli Drim River Basin Organisation are actively supported in the effective fulfilment of their functions

The WD has completed 5 administrative instructions

A basin-wide inventory of water sources is complete

Effectiveness of water manage-ment planning procedures tested in 2 pilot sub-basins

Information is communicated to municipalities on key issues such as: water levels and storage levels, flood risks, number water permits issued, major breakdowns in the water supplies system, water sav-ing and disconnection policies, etc.

Inventory of water sources including springs and small streams is completedWorkshop proceedingsAdministrative protocolsRBDAs public communications

The relationship between the Water Department and the River Basin District Authority are clarified at high level. Political commitment is assured.The current Drini i Bardhë/Beli Drim River basin Management unit based in Gjakova continues to operate. Transboundary issues are recognised

Result 6: Training & capacity building.

On-the-job training needs assessments of all key project and divisional staff from WD, 2 river

Interview with municipal and national authorities

Trained staff remains with the Water Department and River Basins District Authorities once

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Staff of the Water Department, River Basin District Authorities and other Project partners are adequately trained and familiar with their specific job requirements. Key training areas include the legal needs (according to international and EU principles and legislation in force in KOSOVË/ KOSOVO), institutional arrangements for water resource planning and administration in KOSOVË/ KOSOVO, and the use of participative facilitation, analysis and communi-cation tools.

authorities and at least 2 municipalities in the Drini i Bardhë/Beli Drim river basin

On-the-job training sessions on subjects e.g. Data management

Capacity for Data Base and update

Capacity to supervise, guide, check data

50% of staff performance scoring equal or better than B. Scoring A: autonomous working level; B: Minimum supervision; C: working under close supervision

Project staff allocation schedulesOn-the-job training proposalsOn-the-job annual training plansStaff assignment tablesStaff (self) appraisal sheetsSummary assessment plan

they have been trained.Structured on-the-job training is the most suitable approach for effective capacity building

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Annex 4

Resource Utilization Report 2


Final Report

Annex 4: Resource Utilization Report 2Project title: Institutional support to the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning (MESP)

Contract No. CRIS : 2008/162-152

KOSOVO Page

Planning period: 21.01.2008 - 28.02.2010 Prepared on: 20/01/2010

Contractor: GFA Consulting Group GmbH

RESOURCES/INPUTS TOTAL PLANNED PERIOD PLANNED

PERIOD REALISED

TOTAL REALISED BALANCE

() (20.1.2010) (remaining until February 28, 2010)

PERSONNELKE1 – TL Francois BAUDRY 440 440 0Team Leader - River managementKE 2 – Wilfried HUNDERTMARK 378 378 0Deputy Team Leader - Water ManagementKE3 – Andreas DEJONG/ Malcolm ASHWORTH

350 350 0

Hydro-geologistSub-total KEY EXPERTS 1 168 1 168 0

JLTE1 – Kujtim ZENA 440 427 13River Basin ManagementJLTE2 – Elfete KRASNIQI 440 425 15GIS- database

Sub-total JUNIOR LTE 880 880 28Yannick POCHON 22 22 0Hydro-biologistAntonin CARREY 10 10 0Hydro-biologistPaul HAENER 37 37 0Water information system specialistZhong Xue FANG 54 54 0Hydrologist - modellerJulien VERDONCK 47 47 0River basin planner

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Project title: Institutional support to the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning (MESP)


KOSOVO Page




PERIOD REALISED



Arnaud DARROU 17 17 0Laboratory quality specialistChristian EBEL 19 19 0Biologist - surface water resource monitoringJuergen DOMROESE 14 14 0Hydro-geologistJacques SIRONNEAU 9 9 0Legal ExpertHerve TRON 4 4 0IT programmerJan Mueller VOLLMER 25 25 0Water related investment, environmentalistFabrice CEBRON 23 23 0Flood hydrologistWilfried Hundertmark 15 15 0Organizational specialistMalcolm Ashworth, Hydrogeologist 5 5 0

Sub-total Senior STE 296 301

ETEMI, Ferdije Zhushi 52 52 0Fisheries biologistGRAPCI-KOTORI, Linda 52 52 0Biologist, macro invertebrateDelator SHAHINI 25 25 0Hydrogeologist

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Project title: Institutional support to the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning (MESP)


KOSOVO Page




PERIOD REALISED



LEKAJ Ibrahim 16 16 0Civil engineerURUQI, Visar 177 177 0SQL programmerSelvete DIBRANI 48 48 0Legal expertBERISHA, Arban 100 100 0HydrologistShfqet Jocaj 26 25 0JournalistAlma LAMA 34 34 0Journalist

Sub-total JUNIOR STE 530 529 0

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Annex 7:

Result performance report


Final Report

Annex 7: Result performance report

Project title: Institutional support to the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning (MESP) and River Basin Authorities

Contract No. CRIS: 2008/162-152 Country KOSOVO Pages: 3

Prepared on: January 2010 Contractor : GFA Consulting Group GmbH

Results Deviation original plan( + or %)

Reasons for deviation Comment on constraints & assumptions

Result 1: Information system for integrated water resource management

During this project critical hydro-logical and geo-hydrological data was acquired from the 'Drini i Bardhë' river basin, data gaps documented and information stored in a water information system. Appropriate computer applications include GIS, and databases and a data catalogue, which are being used for improved access to data and information through an especially established web-portal.Progress was also achieved in data quality assurance and the production of maps. GIS layers of river basin boundaries were corrected. Maps were produced on hydro-geology, groundwater bodies, land use, water sources and source of water use for water supply. In addition, the system will facilitate the issuing of water permits to the water companies/users.

CompletedRather than writing a Plan on data acquisition – as foreseen - a pilot on groundwater assessment has contributed valuable technical information. This has shown the way for basin- if not Kosovo-wide action in groundwater resource assessment including quantity and quality.The Project has broad back life to the WISKI programme, which has been filled with data series from recent period. A powerful tool for the Hydro-meteorological Institute of Kosovo.

A major availability issue of historical hydrological and hydro-geological data continues to restrict the assessment of the water resources and their availability in Kosovo.Not only historical, but recent data processing capacity has been given much attention. To continue with that, it will be very important to provide continued support in terms of field and back to office processing using WISKI.

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Result 2: Monitoring network programmeThe project has supported the Water Department with the preparation of strategies for surface and groundwater monitoring. In a pilot project, near Peja, a methodology for biological status has been tested and validated. Another pilot project, implemented near Istok, took measurements of the groundwater characteristics in terms of quantity and quality. Through this pilot project and other related project activities the staff of the WD in the MESP has acquired the necessary knowledge and skills to undertake similar activities to the entire Kosovo. This would be done in close collaboration with other institutions and within the framework of a Water Monitoring Network Programme.

CompletedWater bodies have been delineated. In addition to ToR, data on groundwater and surface are being acquired.A two-phased monitoring strategy has been proposed for both surface and groundwater monitoring. Phase one would involve less numbers of stations, and monitoring wells.In direct response to the existing needs, field training on groundwater assessment has been conducted in addition to TOR.

Collaboration with the various network partner organizations has been very well including the Water Department, HMIK, KEPA, University of Prishtina, MAFRD, MoH, and Municipalities.

Result 3: Modelling tool for River basin planningThe Water Evaluation and Planning System (WEAP) has been applied to the situation in the Drini River Basin. WEAP is a computer modelling tool for water management. It uses historical river flow data series and calculates a river flow mass balance. Based on that, it allows building water supply and management scenarios. These provide best options for water allocation and use of the water resources including the demand for potable water, irrigation, industries and the environment. The model output has been used to formulate an Indicative

WEAP water balance and water demand of the Drini River Basin are completed; Water balance and water demand have been estimated at the level of both, pilot and basin of the Drini River Basin. With additional support, the methodology can be replicated in other basins.In addition, through scenario analyses water supply gaps were identified and solutions for their closure proposed.Scenarios have been used to formulate the Indicative Water Management Plan for the Decani- Radoniqi system.The methodology for the assessment of water demand forms a part of the

Although the project had access to water supply data from the water supply companies, projections and forecasts would have required reliable data on the population living in the

Hydro-economic modelling requires highly qualified and experienced modellers preferably with an advanced degree in hydrology and a PhD in hydro-economics. In addition, the modeller must be familiar with the latest GIS and model application software. Such a profile is currently not available in the Water Department.

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Water Management Plan for the Decan-Radoniqi pilot area

WEAP model formulation. Its documentation forms a part of the WEAP model reports (see Volume 3, Annex 13 and 25); The Project has concentrated on water demand assessment for irrigation purposes. Irrigation is far the largest water user in the Project area.In addition, field training on model parameter setting for irrigation systems

Project area. This was not available.It is understood that the Government has made plans to carry out a full census in the near future. Results will greatly support a proper assessment of water needs for households and other water users in Kosovo.

Result 4: Flood Risk Management Plan and Wastewater Study TORA pilot project on flood risk management has been implemented in the Municipality of Skenderaj. The pilot project included the acquisition of topographic data in the pilot flooding zone, which was used for the production of flood inundation and flood risk maps. These contain important information for the introduction of measures for the prevention and protection of people, buildings, infrastructure and natural resources.Also, the project prepared the ToR for a comprehensive Water Supply and Wastewater Investment Study in Kosovo.

CompletedAn Indicative Flood Risk Management Plan has been formulated for the Drini River Basin

All flood risk management planning has been oriented towards the EU framework directive on Flood Risk ManagementWith the combination of basin-wide plan based on a detailed pilot approach this Project has added significant value to what has been done before.

The formulation of a flood management plan is a Project in itself.Donors’ coordination meeting held in the water sector in January 2009. A final draft of ToR for Water Supply and Sanitation has been submitted to ECLO in 2009

Result 5: Institutional Development of River Basin District AuthoritiesThe project has produced a document related to the River Basin Institutions development including organisational structure, staffing and budget estimates. The proposal was submitted

A contribution to the establishment and development of the River Basin Authorities has been made.A draft of subsidiary act has been submitted on proposal for RBDA

During the project there have been some delays due to the turnover in position of the Permanent Secretary and the Director of Water DepartmentFuture institutional arrangement for river basin management remains

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to the WD of the MESP. It will serve as a base for discussion of the development of River Basin institutions.

uncertain.It is indicated that river basin institutions will be established progressively through the coming months or years providing that the MESP is given sufficient financial support from the Government. In compliance with the EU Water Framework Directive, Member States shall ensure the appropriate administrative arrangements, including the identification of an appropriate competent authority, for the application of the rules of the Directive within each river basin district lying within their territory.

Result 6: Training and capacity buildingThe project has strongly contributed to capacity building in different technical fields of the project such as information system, monitoring, river basin planning etc. Training activities focused on methodologies, protocols for data acquisition, measurements in the field, recording the measurements data on standard forms, capturing them in computers, etc.

The project organised several study tours to EU Member States including France and Bulgaria, in which best practices in subjects such as hydrology, laboratory analysis and management as well as river basin

Training is an ongoing process. The Project’s training scheduled has been completed.Significant field training has been provided within the Pilot Exercise.A study tour on institutional aspects of river basin management was successfully implemented in September 2009.At the end of the Project, the command of the English language of most staff has improved considerably.

A study tour concerning the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive has been carried out in February 2010 during the extension period of the Project.

Overall, all counterparts have regularly participated in the training activities with a few exceptions.Those actively involved were well motivated and prepared.Emphasis has been given in handing over tools and preparing for replication of activitiesMany field activities for data collection enhanced the WD and HMIK skills in data acquisition and data quality control.

ALL pilot training activities have raised the professional capacity in terms of skills and judgement of individual staff members and partners in terms of judgement capacity and confidence.

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management were shown to groups of five to ten water professionals from Kosovo.

Considerable progress has been made in the field of stakeholder participation which is an important element of the Water Framework Directive. While staff’s skills on these aspects have improved, further support will be needed to carry out more complex analytical tasks, planning and project management. Some tasks could be outsourced in the coming years.

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Annex 8:

Detailed list of project output and achievements


Final Report

Annex 8: Detailed list of project output and achievementsRequirements Products delivered Availability Comments on achievementsResult 1 Output for Water Information SystemTechnical reports Current data status

reportAnnex 19 QR3- Describes existing and missing data. Data requirements and

recommendations for each type of data set.www.kosovo-water.euProject results – Report

Technical Report on The Water Information system

Annex 22 Final Report Presentation of the different tools produced and their characteristics, the training delivered and the hand over process.

www.kosovo-water.eu Password protected Project results - Report

Metadata Data catalogue http://siu.rks-gov.net:8080/katinfo/srv

Characteristics of the data web-based application in three languages hosted in Ministry of Public Service.

Geographical information system

GIS files and maps CD handed over to MESP, Project computer handed over to Water Depart

ArcGIS files. A licence of Arc-GIS software has been purchased under the Incidental Budget (EAR approval).

Databases Sql-GIS database on permit issuing

Computer of the WD, permit issuing unit

The database was designed by the project on SqL. It includes a GIS component to locate the area concerned by the permit. A useful future development would be to link this application to other databases.

Databases for WFD Computer of Besim DOBRUNA – WFD unit in Water Depart

The database was initially started by the Project then transferred to the WFD unit which is developing the functionalities and filling it with data. The Project assisted and controlled these efforts.

GIS data quality control Corrected GIS files Files of the GIS systems handed over

Different GIS files did not overlap or correspond. Corrections have been made.

Measurement data quality control

Knowledge about the data quality of

A. DARROU & P. HAENER’s reports

Check of the hydrological databases. Control of rating curves.

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Requirements Products delivered Availability Comments on achievementsmeasurement www.kosovo-water.eu Inter-laboratory tests to assess the physio-chemical parameters

which were correctly analysed and those where improvements are needed.

Download - Presentation

Databases for measurement data

Monitoring database Access database, Well-organised database with codification which provides the tables and functionalities to share the monitoring information from different monitoring systems.

WISKI data base In HMIK, hydrometrics

CD handover Reinstallation and training delivered in December 2008 by Kisters Company. Hydrometrical historical data are hosted in a server in Germany free for two years, ending end of 2010. Afterwards a budget for maintenance is needed.

Database of water quality entry in HMIK

In Kisters’ server in Aachen, access through password on the web (free of charge up to end of 2010)

Forms for recording measurements have been designed and successfully tested. The database includes functionalities to control the quality of results. The database is operational, training and user manual was provided.

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Final Report

Result 1 Monitoring system – monitoring programmeRequirements Products delivered Availability Comments on achievementsUsers manuals and presentation handouts

a)Data catalogue Annex 14 Final Report Different types of user support were provided.

Kisters Company website Manuals for WISKI, web-portal and the project website.

b)WISKI software manual

Manual or video for upload to the websites.

Annex 15 Final Report Presentations and training on these topics:

c)Permit database Annex 16 Final Report - Principle database of codification.

Annex 17-18 Final Report - Design of organisation database.

d)Data capture for physical chemicals

Annex 22 Final Report - Sql permit database functionalities.

www.kosovo-water.eu - Data collection and analysis forms.e)Web-portal/Website Download

f)Information system report chapter on codification

Result 2 Monitoring system – monitoring programmeTechnical reports Strategy for surface

monitoringAnnex 21 –Quarterly Report 3

Strategy for monitoring priority parameters and the frequency of analysis.

Christian EBEL www.kosovo-water.euPassword protected -Project results - Report

Requirements Products delivered Availability Comments on achievementsToR for surface monitoring

Annex 21 - Quarterly Report 5 The financial and human resources, for development WFD compatible monitoring programme for river water bodies and

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Christian EBEL Annex 13 - Quarterly Report 6 Groundwater bodies have been estimated.

ToR for groundwater monitoring

www.kosovo-water.eu

Juergen DOMROESE Password protected Project results - Report

The bidding document for boreholes drilling for monitoring purpose

Annex 10 – Quarterly Report 6 A document including all the specific tables for pricing and the description of the different drilling case has been delivered.

Malcolm ASHWORTH www.kosovo-water.eu

Password protected Project results - Report

Maps Monitoring sites for hydrology, water quality and macro-invertebrates Water bodies maps

www.kosovo-water.eu Proposals of location of monitoring sites.

Land use maps Download - maps Results of the groundwater pilot project presenting the water body main characteristics in the Istok region.

Elfete KRASNIQIMalcolm ASHWORTH,

Requirements Products delivered Availability Comments on achievementsManual Manual on basic ground

water data acquisitionAnnex 10-final report Presentation of the method and protocol of measurements for

ground water bodies characterisation.www.kosovo-water.euPassword protected Project results - Report

Result 2 Water Framework Directive

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Hydrology Drini River Basin characteristics – Hydrology

Annex 19 Final Report Presentation of the Drini Basin, its general characteristics and the river flows, in line with the article 5 of the WFD.

Z.X. FANG,W HUNDERTMARK,Kujtim ZENA

www.kosovo-water.eu


Hydro-geology Drini River Basin characteristics – Hydro-geology

Annex 20 Final Report Presentation of the Drini Basin hydrogeology, the delineation of the ground water body, the method apply to acquire the basic characteristics of the ground water body in the Istok region through a Pilot Project.Malcolm ASHWORTH www.kosovo-water.eu


Biology Drini River Basin characteristics – Biology

Annex 21 Final Report Presentation of the report on biological assessment of the status of Lumbardhi Peja and Lumbardhi Prizren (Macro-invertebrates, Fishes).

Francois BAUDRY- Yannick POCHON

www.kosovo-water.eu Physio-chemical parameters, sampling and analyses of macro-invertebrates.


Requirements Products delivered Availability Comments on achievementsAdditional Tools Software tools for

surface water evaluationComputer of Water Department Biologist

A software that enables to calculate an index for macro-invertebrates (CEMAGREF France).A software that enables to calculate a European fish index (FAME European Project)A classification system providing the different classes, High, Good, Fair, etc.

Data acquired for River Ecology

Data acquired on biological stations in

Computer of Water Department Biologist and

The observations registered on field sheet on the sites of sampling.

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Final Report

Peja and Prizren sub-basins

University professors biologists

The Excel tables where data have been registered.The Excel calculation sheets and graphics with the value of the index at each site.

Result 3 Modelling with WEAP for River Basin PlanningTechnical reports Technical Report on the

WEAP modellingAnnex 25- Final Report This report provides a description of the use of the WEAP model

by the Project to estimate the water balance and the water demand in the Drini River Basin.

Julien VERDONCK and W HUNDERTMARK

www.kosovo-water.eu It presents also the various scenarios developed in the pilot zone the Decani-Radoniqi water system.

Password protected Project results - Report final report

Indicative Water Management Plan for Decani-Radoniqi water system

Annex 26 -final report This report present the situation in the Decani-Radoniqi water systemwww.kosovo-water.eu


Manual Modelling with WEAP Annex 22 – Quarterly Report 3

Report produced to present the WEAP model to the stakeholders and explain how the model can help water allocation.

Julien VERDONCK www.kosovo-water.eu


Requirements Products delivered Availability Comments on achievementsUser Manual for WEAP modelling in the Decani Radoniqi Water system

Annex 26 -final report Documents on modelling for water resource management.

Julien VERDONCK www.kosovo-water.eu Presentation, manuals and reports describing methodologies.

Download manual

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WEAP model settings and calibration

Computer files In the computer of the water Department –

The WEAP model and the files as set up for modelling using different scenarios.

Model for the pilot zone Decani-Radoniqi water system

WFD unit

Data acquisition during pilot project

Maps of irrigation areas Paper documents Measurements for the calculation of the Environment Minimum Flow.

Losses in irrigation system

Excel file in the computer of the WD

(E-flow) with EstimHab Method.

Measurements for E-flow calculation

Result 4a Flooding riskTechnical reports Flood risk report on the

flooding zone of Skenderaj

Annex 27 - Final report Describes the flood risk in the flooding zone of Skenderaj and recommendations about priority measures to reduce risk.

Fabrice CEBRON - BRLReport on topographical data quality

Project computer Kujtim ZENA

Provides recommendations for topographic survey for flood risk modelling.

Ibrahim LEKAJ – Kujtim ZENA (ALB version)

Requirements Products delivered Availability Comments on achievementsHydraulic Model OASIS integrating

hydraulic – topography and GIS

BRL software Introduction of the topographic and hydrological data, display of the flood curve and of the flood risks maps.

Awareness of the stakeholders

Minutes of meeting between project team and the services of the Municipality of Skenderaj

Project computer Presentation of the results to the Municipality of Skenderaj.

W HUNDERTMARK Wilfried HUNDERTMARK Discussion about the priority actions.

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Maps Flood risks maps of the hot spots in Drini Basin

Project computer Maps resulting from the processing with the model OASIS.

Flood risks in the flooding zone of Skenderaj by Fabrice CEBRON

www.kosovo-water.eu

Download maps

Manual Methodology for flooding risk mapping by

Annex 12 Manual on flood risk mapping

Presentation of all the different steps and technical processing for mapping the flood risks in three category (high, medium and low risks).

Fabrice CEBRON www.kosovo-water.euDownload maps

Data acquisition during pilot project

Questionnaires filled regarding the flooding events

Project computer Data collected in the flooding zone of Skenderaj which serves as inputs in the model to create the maps and study the hydraulic characteristic during the flood events.

Topographic survey of the flooding zone

Result 4bToR for a Water Supply and Sanitation (WSS) Investment Plan

ToR for a WSS Investment Plan and Credit Facility

On request to ECLO The coordination of action between donors is difficult as each of them have their own planning instruments.Donors stressed that technology should be carefully selected and maintenance issues taken into account.

Result 5 Legislation-institutionRequirements Products delivered Availability Comments on achievementsTechnical reports Analytic Report on

Water and other legislation related to water planning and administration W HUNDERTMARK

Annex 6- Inception Report The MESP Permanent Secretary and the Director of Water Department have changed several times during project.

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Then a draft law has circulated including a different approach regarding the River Basin District Authorities.

Proposed action plan for the facilitated establishment of River Basin District Authorities by W HUNDERTMARK

The attention shift to the insufficient approximation of the European Water Directives.

Annex 22 -Quarterly Report 5 This instability did not provide good basis for institution development.

Assessment of the different options for the establishment of River Basin District Authorities by Jacques SIRONNEAU

However, the WFD unit capacity of the WD has been enhanced.

Analytic Report on Water and other Legislation Related to Water Planning and Administration by Selvete DIBRANI

Quarterly Report 6 Annex 11 AND 12

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Appendix 1:

Dynamic plan for groundwater and flood risk assessment


Final Report

Appendix 2:

Administrative instruction on process, content, form and conditions of issuing

water permits


Final Report

Appendix 3:

Report on a river basin management study tour to Germany and France


Final Report

Appendix 4:

Minutes of meeting of the final Steering Committee meeting including power point


Final Report

Appendix 5:

Minutes of Meeting of Final Steering Committee Meeting