SEA of Water Management Plans and the Role of the Public

SEA Implementation and Practice: Making an Impact? 21st – 23rd September 2011, Prague, Czech Republic

SEA of Water Management Plans and the Role of the Public

How do we improve performanceor

where are the mistakes

„Water is not a commercial product like any other but, rather, a heritage which must be protected, defended and treated as such.“

Case study from the Czech Republic

Background of the Czech Republic within water planning

National levelPlan of the Main Basins of the Czech Republic 2007 – 2012

Local levelEight River Basins Plans

Why do we need these policies?

By 2015, all rivers, lakes and also coasts in the EU must achieve good ecological status, according to the EU Water Framework Directive.

Who really plays key role in implementation?

Public input helps to balance environmental, economic and social priorities in these plans in accordance to local condition and also present state of environment, which is important for future development.

Where can mistakes hide........what is wrong?


• weak awareness of general public• „NIMBY“ syndrome within general public• level of view of general public• weak public interest in participating in the SEA process• incomprehensibility of SEA outputs• absence of a short general summary• inadequate informing about public discussion• inadequate times of the public discussion• inadequate quality of comments reviewed• lack of knowledge about the techniques how the representatives of public administration can get view or involving of general public

Why we have chose those examples?


• water as a medium of connecting all components of the ecosystem• specific measures, including a schedule and financial instruments are determined• real links with other regional and national concepts such as:

Operational Programme for Environment (OPE), the Rural Development Programme (RDP), the Regional Operational Programmes (ROP), Plans for the development of water supply and sewerage• obligatory approval at national and regional level• the territorial extent of the concept action is not artificially restricted by administrative boundaries, but determined according to basin boundaries• binding control mechanisms (monitoring and evaluation) are set

• prevention from deterioration in all water bodies• achievement of good status in all water bodies• goal-directed reduction of pollution by hazardous matters, nutrients and organic materials• decrease in eutrofication• achieving goals for protected territories (in the sense of „older“ directives)• protection of habitats and species depending on water

Water protection goals


Protection of water as a component of the environment

Main purpose of water management planning is to define and harmonize public interests related to


Flood protection and mitigation of the effects of droughts

Sustainable water use and management

Assess risks,costs & benefits

Determine objectives

Adopt programme of measures

Monitoring

Implement measures

Assess Water Body status

continuously

Three 6-year cycles to achieve good status

until

Assess stresses& effects

2004

2027

Propose necessary stepsPublish programme of measures

2006

2007

2008

2010-2012

2009

2013-2015

2015

2021

1. 2009 - 20152. 2015 - 20213. 2021 - 2027

3 CYCLES – 6 YEARS 1.Preparation work – 2007

2. Draft of Plan of Main River Basins – 2008

3. Final plan of Main River Basins – 2009

Elaboration of River Basin District plans


Comparison of two cases studies and two different approaches


Upper and Middle Elbe Basin District Plan

Upper Vltava Basin District Plan

• bad access to information during preparation of policy draft • no rules set up for processing the comments• weak interest of general public as well as weak awareness of general public

Evaluatin EX-postEvaluatin EX-ante

• prompt access to information• the planning process timetable is realizable for all partners • the producer is responsible for the dissemination of the information• the rules for the dissemination of the documents and of their updated versions are defined in advance • the rules for the processing of the comments submitted are defined in advance


ACTIVITY START END Stage 1 – Preliminary work January 3, 2005 December 31, 2007Timetable and work program (TWP)

May 2, 2005 October 31, 2006

Submitting the TWP to the public to comment upon (6 months)and start SEA process

January 1, 2006 June 30, 2006

Without cooperation with SEA team

Submitting the TWP to the central water authorities and the Ministry for Regional Development for their

August 1, 2006 August 31, 2006

Submitting the TWP for approval to the regional authorities October 1, 2006 October 31, 2006

Further characterization – evaluation of effects and their impacts on surface water bodies (SWB)and ground water bodies (GWB)

January 3, 2005 March 31, 2007

Summary reports on the results of preliminary work (hereinafter the “Summary report”) March 1, 2007 March 31, 2007

Interim list of water management issues (WMI)September 1, 2005 December 31, 2007

Submitting the WMI interim list and the summary report to the public for comments , public hearing

April 1, 2007 September 30, 2007

Without public hearing

Submitting the WMI interim list to the central water authorities and the Ministry for Regional Development for their opinions November 1, 2007 November 30, 2007

Submitting the WMI and the preliminary work result sheet for approval to the regional authorities,

December 1, 2007 December 31, 2007

Preparing the SEA announcement January 1, 2007 September 30, 2007






Announcing the conception, release, and inquiry October 1, 2007 November 15, 2007

February 2008

Stage 2 – River Basin Management Plan draft (RBMP draft) June 1, 2005 July 4, 2009

Preparing the RBMP January 3, 2006 April 30, 2008Submitting of the RBMP draft to the regional authorities for approval, May 1, 2008 June 30, 2008

Submitting the RBMP draft to the public for comments July 1, 2008 December 31, 2008


Preparing SEA public hearingJuly 1, 2008 May 2, 2009


Submitting the finished RBMP draft to the central water authorities and the Ministry for Regional Development for their remarks,

February 15, 2009 March 15, 2009

Submitting the finished RBMP draft to the regional authorities, April 1, 2009 April 30, 2009

Handing over the approved RBMP and SEA May 3, 2009 July 6, 2009

Stage 3 – Final RBMP draft July 6, 2009 December 31, 2009Preparation of final RBMP draft July 6, 2009 July 31, 2009Submitting the RBMP draft to regional councils for approval August 1, 2009 November 1, 2009

Publishing the approved RBMP November 2, 2009 December 22, 2009

Highlights in numbers




Total number of comments

1235Comments from NGO

and general public 387

Total number of participants within SEA process

963

Total number of comments

107Comments from NGO

and general public 32

Total number of participants within SEA process

31

Evaluatin EX-postEvaluatin EX-ante

There were not published reports of working committeesMembers of the working committees were not chose from the general

publicThere were not extra Public hearing only as required by law

There were not published preliminary results of work No cooperation with the local press

How to correct mistakes........or to prevent them?


• central Information System• stronger and more effective use of media• preventive spreading of concept drafts as well as draft of outputs of SEA• streamlining of public discussion•gradual evolution of Czech society in term of more environmentally friendly thinking and also behavior•efficient cooperation of all stakeholders of SEA• well working NGO in field of environment• the public must realize their share in decision making and final outputs

Public participation extends to all water users, to non-governmental organisations, such as local and national environmental groups, and to other stakeholders. Key organisations and citizens groups likely to be affected by the plan need to be involved.

SEA of Water Management Plans and the Role of the Public

Documents

Transcript of SEA of Water Management Plans and the Role of the Public