Today, on 3 June the Government of the Republic adopted a regulation of international importance concerning the designation of Estonian river basins and sub-river basins. In order to ensure an optimum and efficient arrangement of water management, the Government has adopted a new regulation on the designation of river basins which, different from the earlier regulation that provided for one river basin only, divides the whole Estonian territory into the following three river basins:
Pandivere groundwater sub-river basin was formed to protect groundwater and it belongs to both West-Estonian and East-Estonian river basins. The long-term objective of regrouping river basins and sub-river basins is to achieve a stable good condition of all water bodies and groundwater by the year 2015. To this end, hydrographic areas have been formed out of catchment areas of lakes and rivers which, in terms of the Water Act, stand for river basins and sub-river basins. A water management plan has to be prepared to implement the framework of actions prescribed for each river basin and sub-river basin. The implementation of the newly adopted regulation on river basins and sub-river basins is crucial in terms of international relations with neighbouring countries with whom Estonia shares transboundary water bodies or transboundary catchment areas. Estonia shares Lake Peipsi as a transboundary water body with the Russian Federation and the catchment area of the River Koiva is shared with the Republic of Latvia. The Regulation was guided by Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy and determining the arrangement and planning of water management in Member States of the European Union. Further information: |
