Like other segments of the environment, water areas also face environmental challenges such as pollution, climate change, unsustainable management of freshwater systems and habitat degradation. The European Environment Agency (EEA) has published an assessment of the health of European water bodies, which shows that Europe is currently not on track to achieve the goals of improving water conditions, according to the rules set by the European Union.
The report entitled The state of European waters 2024: the need to improve water resilience (eng. Europe’s state of water 2024: the need for improved water resilience) showed that agriculture has the greatest influence on the degradation of surface and underground waters. Despite some progress, a significant percentage of European waters are still heavily influenced by nutrients and pesticides from agriculture, and there is also pollution from chemicals that come from the air due to the use of coal in energy production.
Estimates are that only 37 percent of European surface waters have achieved the ecological status of “good” or “very good”, while underground waters are in better condition, considering that about 77 percent are rated as “good” in terms of chemical composition. However, groundwater is also at risk of pollution, where the main pollutants are nitrates and pesticides, primarily from agriculture.
Every year, about 20 percent of the territory of Europe and 30 percent of the population face so-called water stress, that is, the consequences of reduced access to water. Water stress implies not only a quantitative aspect, but also a reduction in the quality of available water due to pollution. This percentage is expected to increase due to climate change. Also, climate change leads to more intense rainfall, which makes it increasingly important to manage flood risk in a sustainable and long-term profitable way.
In order to improve the ecological status of waters, it is necessary to encourage the use of natural solutions, such as the restoration of wetlands and the revitalization of river courses. Changes to the physical characteristics and natural flow of rivers, such as dams and canalization of riverbeds, which further degrade natural habitats, should also be included. It is essential for healthy freshwater ecosystems to allow rivers to flow freely and restore wetlands, thereby improving ecosystem resilience and reducing flood risk.
Current water management practices in Europe are not sufficiently adapted to face the rapid and large-scale changes brought about by climate change. When it comes to reducing water stress, water use should be more efficient. It is necessary to reduce leakages in water systems and introduce efficient devices and processes, which allow increased reuse of water. As a measure to encourage the rational consumption of water, the determination of the price of water, which can have a significant impact on reducing consumption, is mentioned. This price can also be a mechanism for financing investments in water infrastructure.
In order to implement all the mentioned measures and manage water in an efficient manner, it is necessary to have up-to-date and timely data on the quantity and quality of water. Also, the improvement of knowledge and the availability of more accurate data are crucial for an equal and sustainable distribution of water between.
Energy portal
Source: energetskiportal.rs
