Water management in river basin areas in a changing climate

On July 12, 2024. The European Commission (EC) published guidelines on the impact of climate change on the water cycle and resource management in river basin areas. Human activities carried out for hundreds of years have affected the quality of water and the amount of water available to humans. In addition, the impact on water has been exacerbated by the direct and indirect effects of climate change, which increases the challenges of achieving and maintaining its good status.

The EC guidelines are intended to be a tool to assist water managers in aligning river basin district operations with the Water Framework Directive, the Floods Directive and in managing droughts through climate change adaptation. The Guidelines, which have been prepared as Information Document No. 24 in the framework of the work of the Joint Implementation Strategy for the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC (WFD) and the Floods Directive 2007/60/EC, can be downloaded from the EC website.

The overall context of the need to adapt activities to climate change

The European climate law published in 2021. obliged European Union (EU) member states to adopt national and regional climate change adaptation strategies, which must take into account the vulnerability of various sectors, particularly the water/soil/food nexus. In addition, updates (every 5 years) of these strategies are to include current information on adaptation.

In March 2024. The European Environment Agency has published the first European climate risk assessment, indicating that the continent’s climate risks have already reached a critical level and could become catastrophic if urgent and decisive action is not taken. Shortly after the assessment was published, the EC adopted the Communication Managing Climate Risks – Protecting Citizens and Prosperity – COM(2024) 91 final. The communication indicates how the EU can effectively address the risks and build greater resilience to climate change.

EC guidelines as support for climate change adaptation

Observing the increasing occurrence of extreme phenomena such as torrential rains, floods, water shortages and droughts, the EC has updated Technical Guidance No. 24, prepared under the Joint Implementation Strategy of the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC and the Floods Directive 2007/60/EC. Their purpose is to update information on the impact of climate change on the water cycle and to provide tools to help water managers adjust planning in river basin districts and drought management to adapt to this change.

More than 20 years of experience in the process of water management in river basin districts has shown that integrated management is the best approach to balancing available resources and demand, thereby avoiding long-term water shortages while managing the risk of flooding. Therefore, the EC guidelines include:

• Updates on the impact of climate change on the hydrological cycle;
• Provide tools to help water managers align management planning in river basin districts with the WFD, the Floods Directive, and drought management through climate change adaptation planning.

Water and climate change – EU policies to support water management

The EC guidelines list existing EU policies on water management issues. They point to the WFD and the Floods, Drinking Water, Groundwater and Bathing Water Directives as the most important. All of the above-mentioned documents provide legal instruments for protecting and restoring the quality of the water environment.

It should also be mentioned that the European Green Deal has proposed legislative proposals of direct relevance to integrated water management. In particular, these are proposals under the 2030 Biodiversity Strategy for restoring the interrupted water cycle and the functions of soils and forests.

Water and adaptation to climate change

Adapting to climate change is key to increasing the resilience of the water system, coping with stresses and promoting stability. The impacts of climate change on water quality and quantity are linked to other anthropogenic pressures, such as pollution and habitat degradation. An adaptation support tool developed and posted on the EEA website that cites the EC Guidelines indicates 6 stages:

• Preparing the ground for adaptation. To strengthen adaptive water management capacity, it is necessary:
  • Understanding climate risks, collecting data and developing tailored strategies;
  • Establish financial mechanisms, stakeholders and support cross-sector partnerships;
  • Integrating climate change impacts into awareness-raising activities and training programs.

• Assessing risk and vulnerability to climate change as part of water management planning. To analyze current and future climate risks and potential vulnerabilities:
  • Conduct a vulnerability assessment, evaluating the impact on each sector and taking into account uncertainties;
  • The assessment must include risks to water resources, ecosystems, social services and infrastructure, taking into account different climate scenarios;
  • Take into account the cooperation and participation of authorities and stakeholders to ensure that the assessment covers all relevant risks and their impact on various sectors.

• Identifying adaptive options by considering different paths of action:
  • It is recommended to develop action programs under the Water Framework Directive;
  • activities should include such elements as water reuse and land use change;
  • Public consultations should support the identification of adaptation measures.

• Evaluation and selection of adaptation options:
  • The evaluation and classification of water management/adaptation measures should be based on effectiveness, feasibility, cost and climate resilience, ensuring compliance with the objectives of the WFD and the Floods Directive;
  • The principle of Do No Significant Harm – DNSH;
  • significant involvement of groups;
  • addressing social vulnerability to drought and flood risk management is important.

• implementing adaptation:
  • Adopting preferred climate change adaptation options using a range of instruments, such as legal, economic, informational, partnership or hybrid strategic/planning instruments;
  • Incorporating climate change adaptation planning at all levels of decision-making across sectors is crucial for consistency, minimizing conflicts and reducing the need for trade-offs;
  • Taking water resilience into account from the very beginning of implementing major infrastructure projects can prevent costly adaptation measures in the future and contribute to climate change mitigation and disaster risk reduction.

• Monitoring and evaluation of adaptation:
  • Continuous monitoring, assessment of climate change adaptation and water management planning are essential for tracking progress, evaluating results and adjusting the plan as part of its review.