Khilchevskyi V.K. Characteristics of Lithuanian water resources, their use, management
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17721/2306-5680.2024.3.1
Hydrology, Hydrochemistry and Hydroecology. 2024. № 3 (73)
Publication language: Ukrainian
Authors:
Khilchevskyi V.K., Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
The purpose of the article is to research total and internal water resources, the issue of water use on the territory of Lithuania, a member state of the EU, which in matters of water policy is governed by the EU Water Framework Directive. The research used materials from FAO Aquastat – the Global Information System on Water Resources of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the European information portal ClimateChangePost, the official website of the European Commission by regions, the Worldometer reference website, and the UN Water portal, Ministry of Environment of Lithuania, Hydrometeorological Service of Lithuania. The total renewable surface water resources in the country are 24.40 km3/year, of which 15.36 km3/year are internal (62% of the total). According to hydrographic zoning, 4 river basins district are distinguished on the territory of Lithuania: Nyamunas, Lielupe, Venta, Daugava (all cross-border). According to the regions of the river basins, water resources are distributed as follows, km3/year: Nyamunas – 20.6; Lielupe – 2.0; Venta – 1.3; Daugava – 0.5. With a population of 2.88 million people, the total renewable water resources per 1 person in Lithuania is 8513 m3/year, which compared to the threshold values of the Falkenmark water stress indicator means stable water resources. Lithuania is among the top twenty European countries in terms of water resources. But it is also worth noting that the country has a fairly high coefficient of external dependence on water resources, which reaches 37%. The total water intake is estimated at 632 million m3: 66% – industry; 24% – household and drinking water supply; 10% – agriculture. About 71% of the total volume of water intake comes from surface water bodies, 28% – from underground horizons, and 1% – the use of urban treated wastewater.
A characteristic feature of Lithuania is that the centralized domestic and drinking water supply throughout the country is provided exclusively from underground water horizons, the reserves of which in the country amount to 0.1 km3/year. A modern institutional structure of water resources management has been created in the country.
Keywords: total water resources, internal water resources, management, river basin district, water use, Lithuania.
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HOW TO CITE
Khilchevskyi, V.K. (2024). Characteristics of Lithuanian water resources, their use, management. Hidrolohiia, hidrokhimiia i hidroekolohiia [Hydrology, Hydrochemistry and Hydroecology], 3 (73), 6-13 (in Ukrainian, abstr. in English). https://doi.org/10.17721/2306-5680.2024.3.1