Water for people.pdf - WHO Thailand Digital Repository

2 3 2 / C H A L L E N G E S T O L I F E A N D W E L L - B E I N GPromoting Cleaner Industry for Everyone’s BenefitBox 9.2: Environmental management and pollution control in the Tisza River basin(eastern Europe)The Baia Mare (Romania) accident that took place inJanuary 2000 drew international attention to the TiszaRiver when an earth dam impounding gold-mine wastesfailed, releasing tons of cyanide-contaminated slurry tothe Szamos River and then through the Tisza River to theDanube and the Black Sea.The transboundary nature of the problem required anintegrated approach to water resource management,based upon consideration of the river basin as an entity,combined with capacity-building, which can serve theneeds of all stakeholders. Continuing protection andenhancement of the environment has to be ensuredthrough the encouragement of a precautionary approachthat requires the consideration of environmental risks inindustrial planning and operation.UNIDO is currently implementing a pilot project topromote an integrated approach to risk management inthe Tisza River basin within the international legalframework of the European Union Water FrameworkDirective (EEC, 2000), the Seveso II Directive on thecontrol of major-accident hazards involving dangeroussubstances (EEC, 1996b) and the OECD recommendationon the prevention of, and response to, accidentsinvolving hazardous substance (OECD, 1988).The project aims to support Tisza basin countries in:■ improving emergency preparedness and response toaccidental releases of toxic substances into the environment;■ improving communication between industry, governmentand community stakeholders with regard to risks andemergency systems;■ developing, with industry, practical preventative measuresthat can be implemented quickly; and■ transferring safe technology with hands-on experience.Immediate project objectives are to:■ perform quantitative risk assessment of watercontamination at selected industrial sites;■ assess gaps of the existing monitoring and Early WarningSystem (EWS) with respect to EU regulations;■ identify risk mitigation measures reducing both thefrequency of occurrence of a water-polluting accident andthe magnitude of the associated consequences;■ develop recommendations for external emergency plansand communication; and■ applying precautionary principles to industrial waterpollution;■ train identified actors and local communities.Groundwater resources may be irreversibly reduced by both ofthese mechanisms as opportunities to remediate aquifers are morerestricted. Additionally, the draw-down of freshwater levels inshallow aquifers by non-sustainable abstraction for coastal centresof population and industry may lead to saltwater intrusion,rendering these resources unsuitable for production.Local impacts on water by industryAt the local level, inefficient water use and wastages by enterprisesare the product of:■ the lack of technical capacity within the management of bothgovernment departments and enterprises;■ an understandable unwillingness to hinder industrial andeconomic performance; and■ the use of obsolete, inefficient or inappropriate technologies.