Existing Solutions

IWRM, pollution control, information system, action programme, river basin organization, management at basin level, water quality.

policy

- Institutional (creation of a basin organization) – Technical

 (production of an action programme)

When they met in Paris on 5 March 1997, the Turkish and French Ministers for the Environment agreed to launch a pilot project, in the Izmir area, aimed at the integrated management of water resources (infrastructures and pollution control) of the three Aegean rivers:

-          Gediz

-          Kuzey Ege

-          Menderes

This project particularly aimed to control pollution in Izmir Bay in the Aegean Sea.

During 18 months, IOWater organised and planned the actions of many experts. Using existing collected information, these actions made it possible to assess the status of this area, both in qualitative and quantitative terms, in order to prove the feasibility of integrated water resource management in the Aegean river basins, and to propose measures to make further progress.

In addition to an overall assessment and a detailed survey of the area, the study of the first phase recommended three main actions corresponding to the terms of reference:

·         A priority action programme, with a budget of 40 million Euros, regroups 28 projects, the most important of which deal with water quality protection in the Gediz basin. In general terms, these actions are to be undertaken in the short term and involve urban or industrial treatment plants.

This priority action programme was drawn up after the assessment of the ability to pay of the different water users in the region and the simulation of a financial system based on their contributions.

·         A pilot institution for the Gediz basin: the study proposes the creation – based on existing texts regarding associations in Turkey – of a basin organisation applying the principles of integrated management, users’ participation and the use of financial incentives through the introduction of taxes on withdrawals and discharges, so that the funds collected can then be used for the preservation of water quality.

·         An integrated basin information system: it is broadly outlined in the assessment document which deals, above all, with the quality of collected data, their comprehensiveness, and the partnership between the various data producers. In the medium term, this system could be supported by a local body such as the one proposed for the Gediz basin,

Rergading this integrated basin information system, various missions (from November 1997 to March 1999), carried out by the Group’s experts, made it possible to establish precisely:

·         The objectives to be set for this system, based on an analysis of the local partners’ expectations;

·         The organisation of the management structure and the necessary co-ordination for the efficient operation of this system;

·         The identification of the information to be collected and the organisation of the information flow between partners, while ensuring that the quality of the data exchanged is controlled.

It is essential to get effective and reliable measurements and analyses, thus ensuring an in-depth knowledge of the uses of abstracted water and of discharges, carried out while using the same standards whoever the network manager may be.

A 3-year work programme was recommended, aiming at the collection and optimum development of regional data necessary for integrated water resource management calling upon Euro-Mediterranean (MEDA) and multilateral funds, within the framework of the METAP III Programme in particular.

The solution has been implemented in Turkey, in the Izmir area, and targeted the three Aegean rivers:

-          Gediz

-          Kuzey Ege

-          Menderes

The first phase of this programme which was jointly implemented by IOWater, ANTEA, BRL Engineering and SEURECA-SPACE, in support of a technical field team made up of the Turkish partners.

The project was supervised by a joint steering committee made up of:

-           the Ministry of the Environment, DSI, Iller Bankasi and SPO, on the Turkish side

-          of the Ministry of the Environment, the French Embassy in Turkey, the Rhone-Mediterranean-Corsica Water Agency and IOWater, on the French side.

The French Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry provided financial support.

In Izmir, on 22 March 1999, World Water Day, the International Office for Water, on behalf of the group, ceremoniously submitted the final conclusions of this first phase to Mr. Firuz Demir YASAMIS, the Turkish Under Secretary of State for the Environment, in the presence of Mr. Cyril BOUYEURE, head of the Trade Commission of the French Embassy in Ankara and Mr. Laurent CAPLAT, representative of the French Ministry of the Environment.

A detailed presentation of the document was given to the joint Pilot Committee who approved the conclusions.

The project started in December 1997 and it was indeed completed in February 1999.

The key question here was how to implement an IWRM especially aimed at pollution control.

The solution response seems relevant: it suggests to prepare an action programme to be implemented by a water authority managing the resource at basin level with the support of an information system, giving both a snapshot of the initial state of the water resources and its evolution following the implementation of the action programme.

This solution contribute to the achievement of the objective of good status, and it should be replicated in acceding, candidate or potential candidate country, and other neighboring countries of the European Union.

The key outputs have been:

-          a priorization of the actions and investments planned

-          the creation of a river basin organization

-          the creation of an information system

-          an improved IWRM

Are the institution/information system planned put in place in a timely manner?

Has the quality of water improved on the ground?

Should be interest in replicating this solution every acceding, candidate or potential candidate countries, and other neighboring countries of the European Union, facing challenges of IWRM and willing to implement strategies similar to those of the WFD in order to move towards the good status of their water bodies and to apply the “acquis communautaire”.

The French Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry provided 3.200 million French francs (about 488 million euros) through the Fund for Private-sector Aid and Studies (or, in French, the “Fonds d’aide et d’études au secteur privé – Fasep”).

Alain Bernard

Office International de l’Eau

a.bernard@oieau.fr

Anne Marie Husson

Office International de l’Eau

am.husson@oieau.fr