Extension of the HD-led River Basins project

The EU-granted 9-month EPIRB project extension will allow further development of environmental protection measures. Learn about some our successes so far and the planned upcoming work
13.10.2015

The HD-led project Environmental Protection of International River Basins (EPIRB) is among the EU’s priority regional projects implemented in the Eastern Partnership countries. Its objective is improved environmental protection and water quality in the trans-boundary river basins of the wider Black Sea region and Belarus.

Recognising the achievements of our Team with EPIRB, the EU has granted an extension of 9 months to solidify and further embed the work done so far. The project has been underway since January 2012; it is now expected to conclude in October 2016 (57 months total).

This extension will allow our team to build further on three years of quality work and to widen the impact of this project. It also allows us more time to deeply embed systems to guarantee the legacy of what we have achieved.

— Ivelina Dilovska, EPIRB Project Director

Project achievements

The project has made advanced progress toward the main target results, namely: (1) increased capacities of the respective national authorities for hydro-biological, chemical and hydro-morphological monitoring of water quality including groundwater; and (2) increased technical capacities by means of development and implementation of River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) for the selected pilot rivers.

We are proud to share some of our successes so far.

  • National draft River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) have been developed for all pilot basins. These are WFD-compliant and incorporate both surface and groundwater bodies.
    • In Armenia, the draft RBMP for the Akhuryan Pilot Basin is the first of its kind.
    • In Moldova, the draft RBMP for the Prut basin is the first ever prepared in the country.
    • To facilitate comprehensive Prut basin management, the project has successfully brought together relevant stakeholders from Moldova, Ukraine, Romania and the ICPDR Secretariat to share and discuss the three national Prut RBMPs and their harmonisation.
  • In Azerbaijan, a WFD-compliant national monitoring programme has been developed. This is now being tested during field water monitoring in Central Kura and Ganikh/Alazan river basins.
  • In Belarus, as part of selected measures and to boost basin cooperation toward effective flood management, the project has completed flood risks assessment and mapping of the Upper Dnieper basin — including determination most-at-risk areas, field surveys of critical sites, mapping, and initial design of protection measures.
  • In Georgia, we have assisted the preparation of secondary legislation in support of the new Water Code —including the development of legislation required for the delineation of river basins and basin authorities.
  • In Ukraine, with project support, all necessary regulations have been prepared for establishment of a Prut River Basin Council. Pending approval by stakeholders, these will become working documents of this Council.

Pending work

This extension provides the opportunity for the project to explore further areas to deepen capacity. Among other areas, our project team will work on:

  • Using the Danube GIS platform in reporting to the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) for the Danube RBMP and bringing together the component River Prut plans developed by Moldova and Ukraine. All project data will be uploaded on to country-specific databases during the extension period to provide a common reporting platform. Training will also be provided on the database software and how to undertake maintenance;
  • Development of a comparable Ecological Status Classification Systems (ESCS) for the lower river catchments and lakes, to include biological quality elements such as macrophytes, phytobenthos and phytoplankton;
  • A 4th round of ground- and surface water surveys undertaken in the pilot basins to fill data gaps and support ESCS development;
  • Development of guidelines in line with existing EU and regional practice and preparation of a pilot monitoring plan for the Chorokhi coastal strip in Georgia and potentially a site in Ukraine — as monitoring of coastal and transitional waters needs to meet both the requirements of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and the Water Framework Directive;
  • Extended national RBMP development contracts — to incorporate results from the gap-filling surveys and stakeholder consultation and to help steer the plans through the national adoption processes; and
  • Further pilot projects in the beneficiary countries.

The extension of the project allows to: maintain momentum of the project which has been generated in all countries; ensure the sustainability of the projected outputs/achievements (ecological status classification system and adopted RBMP); and guarantee a smooth transition from the existing project to any a follow-on project, avoiding damaging implementation gaps.

— Tim Turner, EPIRB project Team Leader