23 October 2007
by Neno Kukuric

Dear All,

Organisation of this groundwater roundtable was one of the main actions points agreed at the last roundtable over water management in South Eastern Europe (Berlin, November 2005). In meantime, a regional experts consultation meeting was organised (Belgrade, 22-23 March 2006), leading to preparation of DIKTAS, a full-size GEF project proposal. Unsurprisingly, the main proposed project activities are also the core topics of the coming roundtable in Slovenia.

The purpose of this discussion forum is to initiate a broader involvement of the international groundwater community and provide an additional, valuable input for both the roundtable and the DIKTAS project.

The significant issues that affect the Dinaric Karst Transboundary Aquifer System (DiKTAS) can be summarised as over-exploitation of shared groundwater resources, coupled with deterioration of the environmental quality (water quality and ecosystems biodiversity). The overall goal of the proposed project is therefore establishment of a sound management in such a way as to ensure a reduction of environmental stress and a preservation of the unique Dinaric Karst habitats.

The main DIKTAS project activities will be:

- Assessment of the current information, including a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA)

- Establishment of a collaborative mechanism together with a data and information sharing facility

- Implementation of demonstration projects

Your contribution to elaboration of these activities will be highly appreciated. Therefore if you have any comment or suggestion related to for instance definition of key stress points, mitigation measures, cooperation mechanisms, possible key demonstration locations, etc., please join this forum. Also, we should be able to clearly identify complementarities and originalities of the project activities with respect to implementation of the Water Framework Directive.

I am looking forward to see your contributions to the forum.

Kind regards,

Neno Kukuric, IGRAC

p.s. The UN organizations (such as UNESCO and UNECE), in cooperation with various programmes and associations (e.g. GWP-Med, IAH) have already made considerable effort in the assessment of internationally shared groundwater (read more at www.isarm.net and www.inweb.gr). IGRAC - as the UNESCO/WMO groundwater knowledge centre - is involved in most of these activities.