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Seminar on Integrated Water Management in the Tisza River Basin
Final Report - III
Country Presentations of Hungary
7. Interaction between agricultural and water sector
By Mr. Gabor Kolossvary
How can we be able to take the environmental protection into account and at the same time provide enough agricultural products for the people?
How does agriculture influence water bodies
 Irrigation and drainage? Lowering of the groundwater table? Causes destruction of wetlands
Plant protection activities? pesticides can leach into surface water and groundwater
Fertilisation? nutrient leaching
Use of sewage sludge? heavy metals
Erosion? sediments can get to the water courses
Competition for land use between water and agricultural sectors.
Water resources and agriculture
The most important agricultural and environmental risk is the water scarcity
Increasing water demand (increasing production, lack of the control, loss of good proportions)
Decreasing water resources
Water use of agriculture in the world reaches 80%, in Hungary 30%
Water quality deterioration, endangering
Catastrophes (floods, excess inland waters, droughts).
Interactions between the WFD and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)
The WFD contains requirements for all areas of economic life
Common Agricultural policy will produce significant effects on agricultural water management
Harmonisation of WFD implementation with the rural development planning is important
Monitoring activities according to the WFD can help to identify measures of rural development
Agricultural activities has to be taken into consideration during planning of the monitoring activities
Inventory of protected areas based on WFD will help rural development actions to provide better conservation and identification of protected areas
Measures under WFD might require changes in land use? Competition for land
Competition between farmers can be influenced by environmental limit values and codes
Effects of WFD can require compensation, but it can not be financed within the frame of CAP
Standards concerning priority (dangerous) substances can result in limited plant protections.
The complex interactions of the Eco-region along the Tisza River include flood protection, rural development, ecological tourism, nature- and environment protection, modern agriculture, and recreation. Some of the main issues to deal with are thus: a) risks of flood protection, water scarcity, aridity, drought, b) change of farming production, farming techniques, possession policy, land and landscape use, and food production, and c) prevention of damages and water management.
What results do we want to achieve:
Less catastrophes causing less damages
Calculable and safe agricultural production, life and possession safety
Profitable agricultural aids, increase of sources to effective and economical farming techniques
Spread of land and landscape uses complementing each other and available for land features
Increase of population maintaining ability of lands
Dynamic development of settlements and rural areas.
Recommendations:
Form Governmental policy for future prospects of Tisza river basin
Provide the possibilities of economic change for owners without losses
Start paying supports according to EU standards
Enforce cost-recovery and cost-effectiveness principles
Protect natural and environmental values and settlements
Protect the Tisza river valley without disadvantageous effects to agricultural producers.
8. International cooperation in the framework of the Tisza Water Forum
By Dr. Peter Bakonyi & Mr. Kalman Papp
Today there is very vivid cooperation between the five countries on the Tisza River. There is will and wish to continue the cooperation, but after the big political changes, the countries have performed independent water management. Then the river flood disaster occurred with the extreme floods on the Tisza River in the period of 1998-2001, which made it clear that multi-national cooperation is needed. The next step was the signing of the Budapest Declaration on 25 May 2001.
Co-operation under the Tisza Water Forum (TWF) covers:
Review of the national flood policies
Harmonisation of the national flood control developments
Elaboration of the Common Flood Control Concept
Involvement of third partners
Working structures under the Forum are: 1) Ministerial Meeting, 2) Meeting of the National Co-ordinators, 3) Working Groups No 1-8, and 4) Technical Secretariat VITUKI Ltd.
Tisza River Basin on Flood Control Working Groups:
1. Natural Characteristics of the Tisza River Basin / YU
2. Description of Flood Control Situation by Countries / RO
3. Increasing the Lead Time Available for the Preparation of the Flood Defence System / HU
4. Definition of Design Flood Levels / SLO
5. Implementation of Required Measures / U
6. Determining the Environmental Impacts (Strategic EIA) / SLO
7. International Co-operation and Legal Framework / HU
8. Action Programme for the Sustainable Flood Protection in the Tisza River Basin / RO
Definition of design flood levels:
Review of the present practice (country by country, state of the art)
Comparison of methods (pros & cons)
Proposal of uniform/comparable methods
Pilot studies to compare the different methods (pilot river reaches/sections)
Implementation of required measures:
Comparison of safety standards
Use of flood retention reservoirs (mountainous region, lowlands)
In-channel methods (conveyance capacity)
Use of forestry measures (reforestation)
Efficiency of different measures
Uniform principles of the operation of hydraulic structures
Operational manuals
Projects and programme related to flood control:
Development of hydrological monitoring system of the River Berettyó (HU-RO PHARE/CBC)
NATO - Ukrainian Flood Prevention Project for the Carpathian Region
Flood Management in Slovakia and Ukraine (DANCEE, Denmark)
PHARE/CBC Upper Somes (Szamos) - Tisza project
National Action Programme for the Sustainable Flood Protection in the Tisza River Basin (flood defence plans + output of working groups = Action Programme)
Latest developments National Co-ordinators Meeting Odessa 27-28 October 2003.
Proposal for the extension of the activity of the Forum
Co-operation with ICPDR (harmonise activities of flood protection of ICPDR and TWF WG 8)
Action Programme for the Sustainable Flood Protection in the Tisza River Basin (working programme adopted)
9. Environmental cooperation in the Tisza river basin
By Mr. Peter Kovacs
Background
Frequent accidental pollution events (1979s, 1980s)
Increasing pollution pressure and impact
Convention on measures to combat pollution of the Tisza river and its tributaries (1986 - CS, HU, RO, SU, YU)
Cyanide pollution (2000 - Baia Mare, RO): 100,000 m3 highly toxic solution of sodium/potassium cyanide, disastrous ecological damage, social and economic consequences, and then the Tisza River attracted attention
Declaration of the Environmental Ministers of HU, RO, SK and UA (2000)
Regional Environmental Initiative by HU (2000)
Multilateral workshop in Budapest to discuss the TRBEP Initiative (2001 - HU, RO, SK, UA, YU, EU DG Env and ICPDR).
Objectives of the concept paper - to promote:
Development of short and longer-term programs for reducing pollution risks
Implementation of joint monitoring program
Prevention of transboundary pollution
Identification of the ecologically sustainable environmental state of the Tisza River
Maintenance and restoration of wetlands and floodplains
Implementation of IRBM approach
Implementation of good agricultural practices and mechanisms for sustainable water resources management
Development of the legal and administrative framework of co-operation
Public involvement.
Elements of the Initiative
Short-term programs: bi- or multilateral projects that can be financed from local sources
Middle-term programs: projects supporting the implementation of WFD
Long-term programs: projects requiring international financial support.
Short term programmes - so far several inventories:
Assessment, characterization and classification of pollution sources in the Tisza and Szamos River Basins (finished in 2003 for the river basins of Borzsa and Latorca)
Elaboration of joint contingency plans in HU and RO or SK for the Ipoly, Hernád, Bodrog, Szamos and Berettyó sub-basins of the Tisza
Proposal for a Joint Tisza Basin Transboundary Monitoring Program,
Elaboration of a ToR for a Trilateral Körös Basin Management Program - FR, HU and RO.
Middle-term and long-term programmes - so far:
Middle-term: Investment programs elaboration to support the co-ordinated contingency plan implementation for the Szamos and Berettyó RB (FI, HU, RO)
Middle-term: Hernád River common management program (NL, SK, HU)
Long-term: Körös River Basin Joint Management Program (expected to start in 2004)
Long-term: Upper Tisza automatic water quality monitoring and early warning stations development project (HU, UA, 2002-2008).
Future
Implementation of program: a) Mechanism has to be established to ensure proper management of the implementation of the program, c) Common Work Program has to be prepared for middle and long-term projects to harmonize them with the WFD, and c) Program financing must be ensured
Links to other existing and emerging conventions: a) ICPDR, b) Sustainable Spatial Development of the TRB Region (EU), and c) Framework Convention on the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Carpathians.
10. Management of ecological problems of the Tisza River in Hungary
By Mr. Imre Lanszky
Ecological problems of the Tisza river:
Historical: 1) Vásárhelyi-plan 2. Part of the XIX. c., 2) World Wars I and II, 3) Irrigation, 4) Nature protection and NPs, and 5) New Vásárhelyi Plan.
Nature values: 1) NATURA 2000 - habitats and species, 2) National AGRO-Environmental Program, 3) Arable land, forests, wetlands, lakes, ponds, dams, and grasslands
Preparation of Natura 2000 in Hungary:
General provisions: 1) impact assessment, and 2) management plans etc.
Protected areas: 1) national parks, 2) landscape protection areas, and 3) nature reserves
ESAs: 1) declared by joint KöMFVM min. decree, and 2) contractual measures
Natural areas: 1) Act III of 1996 on Nature Protection, and 2) special measures and prescriptions.
Maps showing the adm. capacity and preparation of Hungary to EU accession in nature conservation:
Preparation for implementing the Habitats Directive in Hungary: Area selection for detailed CLC50 and C-habitat mapping (component 3)
Nature Protected Areas of Hungary: NPs, LPAs, Nature Conservation Areas, Adm. Areas of NP Directorate, and 10 numbered and named NPIs
Ramsar sites of Hungary: Map showing Ramsar Sites and Adm. Areas of NP Directorates
Distribution of Sodic Lakes in Hungary
Distribution of Mires in Hungary
National Ecological Network: Core areas, buffer areas, ecological corridors and stepping stones
Environmentally Sensitive Areas of Hungary: pilot areas, very important ESAs, important ESAs and adm. areas of NP directorate
Proposed Sites of Community Interest (pSCIs), May 2003 (1. Draft)
Proposed SCIs for Vipera ursini rakosiensis (1. Draft)
Proposed SCIs for Pannonic salt steppes and salt marshes (1530) (1. Draft)
Proposed SCIs for Isophya costata (1. Draft)
Special Protection Areas (pSPAs), May 2003 (1. Draft)
SPAs for Dendrocopos leucotos (1. Draft)
SPAs for Egretta garzetta (1. Draft).
Grasslands in Hungary:
Development of grasslands in the Carpathian Basin, the role of extensive animal husbandry, and the nature values
Threatening factors in grassland maintenance: 1) changes in land use, 2) hydrological problems, 3) spreading of intensive grassland management. 4) habitat fragmentation (infra-structure development), and 5) decrease of grazing livestock.
The general objectives of the National Agri-environmental Program (NAEP) are:
Environmentally friendly agriculture
Diversifying the rural employment
Competitiveness of agriculture
Sustainable land use
Improving tourism potential
Zonal Programs within NAEP - Network of Environmentally Sensitive Areas:
Potential areas: where the ration of extensive agricultural habitats is considerable, though the occurrence of environmental, landscape and cultural values are lower, and where supporting extensive management could improve the environmental value of the area.
Very important areas: where considerable amount of environmental values of international significance occur and their mid-term (5-10 years) existence is threatened without supporting environment-friendly management.
Important areas: where considerable amount of environmental, landscape and cultural values of national significance occur and their maintenance and improvement requires the introduction of supporting environmental-friendly management.
11 pilot ESAs has been designated with administrative boundaries.
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