Basin-wide management for wise use of water

The area of land that catches precipitation and drains it to a water body (river, lake) is called a basin. It can range in size from a few hectares to thousands of square kilometers. In a watershed the human activities on land and what happens to water and subsequently to the organisms that use water are interconnected. Thus, a basin-wide approach is the key to successful water management.

The total Prespa area, combining the drainage basins and the lakes, is 2,519.1km2. Micro Prespa (total surface app. 47.4 km2) belongs to Greece (43.5 km2), while a smaller part (approx. 4 km2) belongs to Albania. Macro Prespa (total surface app. 259.4 km2) is divided between the three states, with the largest part belonging to FYR Macedonia. The lakes Micro and Macro Prespa are situated at approximately 850 metres above sea level amidst mountains rising to over 2,000 m.a.s.l.

From the basin-wide perspective, the major water management issues in the Prespa lakes basin include:

(1) the lack of basin-wide planning and management;

(2) significant water level fluctuation of the lakes, including a significant drop of the Macro Prespa water level;

(3) water quality deterioration (eutrophication); and

(4) the lack of basin condition monitoring.

The Macro Prespa Lake has especially suffered from three sharp water level drops, which took place during the following periods: 1975/1977 (1.2 m), 1987/1990 (3.7 m) and 2000/2002 (2.2 m). The causes of this phenomenon have not yet been fully investigated. Parameters that could explain this loss are natural karstic underground outflows and the inflows that are in turn affected by the rainfall/snowfall pattern.

Currently it is not possible to assess how much water quality and biodiversity have declined and which of the pollutants (communal waste water, industrial effluents, agriculture and sedimentation) are most harmful. Pollution, sedimentation and water abstraction jointly contribute to the degradation of aquatic habitats. The decreased water quality of the Macro Prespa Lake and the decline of beach quality are regarded as severe constraints for the development of tourism.

Prespa Park for wise water management

One of the goals of the UN declared International Decade for Action, ‘Water for Life’ 2005-2015 is for all countries to stop the unsustainable exploitation of water resources and to develop integrated water resource management.

Following the integrated basin management approach principles, coordination of activities in all three countries is being promoted for the joint management of the Prespa waters. To this regard the establishment of a trilateral working group on water management is underway. The development of a joint management plan for the whole basin which will provide for sustainable use of available resources is the ultimate aim of this effort. Ecosystem and human needs of water will be an integral part of this process so that a balance can be struck to ensure sustainable development in the transboundary Prespa Park.

All these efforts are aligned with the requirements of the European Commission (EC) Water Framework Directive. These requirements include, among other:

•    to characterise the drainage basin in terms of pressures, impacts and economic analysis;
•    to establish a monitoring network;
•    the preparation of river basin management plans;
•    the operationalisation of programmes of measures;

For river basins extending beyond the boundaries of the EU, the Directive calls Member States to produce a single basin management plan in cooperation with the relevant non-member States.♦