New project to increase capacity for river basin management in Lithuania

Published 1 August 2006

As partner in a Consortium led by DHI Water & Environment, NEPCon will be involved in a new project in Lithuania, Institutional Building for the Nemunas River Basin Management. The project is supported by the Transition Facility of the EU Phare program. The consortium also includes two Lithuanian partners: Institute of Ecology at Vilnius University and the company HNIT- Baltic Geoinfoservisas.

Key tasks of the project are 1) capacity building of staff from the Lithuanian Ministry of Environment, including the Environmental Protection Agency, Regional Environmental Protection Departments and other agencies; and 2) the development of a comprehensive management plan for the Lithuanian part of the Nemunas River Basin, covering approximately 75% of Lithuania’s territory. With a total catchment area of 97,900 km2 shared between 5 different countries, the Nemunas River Basin is among the largest in the Baltic Sea catchment area. Around half of the river’s catchment area is situated in Lithuanian territory.

In collaboration with local experts, NEPCon will provide key technical expertise related to capacity building of staff, stakeholder involvement and awareness raising.

The project is a central part of Lithuania’s efforts to ensure compliance with the EU Water Framework Directive. The directive implies an innovative and integrated approach to freshwater management, treating entire catchment areas in a holistic way and stressing participatory planning.