Published : Nov 26,
2012 Last modified : Nov 29, 2012 11:53
AM
Water pollution and excessive water use
are still harming ecosystems, which are
indispensable to Europe’s food, energy,
and water supplies. To maintain water ecosystems,
farming, planning, energy and transport
sectors need to actively engage in managing
water within sustainable limits.
‘European waters – current
status and future challenges’ brings together
findings from nine other European Environment
Agency (EEA) reports published during the
course of 2012 and early 2013. The report
shows a mixed picture for the status of
Europe’s water bodies, while the findings
are worrying when it comes to ecosystems'
ability to deliver essential services.
Strong ecosystems should
be maintained, partly because they provide
vital services which are often overlooked,
the report says. For example, restoring
a wetland is not only good for biodiversity
but also water filtration, water retention
and flood prevention. Although essential,
these services are not accounted for in
current financial and economic systems.
“Water is finite, and
cannot continue to absorb limitless amounts
of pollution without damaging the resources
and ecosystems we rely on,” Jacqueline McGlade,
EEA Executive Director, said. “Farmers,
planners and companies need to cooperate
more, to make sure that the combined pressures
on ecosystems do not pass harmful limits.”
Ecosystems are under
pressure. Less than half (48 %) of Europe's
surface water bodies are likely to be in
good ecological status by 2015, as specified
by the Water Framework Directive (WFD).
To meet this target, water bodies must further
reduce nutrient pollution and restore more
natural features. The effects of these problems
are clear – 63 % of lakes and river habitats
in the EU are reported to have an ‘unfavourable’
conservation status.
Modification of water
bodies is harming ecosystems. The extent
of modification of water bodies – the ‘hydromorphological
status’ – is also a problem in 52 % of surface
waters. Artificial modifications such as
dams or reservoirs can prevent plants and
animals from migrating or reproducing.
Pollution problems in European waters. Nitrate
pollution from agricultural fertilisers
is the most long-term pollution problem
for European surface waters. At the current
rate of improvement, nitrate levels will
still be too high for several decades to
come, the report notes. Phosphates and ammonia
pollution are reducing more quickly, due
to better waste water treatment. This improvement
is visible in the improving water quality
at bathing sites across Europe – in 2011,
92.1 % of sites met the minimum standards.
Agriculture and other
sectors are using water inefficiently. Water
scarcity is caused by human demands exceeding
the available freshwater resources, adding
to the ‘water deficit’ during summer droughts
in many parts of Europe.
Drought is increasing
across Europe. The number of countries affected
by drought per decade increased from 15
in the period 1971–1980 to 28 in the period
2001–2011. Climate change is expected to
exacerbate this problem.
Flooding is becoming
more frequent, especially in Northern Europe.
More than 325 major river floods have been
reported in Europe since 1980, of which
more than 200 have been reported since 2000.This
is partly caused by increased building in
flood prone areas. Projected climate change
is expected to lead to more floods in many
areas.
Looking ahead to responsive water resources
management
Solutions to many of
Europe’s water problems have been analysed
in the European Commission’s Water Blueprint,
published in 2012. The EEA report, launched
today at the Blueprint conference in Cyprus,
underpins the Blueprint’s recommendations
and provides a baseline for monitoring progress.
New incentives can help
Europe reduce the amount of water that is
wasted, according to the EEA report. Suggested
measures include reconsidering pricing structures
for water use or domestic metering. However,
incentives introduced with other policy
objectives in mind can also encourage wasteful
behaviour, for example some governments
subsidise water use or encourage water-intense
crops in dry areas.
Farming remains one
of the largest pressures on Europe’s water
resources, so agriculture and the food industry
are major actors in significantly improving
the situation. In the future, payments to
farmers under the Common Agricultural Policy
should consider their overall effect on
water resources, the report says.
Energy production is
another sector with a high impact on water
in Europe. Biofuel production can be water
intensive, while hydropower plants often
divert water used for other sources. Extracting
non-conventional oil and gas resources can
also lead to water pollution. Careful planning
can balance these demands against the needs
of ecosystems, the report says.
Overall, river basins
need to be further managed with constructive
dialogue between the many stakeholders in
the area. Public participation and the development
of a strong knowledge base are paramount
to engage into this dialogue.
The report states that
the river basin is the best geographical
scale for making accurate ’water accounts’–
in effect asset management to balance the
incoming and outgoing resources. Upcoming
challenges for water resource management
can only be met when water managers have
the right information at their fingertips.
