Europe - UNEP

Busy harbor, Venice, Italy. Photo credit: Keith Davis.
extractions in western European countries have
remained relatively stable over the last decade. A
decrease in agricultural and industrial activities in
the new EU member countries that is largely due
to economic restructuring in the 1990s, has
resulted in a 70% reduction in water extractions
for agricultural and industrial uses and a 30%
Tea at the Grand Bazaar, Istanbul, Turkey. Photo credit: L ynette de Silva.
reduction in municipal extraction (EEA, 2003).
Furthermore, in a number of countries, the
droughts of recent years and a shift in management
strategies have been responsible for downward
trends in water extractions (Krinner, 2000).
In many Western European countries, urban
water demand is a major consumer of
groundwater, while in Eastern European and
Mediterranean countries it is less significant
(Nixon, 2000). Over-extraction of groundwater
remains a problem in many areas of Europe;
primarily due to municipal uses as well as
agricultural and tourism-related uses. Particularly
on the Veneto and Emilia-Ramagna coasts, the
Po delta, and Venice, Bolgne, and Ravenna (Italy)
heavy use of groundwater resources has been
identified as the source of subsidence and soil
compaction (UNEP, 2004). Another issue is that
large stretches of the Mediterranean coastline in
Italy, Spain, and Turkey as well as countries along
the Baltic and Black Sea coasts have been
affected by saltwater intrusion (UNEP, 2004). The
over-exploitation of groundwater has also been
directly linked to severe wetland losses, especially
in the Mediterranean region.
Traditionally water quantity problems were
addressed by increasing the storage capacities
through reservoirs and water transfers. Extensive
systems of dams and resources can be found
24 — Hydropolitical Vulnerability and Resilience along International Waters: Europe