The document discusses water management in rural areas of Poland in the context of climate change, highlighting critical issues such as water quality, variability, floods, and droughts. It emphasizes the need for improved water resource management, including the development of new resources and the modernization of irrigation and drainage systems. The document also suggests strategies for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to changing climatic conditions through various water management practices.

1. Global Landscape Forum
Warsaw, 16-17 November 2013
WATER MANAGEMENT IN RURAL AREAS
IN CHANGING CLIMATE
prof. Edward Pierzgalski
Warsaw University of Life Sciences

2. STRUCTURE OF PRESENTATION
1. Main issues of water management in rural areas
2. Climate change versus water resources
3. Water management in agriculture versus climate
change
4. What should we do?
5. Conclusions

3. MAIN ISSUES OF WATER MANAGEMENT
IN RURAL AREAS

4. GEOMORPHOLOGY OF POLAND
AND MAIN RIVER BASINS
4

5. WATER RESOURCES
• average annual precipitation
of 600 mm varies from 70%
to 130% of annual value,
• an average annual river runoff
1.630 m3/inhabitant/year,
(in Europe 4.000 m3),
• capacity of water reservoirs
approx. 6% of the average
annual runoff (lower than
in neighbouring countries where
it exceeds 10%).

6. WATER EXPLOITATION INDEX [%]
(EEA, 2012)

7. WATER MANAGEMENT - CRITICAL SITUATIONS
The most important problems of water management are
the quality of water and their temporal and spatial
variability, including extreme hydrological events
(droughts and floods as well as inadequate water
conditions).
• Catastrophes
Floods
Droughts
• Short or long term situation
Water
surplus
Water
deficits

8. FLOODS AND FINANCIAL LOSSES
OCCURENCE OF FLOODS:
• in the Vistula river basin – every 3 years
• in the Oder basin – every 5 years
• many local floods all over the country every year
TYPES OF FLOODS
rainfall
snow melting
rapid heavy rainfall
storm
LOSSES (bilions EUR)
1997- 4,5
2001 -1,1
2010 - 4,1
Source: Institute of Meteorology
and Water Management

9. CLIMATIC BALANCE AND DROUGHT
IN PERIOD 1951-2000
Number of cases
Source: Ekokonsult, 2010

10. CLIMATE CHANGE VERSUS WATER RESOURCES

11. IMPACT OF AIR TEMPERATURE RISE
ON WATER RESOURCES
Decrease of water resources due to:
- decline of snow cover duration,
- increase of ewapotranspiration.
Direct effects:
- drying of streams, lakes and water reservoirs,
- lowering of groundwater level,
- drying of soil.
Other effects:
- negative impact on agricultural production,
- deterioration of ecosystem’s health,
- decline of forests,
- degradation of wetlands,
- increase of greenhouse gases emissions.

12. WATER
EXPLOITATION
INDEX FOR 2030
(abstraction)
Source:
Ad de Roo et all: A multi-criteria
optimization of scenarios for the
protection of water resources in
Europe. European Commission,
JRC Scientific and Policy Report
2012

13. PROJECTED BEGINNING AND LENGTH
OF THE GROWING SEASON
date
Source: klimat.icm.edu.pl
The beginning
of the growing
season (T >5oC)
(Wrocław region)
days
Length of the
growing season
(Wrocław region)

14. PROBABILITY OF CORN MATURING IN THE THERMAL
CONDITIONS IN PERIOD 1941-1991 COMPARED TO
THE PROJECTIONS FOR THE PERIOD 2001-2010
2001-2010
1941-1990
0 20 40 60 80 100 %
2000 – 162 000 ha
2011 – 426 000 ha
Source: Kozyra i Gorski 2004

15. WATER MANAGEMENT IN AGRICULTURE
VERSUS CLIMATE CHANGE

16. Emission of greenhouses gases could be mitigate by
proper regulation of soil moisture, specially in organic
soils.
Scale of problem:
Peatlands and organic soils cover 3-4 % of Earth’s area
but contain 30 percent of the world’s soil carbon.
It was estimated that in Poland from 0,8 mln ha of
wetlands (without forest fens) annual emission CO2
amounts to 14 mln tons (10 place in Europe).

17. Emission of CO2 depends on fens type, ground water
level, temperature, land use, vegetation state and
varies from 9 to 90 t ha-1 year-1.
It has been found that is a direct relation between
amount of emissions CO2 and the ground water level.
Emission of N20 varies from 9 to 60 kg ha-1 year-1
and also depends on drainage depth, soil moisture,
fertilizers, temperature.
Adjusting the ground water table it is possible to
reduce emissions of CO2 and N20 significantly.

18. Methane emission
Ground
water
CH4 emission
depth [cm] [mg m-2 h-1]
0
25
50
75
Source:
J. Turbiak,2012
10,1
7,9
4,0
2,9
Total CH4 emission
in growing season
kg ha-1
502
361
198
141

19. Shaping of appropriate water conditions in the forests
increases the wood production which increase
sequestration of CO2.

20. WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

21. DEVELOPMENT OF NEW WATER RESOURCES
Problems:
- technically difficult,
- economically expensive,
- environmentally negative.
Source: EEA Eldred 2.08
(European Lakes, Dams and Reservoirs
Database), 2008.

22. SOLUTIONS?
The main ways:
water saving,
water recyckling,
water harvesting.
Tools:
legislation,
economy mechanisms,
proper water infrastructure and its operation
monitoring and controlling systems,
research and technology development,
participation of all sectors,
education

23. DRAINAGE AND IRRIGATION AREA
Area [mln ha]
Land use
Arable
land
total
area
in this
ameliora- drained area irrigated
tive area
area
12,11
4,63
[38,2 %]
3,98
[86 % ]
0,05
[1,08 %]
Meadows
and
pasture
3,18
1,79
[56,3 %]
0,40
[22,3 %]
0,36
[20,1 %]
Forests
9,27
0,95
[10,3 %]
23

24. PROBLEMS
OF IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE SYSTEMS
1. Age of drainage and irrigation systems.
2. The legislation.
3. Operation and management.
4. The economic condition of the agricultural sector.
5. Others.
1400
agricultural lands
forest areas
Reclaimed area
[thousands hectares]
1200
1000
800
600
Number of
Change
YEAR
water
compared
companies to 2000 year
2000
200
0
19511955
19561960
19611965
19661970
19711975
19761980
19811985
19861990
19911995
2748
2005
400
2450
- 298
2010
2290
- 458
2011
2292
- 456
24

25. ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS
OF AMELIORATIVE MEASURES
• acceleration of the water cycle in the catchment
area,
• reduction of water resources,
• transfer of pollutions from the surface of the fields
by ditches to surface water bodies,
• increased leaching of chemicals in drainage areas,
• destruction of wetland habitats and organic soils,
• impact on emission of greenhouses gases.
25

26. MITIGATION OF NEGATIVE RESULTS
• conversion drainage systems into controllable (equiped
existing drainage systems with control devices),
• retention drainage outflow in ponds,
• mitigation of organic soils degradation by precise
regulation of ground water level,
• recirculation of water on ameliorative objects,
• restoration of wetlands,
• operation of ameliorative systems on protected areas
according to the requirements of protection tasks on these
areas.
26

27. RETENTION OF DRAINAGE OUTFLOW IN PONDS
27

28. RESTORATION OF WETLANDS
28

29. CONTROL MEASURES
29

30. „Increase
of retention ability and mitigation
of flood and drought in lowland forest
ecosystems”
Basic data of the project:
- 34 mln Euro,
- 4100 small water storage
and retention structures:
-water reservoirs,
-water dammning structures,
-restoration of forest wetland.

31. „Mitigation of water erosion in mountainous
areas and maintenance of torrents and
connected infrastructure in good state”
Basic data of the project:
- 35 mln Euro,
- 129 ponds and reservoirs,
- protection of slopes areas
against water erosion
(53 km of skidding paths),
- conservation of 173 km
of torrents erosion.

32. CONCLUSIONS

33. 1. Water management in rural areas play important roles in:
adaptation of land for agricultural and forestry production,
control of water balance in scale of watershed, protection
against floods and droughts, shaping proper water conditions
in natural environment, development of non-productivity
functions of rural areas (recreation, tourism, ecotourism).

34. 2. Water is a key factor in aspect of climate change.
Water management may help in adaptation to projected
climate change as well may be important tool in
mitigation of climate changes.
The basic condition for the fulfillment of those roles is
appropriate infrastructure and its operation. In Poland,
there is an urgent need for technological modernization
of existing irrigation and drainage systems and for
improvement their operation and maintenance.
34

35. 3. All strategies, programmes and plans of water
management should not be based on historical
observations only, but should consider the likely
scenarios of climate change.

36. Thank you for your attention