The Case of Kaliningrad Oblast and its Neighbours

1. Water Resources, Economic Growth and Environmental Sustainability
The Case of Kaliningrad Oblast and its Neighbours
BDF Summit 2011
Jakob Granit, Director
Knowledge Services, SIWI
Andreas Lindström, SIWI
Vladimir Dmitrevsky, NDF
Lina Kramen, NDF
Tomasz Okruszko, GWP-PL
Janusz Kindler, GWP-PL
Bernardas Paukstys, GWP-LT
Björn Guterstam, GWP HQ
Nataliy Smorodinskaya, Russian
Acacemy of Sciences
Lennart Sorby, Sea and Water
Authority Swe
Mats Hellström, Färgfabriken

2. Presentation outline
- Context
- Baltic Sea Basin, Kaliningrad Oblast,
Lithuania, Poland & other neighbors
- Benefits from good water management &
development
- Ways foreward to realize benefits

3. The Kaliningrad Oblast and Surrounding Region

4. Common Challenges to the Baltic Sea as a Regional
Public Good
• Regional transport
• Socio-economical development and
impacts on water systems
• Eutrophication
– Diffuse sources: energy production,
transport and agriculture
– Dead sea bottoms & ecosystems threats
– Coastal water degradation
• Over fishing
• ”Old sins” – garbage and ammunition
dumps from WW1 & 2
• Meeting energy demand
• Climate change

5. Neman River Basin
Belaruse, Lithuania, Poland, Russia Kaliningrad Oblast (Latvia)
• Make up 88% of annual surface
water flow in the Kaliningrad
Oblast
• The Curonian lagoon mainly
receives wastewater from the
cities of Sovetsk, Neman and
Krasnoznamensk
• Is affected by agricultural and
urban pollution when entering
the territory of the Oblast Neman River
• Catches of bream, eel, pikeperch
have decreased in the Curonian
lagoon
• Transboundary system
• EU Member and non-member
states

6. Pregola River Basin
Poland, Russia Kaliningrad Oblast, (Lithuania)
• Make up 11% of annual surface
water flow in the Kaliningrad
Oblast
• The Pregola is heavily polluted;
especially in its lower reaches
– Vistula lagoon
– Large loads of suspended and
organic substances
• Wastewater is discharged
– emergency outlets, city
communal sewerage, rainwater
and industrial wastewater
• The self-cleaning capacity of the
Pregola River
river has been lost

7. Kaliningrad Oblast Water Challenges*
*Integrated information on the status of the water resources
is hard to come by for surface and groundwater

8. Benefits from Good Water Management 1
Waters Role in Socio- Economic Development- Health and Wellbeing
• Kaliningrad Oblast is lagging
behind in terms of HDI compared
to other Russian regions and the
EU countries
• HDI = life expectancy, access to
knowledge, standard of living
• Disease often connected to
inadequate water supply and
treatment systems
• Absence because of water borne
disease means days lost in work-
and educational sectors

9. Benefits from Good Water Management 2
Waters Role in Socio- Economic Development- Productive Uses
Kaliningrad Oblast: the structure of GRP by sectors, 2008. Source:
RosStat, National Accounts, 2010 (www.gks.ru)

10. Benefits from Good Water Management 3
Waters Role in Socio- Economic Development- Productive Uses
• Water is a key component in several
productive sectors
– Metal-, wood,- energy,- chemical –
and food/beverage
• The agricultural sector can benefit greatly
from diversification
– Farming
– The fishery sector (including
recreational fishing)

11. Benefits from Good Water Management 4
Waters Role in Socio- Economic Development- Tourism
• The natural conditions form a
strong base to develop a water-
related tourism/ recreational
industry, shipping, navigation
• Ideal gateway to Russia & Baltic
Sea Region for domestic and
foreign tourists
• Potential unused because of
polluted environment, poor water
quality
• Neighbouring countries
demonstrate significant value
gained in coastal & lake tourism

12. Benefits from Good Water Management 5
Regional Collaboration
• Cooperation to address Baltic
environment issues has a long history
– HELCOM (BSAP), Northern
Dimension
– Baltic Sea Region Strategy 2009,
Water Framework Directive and
Marine Strategy Directive
• Champion improving the freshwater and
coastal zone ecosystems for economic
gains
• Kaliningrad and Russia can
demonstrate leadership in managing a
regional public good

13. Conclusions Kaliningrad Oblast and its
Neighbours
•The strategic water resources assets are to a large extend transboundary
•The Russian Federation has a good water law
– water management is fragmented between many institutions
•Examples of effective water management in the Baltic Sea Region countries
demonstrate major health, economic and ecosystem benefits
– maintain high environmental status does not hurt economy
•Health, tourism, productive industries and regional leadership are areas that
would benefit from improved water management in Kaliningrad Oblast
– deliver jobs and value
•EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) implementation by Lithuania and
Poland can support transboundary river basin planning and investment
– Pregola and Neman river basins

14. Steps to Increasing Investment in Water
Resources Management and Development
1. Classification and characterization of the water resources assets and their use
– In accordance with the Russian Water Act and the EU Water Framework
Directive
– Make use of HELCOM NIP and other investment identification processes
– All riparians in the Neman and Pregola river basins in partnership
• Include key stakeholders
2. Strategic water resources planning including monitoring and evaluation
programmes
– Strategic basin planning (management and development) in the Kaliningrad
Olbast enclave as a first step with EU neighbours Poland and Lithuania
– Identify investment opportunties
– Economic cost benefit analysis of interventions
3. Secure investment financing to deliver results
– Build investment appetite from both public and private sector investors in water
related goods and services through outreach activities

15. How?
• Build political commitment from Russia at federal
level, Kaliningrad Oblast, Lithuania and Poland as a first
step
– High level meetings
• Secure investment planning phase funding through a
multi-country project
– Utilize EU structural funds such as:
• European Neighbourhood and Partnership Program (ENPI)/Baltic
Sea Region Program; Northern Dimension Environmental
Partnership (NDEP); Nordic Investment Bank (NIB)/Nordic
Investment Finance Corporation (NEFCO); EBRD & other IFIs
• National co-funding
• Build commercial interests from public/private
corporations