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FRESHWATER PROGRAMME Phytotechnologies and Ecohydrology: Pilot Case Study: As part of the effort to further develop and implement the principles and practices of Phytotechnologies and Ecohydrology, a number of activities have been taken place lately. The first one worth to be mentioned for its high relevance is the Pilica River Pilot Case Study undertaken in Poland under the cooperation of UNESCO-IHP, the Polish Academy of Science and the University of Lozd in Poland. The Pilica river is the major affluent of the Sulejov reservoir which provides water for the City of Lodz which is the second largest City in Poland. It has been carrying large amounts of phosphorous and nitrogen in its water which resulted in the eutrophication of the reservoirs causing large algal blooms including the toxic cyanobacterias. Originally it was planned to build a treatment plant to solve the problem but through the application of Phytotechnologies and Ecohydrology the problem could be solved with a less expensive and a more environmentally sustainable option. For the purpose a floodland has been proposed to be used as a buffer zone and nutrient absorbing system to reduce the concentration of these nutrients in the river prior to discharge in the reservoir. Also that the old existing treatment plant upstream should be upgraded and include the construction of artificial wetlands. A large number or the basic studies were already done by the University of Lodz hence there was a need to put the plan into action and further develop and complement the existing studies as well as starting to put into practice the solutions. Base on this fact IETC started the support during 2004 by looking at the following aspects:
In December of 2003 the first phase of the support will finalize and the results are expected to be most encouraging which will be the basis for the support during 2004. To see the in more detail this Pilot Case Study please refer to the following website which has been specifically set for the purpose: http://www.biol.uni.lodz.pl/demosite/pilica. To complement the existing Guidelines for the Integrated Management of the Watershed under Phytotechnologies and Ecohydrology a Manual on the subject is under production at present expecting it to be ready published by March-April of 2004. The Manual has a more friendly presentation than the Guidelines and it also has a different perspective in the way it is structured. It will include other areas of knowledge which were not considered in the Guidelines such as Coastal Areas. All the Sections in the Manual are written by a number of specialists making it more attractive and comprehensive. It is worth to note that aside of IETCs and UNESCO Regional Office for Science for Europe support in the preparation the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Ecohydrology Activity support was crucial in so far assisting with its design and preparation as some of its members are also authors in the Manual. Another interesting publication related to eutrophication management and water quality control under preparation is the Manual for the Construction of Artificial Wetlands and Stabilization Ponds. This is an effort undertaken by the University of Dar El Salaam in Tanzania and the Danish University of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Copenhagen. This is the result of a project funded by the Danish International Development Agency or DANIDA and IETC is co-branding it. The Manual is very useful for decision making related to wastewater treatment in tropical regions as for example it provides guidance about how much land is required for a constructed wetland to reduce nitrogen, phosphorous some heavy metals and biological oxygen demand (BOD5) from a given effluent. For the purpose the Manual includes a number of models easy to run; furthermore, there is a full technical explanation about the design of the wetlands in terms of their characteristics and requirements. The Manual is expected to be ready by mid next year after IETC has revised it and publish it. IETC will have ready online the Software Aqua-shed Online as one of its e-learning products. This software is related to Integrated Watershed Management (IWM) bringing in the concepts of Environmental Management Systems or EMS. It is designed for those interested in the subject and its designed allows for training purposes too. It has Three Modules where general information and background about Integrated Watershed Management is provided, includes examples of existing problems and challenges in the area identifying specific case studies around the world and provides examples of success stories. Furthermore, it includes a model where by it is possible to see the effects of alteration in water flows and some environmental components in lakes and reservoirs which is based on the PAMOLARE Training Package already available in IETC Homepage. A number of capacity building activities have been taken place within the realm of the existing cooperation with UNESCO-IHP on Phytotechnologies and Ecohydrology, they include training workshops for Southeast Asian Countries, Europe and Latin America on the subject and have been undertaken with national and local government bodies, institutions and agencies. <back> |
