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WATER
RESOURCES PROBLEMS IN SOUTHERN EUROPE Topic report 15/96 by T. Estrela, C. Marcuello and A. Iglesias European Topic Centre on Inland Waters August 1996 This report was prepared under the supervision of N.
Thyssen, Project Manager, |
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The existing regional imbalance of water resources across the continent makes water shortage a great problem in many regions of Europe. This report gives a general overview of the present water resource situation in the semi-arid regions of the EEA area, where water scarcity problems can constitute a threat to sustainable development and have major repercussions from environmental, social, economic and political perspectives.
The availability of water for human consumption, and for other uses, is often limited by poor quality. Typical water resource issues in water scarcity areas include: water surface exploitation; reservoir and lake eutrophication; aquifer exploitation; minimum and ecological flow; wetlands; seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers; floods; desertification and erosion in basins; and, soil salinisation.
The report highlights some key issues and identifies aspects that require further work before the scale of the problems can be fully quantified.
Preface
This report has been prepared by the European Topic Centre on Inland Waters (ETC/IW) in fulfilment of Task 24 - Project MW4/MW5 of the 1995 Technical Work Programme. It is based on the First Draft Report submitted by CEDEX/ITGE to ETC/IW-EEA in July 1995 and on the following new documents:
INAG (1995) Comments to the First Draft Report submitted by CEDEX/ITGE to ETC/IW-EEA "Overview report on the key water issues in semi-arid /water scarcity regions of the EEA area".
INAG (1995) Questionnaires related to the First Draft Report. These questionnaires were received by CEDEX in November, 1995.
ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT (1995) Questionnaires related to the First Draft Report about Sardinia (Italy). These questionnaires were received by CEDEX in November, 1995.
MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, PHYSICAL PLANNING AND PUBLIC WORKS (1995). Questionnaires related to the First Draft Report about Greece. These questionnaires were received by CEDEX in January, 1996.
MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, PHYSICAL PLANNING AND PUBLIC WORKS (1996) Comments to the First Draft Report submitted by CEDEX/ITGE to ETC/IW-EEA "Overview report on the key water issues in semi-arid /water scarcity regions of the EEA area". December, 1995.
MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, PHYSICAL PLANNING AND PUBLIC WORKS (1996) Comments to the Final Draft Report submitted by CEDEX/ITGE to ETC/IW-EEA "Overview report on the key water issues in semi-arid /water scarcity regions of the EEA area". March, 1996.
This report includes information from Greece, the Island of Sardinia in Italy, Portugal and Spain. Two further semi-arid regions in Italy were expected to be included, but no information arrived by the time this report should be submitted. It was hoped that the GISCO (Eurostat) maps of Europe would have been made available for this study but this was not possible. For this reason, the Aegean Islands (Greece) and the Canary Islands (Spain) have not been included in the maps of Europe used in this document.
Executive Summary
The existing regional imbalance of water resources across the continent makes water shortage a great problem in many regions of Europe. This is particularly so in zones with a semi-arid climate. Although water scarcity is recognised as an increasing problem in Southern and Western Europe, the management of freshwater resources is a key question all over the continent This report gives a general overview of the present water resource situation in the semi-arid regions of the EEA area, where water scarcity problems can constitute a threat to sustainable development and have major repercussions from environmental, social, economic and political perspectives. The availability of water for human consumption, and for other uses, is often limited by poor quality. Eutrophication of rivers and lakes, over-exploitation of, and salt intrusion into, aquifers are the main features of poor water quality in semi-arid areas.
Typical water resource issues in water scarcity areas include: water surface exploitation; reservoir and lake eutrophication; aquifer exploitation; minimum and ecological flow; wetlands; seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers; floods; desertification and erosion in basins; and, soil salinisation.
The report highlights some key issues and identifies aspects that require further work before the scale of the problems can be fully quantified.
Data comparability
Key issues
Further work requirements
Certain aspects of this study are being taken forward and developed under the 1995 subvention (95/I: Review of efficiency of water use in Europe) and under the 1996 subvention (Task 6; Groundwater quality and quantity).
For references, please go to https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/92-9167-056-1/page001.html or scan the QR code.
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