The International Sava River Basin Commission, with the support of the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe, held an online workshop on 29 November 2021 to present their co-developed full-fledged, Outline of the Sediment Management Plan for the Sava River Basin. The document is aimed at providing an analysis of the existing sediment management practices in the Sava River basin to form the groundwork for the development of the Sediment Management Plan. The workshop gathered experts from Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia, who shared information on the status of sediment management and discussed further steps to fully implement the plan for the Sava River basin.
UNESCO Regional Bureau and the Sava River basin Commission has been collaborating closely these past years, notably in the area of sediment management, a key concern for the river basin. The Sava River and its tributaries have been subject to significant changes in the past in sediment transport and water regime caused by energetics, flood protection, navigation and industry, which have a detrimental impact on the river, its groundwater and bank stability. This can lead to consequences, which are not necessarily visible immediately at the time. Nevertheless, they might result in further deterioration over time, the subsequent remediation measures of which are time consuming and very costly.
It is crucial to analyse the processes controlling sediment transport and sedimentation as dynamic and highly variable. An effective Sediment Management Plan (SMP) needs to be site-specific, considering each significant pressure and understanding the dominant spatial and temporal processes that operate by the pressures at the basin-wide level.
The SMP outline for the Sava River basin aspires to provide an analysis of the existing sediment management in the countries of the basin and across the basin (transboundary) as well as defining further steps for the development of a full-fledged plan.
Existing plans provide an overview on the quality and quantity of the sediment data. They analyse the existing sediment monitoring system and propose possible upgrading. They also assess the existing measures such as preventing erosion, torrents, integrity of water, and sediment processes.
The SMP outline for the Sava River is innovative in proposing an overview of possible improvements of the highlighted measures, and the institutional arrangements needed for further development of the plan. This is a stepping stone in achieving SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, since it acts as a contributing factor in establishing an integrated sustainable water resource management, and protection and restoration of water-related ecosystems.
Further to the revision and integration of the Permanent Expert Group’s comments, with the participation of UNESCO and various experts, ISRBC organised a final online “Workshop on development of the Outline of Sediment Management Plan" in November 2021. The workshop provided an opportunity for experts from Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia to discuss the status of sediment management at the national level.
This is a truly important step towards sustainable sediment management. The outline not only provides an analysis of existing sediment management practices in the basin but also defines further steps for development of a full-fledged plan as stipulated by the Framework Agreement on the Sava River Basin (FASRB) and the Protocol entered into force in 2017.” Samo Grošelj, Deputy Secretary for Protection of Waters and Aquatic Eco-system ISRBC.
The workshop shed light on the long collaborative work between the UNESCO Regional Bureau and various international partners and stakeholders, not exclusively from the countries covered by the Sava River basin (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia), which include the Slovenian Environment Agency, the University of Sarajevo, The Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service, the Institute Jozef Stefan (SI), the University of Zagreb and DELTARES (NL).
Among the key findings from the analysis undertaken and the conclusions from the discussions held, was the importance of raising awareness on the transport of water and its relationship with sediment management, as part of the natural hydro-morphological regime in the catchment.
The International Sava River Basin Commission (ISRBC) will present the SMP Outline for the Sava River basin to its 59th session for formal approval in spring 2022.
The development and improvement of the plan is possible thanks to the support of the UNESCO Regional Bureau.