Search Results
Workshop on River and Habitat Continuity
Vienna, 4/5 September 2012. The ICPDR held a workshop on river and habitat continuity to support the ongoing developments in the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive and related legislation in the Danube River Basin with regard to addressing river and habitat continuity.
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2010 Floods in the Danube River Basin (1.74 MB)
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ToR PM EG (270.1 KB)
Terms of Reference of the Pressures and Measures Expert Group (PM EG), IC-105 rev3-final 2016 -
ToR MA EG (281.72 KB)
Terms of Reference of the Monitoring and Assessment Expert Group (MA EG) of the ICPDR, IC-104 rev3-final 2021 Joint Danube Survey
The key purpose of Joint Danube Surveys (JDS) is to produce reliable and comparable information on carefully selected elements of water quality for the length of the Danube River, including its major tributaries. Three Joint Danube Surveys have previously been conducted, in 2001, 2007, and 2013. The fourth of its kind, JDS4 was launched in June 2019 at sampling sites in 13 countries across the Danube River Basin.
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Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment Report 2012 (595.09 KB)
Organic Matter
Organic pollution has been on the rise in the Danube over the last century, as human activities have resulted in increasing loads of wastewater rich in organic matter. The most serious organic pollution problems occur in tributaries that regularly receive untreated or inadequately treated wastewater from industrial plants and municipalities. Thanks to the significant improvement of wastewater infrastructure and services in the Danube countries, the basin-wide organic emissions reduced by 60% since the mid 2000s.
Hazardous Substances
Hazardous substances can remain in the environment for a very long time, and harm ecosystems and human health. Although monitoring indicates that the loads of some substances have been reduced in recent years, many problems still persist. The increasing number of these man-made substances present in the environment is a matter of concern, and calls for the application of the precautionary principle.
Nutrients
The nutrient levels, notably phosphorus and nitrogen, found in the Danube River and its major tributaries hold significant international importance. This is because they directly contribute to the phenomenon of eutrophication in both the river itself and the Black Sea. Historical trend analysis of nutrient river loads over the past decades shows a significant reduction in the transported nutrient fluxes to the Black Sea. Overall nutrient emissions declined by 30% (nitrogen) and 50% (phosphorus) in the last 15 years. However, the current long-term fluxes are still considerably higher than those of the early 1960ies which represent river loads under low pressures, indicating a further load reduction potential that might be exploited for the benefit of the Black Sea. Nevertheless, in the last 5-10 years the measured loads are rather low and close to the Black Sea targets indicating significant water quality improvement.
Wetlands
The floodplains and wetlands of the Danube basin are uniquely valuable ecosystems in global terms, although few areas are still in their natural or near-natural state.