Publication Name

49 / 96

49
 Transboundary waters resource
management (TWRM): development
of information systems and policies
supporting the transboundary
governance of shared water bodies in
ODA countries of Eastern Europe
Lake Drukšiai/Drisviaty Basin Management
Programme
The transboundary water basin of Drukšiai/
Drisviaty Lake is shared by three countries:
Lithuania, Belarus and Latvia. It has interna-
tional and local importance as it is a part of
the national park, protected nature reserves
and NATURA 2000 network sites, which are
fully or partly protected by national laws. At
the same time the basin is an environmental
and security hot spot of high concern, espe-
cially in the region of Ignalina Nuclear Power
Plant (NPP) with its nuclear waste storage
and repository facilities and the newly pro-
posed Visaginas NPP. In addition, the na-
tional boundaries represent barriers for co-
operation, implementation of a basin-wide
approach and integration of various water
management aspects.
GRID-Arendal, together with the Regional Environmental
Centre for Central and Eastern Europe (REC) in Hungary,
has been managing the project since 2009. The REC is
mainly responsible for the content management of the
Basin Analysis Report, whereas GRID-Arendal is respon-
sible for the overall project management, preparation and
facilitation of capacity building events and the GeoIQ tool
development and maintenance.
In 2012, an official Drukšiai/Drisviaty Lake Basin Man-
agement Programme (DLB MP) Website and mapping
application was launched105 with the GeoIQ informa-
tion management tool integrated into the site.106 The
tool has been shared with all three basin countries and
is intended to stimulate information exchange between
the stakeholders (governments, academia, and NGOs)
of the basin. As system administrators, GRID-Arendal
can see that the site has been used for the creation and
analysis of maps and datasets. As a spin-off from the
Basin Analysis Report (currently in draft form) new data
are now available (pollution sources, ground water sta-
tus and more) for the transboundary region, which will
be uploaded as maps on the DLB GeoIQ tool for future
use by stakeholders.
105.
106. More maps can be
reviewed in the GeoIQ tool at
search?model=&query=DLB
Two international workshops were held during 2013 within
the framework of the DLB MP, on ‘Monitoring of surface
and groundwater status and protected areas’ and on ‘Im-
plementing the economic aspects of the European Union
Water Framework Directive (EU WFD)’. The former includ-
ed participants from 8 European countries,107 whilst the
latter, which was co-organised with the REC, specifically
targeted participants from the three basin countries.
The Basin Analysis Report has been drafted, based on the
work of experts from the three basin countries. Carried out in
accordance with EU WFD requirements, the report evaluates
the basin’s environmental, social and economic status, in-
cluding issues related to nuclear safety, and provides recom-
mendations for the further, sound development of integrated
water resource management. It has enhanced water resource
assessment and reporting systems in the basin countries,
improved collaboration between competent authorities, and
raised awareness and public participation regarding EU wa-
ter policies. However, the project has had to be halted, until
the transfer of allocated funds is resumed by UNOPS/UNEP.
Dniester River Basin
The Dniester River basin, shared by Moldova and Ukraine,
is the fifth largest transboundary basin in the Black Sea
region. Working jointly with Zöi Environment Network,
GRID-Arendal has been involved since 2006 in strength-
ening cooperation between Moldova and Ukraine on com-
mon environmental issues in the basin. GRID-Arendal
has been managing the Information Working Group of
Dniester projects, and assisting the two governments in
the development and negotiations of the Dniester Treaty,
signed on 29 November 2012.
107. Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria,
Norway
Training workshop on: “Implementing the Economic Aspects
of the Water Framework Directive (WFD)” in Vilnius, Lithuania
on 23rd of May.