Electronic letter of the Group of European Basin Organizations
for the implementation of the Water Framework Directive
N° 2 - August 2010
WATER, THE 1st VICTIM OF CLIMATE CHANGE
The water regime of all the large European rivers
is being modified!
All the large European rivers, the Ebro, Rhone, Po, Rhine, Danube, Vistula… and their main tributaries have their headwaters in mountains and have mainly a snow-glacier regime, characterized by:
- snow precipitations during the cold period, allowing a natural limitation of flows and thus of floods in autumn and winter,
- water release during the warm period, with the melting of snow and glaciers to feed the summer low water levels, mainly downstream, in the large European plains.
Today, the mountains are providing an essential share to the flows of all the large European rivers, 34% of the total annual flow of the Rhine, 41% of that of the Rhone up to 53% of the flow of the Po, i.e. on the average 2 to 6 times more than their relative surface area as compared to that of each basin. Thus for example, even though only 11% of the Rhine River Basin is located in the Alps, the latter thus provides 34% of the annual flow, but also more than 50% of the summer flow, when water is particularly required especially by the farmers using irrigation when rainfall is low.
With the already very significant effect of Climate Change in mountains, with the reduction in the snow cover and the melting of glaciers, the flows of all the large European rivers, which have their headwaters there, will be appreciably modified : On the average there would be before 2100 an increase of + 20% in the winter flows, but a reduction of -17% in spring and up to - 55% in the summer flows and the frequency and intensity of the floods in autumn, winter and springs, and summer droughts will significantly increase.
The European Commission has already identified 33 Basins which are affected by water shortages. They cover an area of 460.000 km2, representing 10% of the European Union and 83 million people live there, i.e. 16.5% of the population of the EU.
To face these challenges, it is necessary to better recognize the role of mountains for the community as a whole and to better help the mountain dwellers, within integrated basin policies, so that they can manage the territories, ecosystems and mountain water resources, build the integrated infrastructures necessary upstream to continue protecting downstream areas against risks and provide the plains and our big cities with abundant quality water, which they will increasingly need…
New water governance is needed in mountains to face climate change!
-› Continuation : http://www.inbo-news.org...Megeve2010-...
∎ Our next large meeting
∙ 8th International Conference on the implementation
of the European Framework Directive
22-24 September 2010 - Megève (France)PLEASE REGISTER TO PARTICIPATE!
The next « EUROPE-INBO 2010 » international conference, organized by the « Group of European Basin Organizations for the Implementation of the Water Framework Directive», will take place, at the invitation of the French Water Agencies, on 22, 23 and 24 September 2010 in MEGEVE – France.
Of course, this conference will be organized around main and current topics on the implementation of the Framework Directive (WFD) in the National and Transboundary River Basin Districts, in particular:
As the conference is taking place in the Alps, special attention will be paid to the characteristics of hydrological and ecological regions and water bodies in European mountains, basin heads, and to the specific measures, that should be considered for adapting to the effects of climate change on the hydrology of the big European Rivers.
There will be simultaneous translation into English and French.
Registration to the « EUROPE-INBO 2010 » conference is free of charge.
∙ Information :
EURO-RIOB 2010 : http://www.inbo-news.org/..
Registration form - Preparatory documents
∙ Records:
Consult the reports of the previous "EUROPE-INBO" conferences "
www.inbo-news.org/spip.php?mot118&lang=en
and
the reports of the previous international conferences on "Water in Mountains"
Megève (FRANCE) - September 2006
Megève (FRANCE) - September 2002
Send us your next events
on the implementation of the Water Framework Directive info@inbo-news.org
∎ European Commission
Guidance document on climate change
On 30 November 2009, the European Commission and the Water Directors of the Member States adopted, within the WFD Common Implementation Strategy, a new guidance document.
-› Download the document :
« River basin management in a changing climate»
∎ European Environment Agency
Regional Climate Change and adaptation -
The Alps facing the challenge of changing water resources
-› Download the report of the European Environment Agency
The summary and the references of the document
http://www.inbo-news.org/spip.php?article1777&lang=en
∎ Alpine Commission
Water and Water Resources Management issues:
Report on the State of the Alps
-› Download the report of the Alpine Convention
The summary and the references of the document
http://www.inbo-news.org/spip.php?article1752&lang=en
∎ UNECE
Guidance on Water and Adaptation to Climate Change
-› Download the report (12Mo) in English
References of the document
http://www.inbo-news.org/spip.php?article1787&lang=fr
∎ INBO General Assembly - January 2010
Adapting to the effects of climate change in basins:
Tools for action.
-› Download the "Declaration of Dakar"
All the other documents of the workshop of the General Assembly on this topic:
http://www.inbo-news.org/spip.php?rubrique225&lang=en
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INBO - Permanent Technical Secretariat
c/o International Office for Water
21, rue de Madrid - 75008 PARIS (FRANCE)
Tel. (33) 1.44.90.88.60 - Fax (33) 1.40.08.01.45
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