Blue Deal Romania participated in the Wetskills event in Romania from 16 - 29 November 2024 with 2 assignments.
The Wetskills Water Challenge is a 2-weeks programme for students and young professionals from all over the world with a passion for water. They join an event, and work in transdisciplinary and transcultural teams on challenging water cases. Blue Deal Romania contributed to this years’ event with 2 cases:
Engaging young people in risk, crisis, and corporate communication;
Nature-based solutions for drought measures.
For the communication assignment, a Wetskills team of 5 people developed an app called Personal Assistant for Communication with Organisation (PACO), complete with its own mascot. This team included 3 staff members from the Blue Deal partner organisation, the National Administration Romanian Waters.
For the nature-based solutions assignment, a Wetskills team of 4 people devised solutions to reconnect an old river branch and to restore a neglected spring. This team included a staff member from the Dutch water authority Brabantse Delta.
The solutions were presented on 28 November 2024 at the Dutch Embassy in Bucharest. They will be discussed during upcoming Blue Deal Romania meetings.
On October 7, it was once again time for the annual meeting in Romania regarding the Blue Deal Economic Mechanism project. This year’s location was Timisoara, Romania. Following what was for some a long travel day, the workshop began on Tuesday, October 8, with a welcome speech by Liliana Michineci, the director of NARW, the Romanian water authority.
Progress in KPI dashboard
After reflecting on the Blue Deal work visit to Leiden, the Netherlands, which took place earlier in May this year, the first major topic on the agenda was addressed. This concerned the progress made by Romanian colleagues in developing a KPI dashboard. The aim of the dashboard is to help monitor their goals and achievements more effectively in the future. In collaboration with the World Bank, an initial concept for such a dashboard was created and presented for the first time in Timisoara, Romania. Although there is still much work to be done, the first step was well-received. The coming period will focus on identifying suitable KPIs and determining how data will be collected and provided. The project with the World Bank must be completed by March 1, 2025, and the topic will undoubtedly be revisited during the next Blue Deal work visit.
Tax collection
Although it was not formally on the agenda, the topic of tax collection was also discussed. Upon request, Philip Daelmans of the Dutch water authority Limburg gave a presentation about the imposition and collection of taxes through the tax collaboration system in which his water authority is involved. This topic piqued the interest of the Romanian colleagues, especially since the Romanian water authority NARW plans to introduce a solidarity contribution of €8 per household starting in 2025. This contribution is part of a proposed law based on World Bank recommendations. The aim is to raise an estimated €8 billion between 2025 and 2039, not only through the solidarity contribution but also by tapping into new revenue streams such as groundwater extraction fees and energy generation from water.
Key topics
2 key topics on the agenda for day 3 were communication/lobbying and treasury management. Starting with communication, it is crucial for NARW to bring its partners on board with the World Bank’s recommendations. Earlier this year, a meeting was organised with key stakeholders, including ministries and energy companies, and the Romanian colleagues provided an update on this in Timisoara. They drew inspiration for organising such meetings from the ‘storytelling’ workshop given by Marcel de Ruijter earlier this year in Leiden. Regarding treasury management, Philip Daelmans gave a presentation on how it is handled at the Dutch water authority Limburg.
Asset management
The main focus of the final day of the workshop was the use of risk and asset management within NARW. To make significant progress on these topics, work is being done with a software tool that NARW had previously employed. The goal is to use risk analysis to identify the most significant risks related to NARW’s assets, allowing prioritisation of actions and allocation of maintenance budgets accordingly. To date, 50,000 assets have been mapped and integrated into the software tool.
In addition to the above-mentioned topics, the workshop was, as always, enriched with presentations and excursions that provided participants with greater insight into the hosting water authority and its management area. All in all, the work visit was a resounding success on every level.
A Dutch Blue Deal delegation visited Romania from 8-11 July. The main goal was to discuss the content and scope of 2 workshops on behalf of the development a Decision Support System (DSS) in Romania. The workshops are foreseen in 2024 and 2025 to let Romanian experts learn the basics of developing a DSS.
DSS is a system that provides computer-driven technological solutions that help in making decisions to solve complex problems.
The Blue Deal work visit kicked off with a meeting at the National Institute of Hydrology and Water Management (NIHWM) headquarters and was dedicated to the expectations of the current workshop. At first, Mr. De Ruyter of the Unie van Waterschappen gave an update about the Blue Deal partnership. Next, the director of NIHWM, Mr. Matreata, gave a presentation about the NIHWM systems currently used for water management in Romania, and the linkage between meteorological administration information and hydrological forecast centre products.
DSS complementary to current systems
After an extended lunch, Mr. Matreta explained how a DSS can be complementary to the systems already in function. He also gave an insight in the current developments for the flash flood warning system. To give a slight impression of some possibilities of a DSS, Mr. van der Zwan from the Dutch water authority Rijnland explained how Rijnland has developed a DSS and how it is used on a daily basis.
With the insights of both the Romanian partners and the Dutch visitors, the discussions focused on the most sufficient pathway to implement a DSS in Romania and especially the critical points to take in consideration. To implement a DSS step-by-step, the first step is to develop a pre-operational DSS for a part of the Arges-Vedea river basin.
Visit to Arges-Vedea River Basin
The next day, the delegation was given a warm welcome by the Arges-Vedea River Basin Administration (RBA Arges-Vedea) in Pitesti. Mr. Cristian Barbu of the RBA Arges-Vedea provided insights in the water management in the watershed of Arges-Vedea.
After a perfect stay in the beautiful area of Voina in the northern part of the basin, the next day the discussion continued about how the water management in the Arges-Vedea basin is done. The participants concluded what the starting points were for a DSS in the Arges-Vedea basin, and how to develop, implement and maintain a DSS.
In the afternoon, the Rausor dam, one of the major dams in the Arges-Vedea basin, was visited. The participants were informed about dam management and technical issues.
How to develop basis knowledge on DSS
On the last day of the visit, the Dutch and Romanian participants had an online meeting with HKV and Deltares. They discussed the content of the workshops and the level of detail. The participants that will attend the workshops will develop basic skills about developing a DSS and gain basic knowledge of the structure of a DSS. This knowledge will be of utmost importance for upscaling a DSS other areas in Romania. Funding of the workshops comes from Blue Deal, NARW and NWB Fund.
After the meeting was finalised, the Dutch participants flew back home, looking back on a fruitful visit, and looking forward to the next steps in this process.
In the third week of May, the Economic Mechanism project group from the Blue Deal partnership Romania was welcomed to the beautiful city of Leiden.
Host of the 2024 session in the Netherlands was the Dutch water authority Rijnland. Especially for the occasion, Rijnland facilitated their meeting facilities in the city centre of Leiden, in a building, which is hundreds of years old. A place that breathes history, which was very much appreciated by both the Dutch and the Romanian delegation.
Finances and asset management
After the action points of last meeting in Targu Mures had been discussed, the programme for the week really kicked off with a presentation by Hans Nederend from the Dutch water authority Rijnland. Mister Nederend elaborated on the financing of investments and how capital costs are covered from the annual budget. Following, asset manager Koen Mooij from Rijnland, gave a presentation on asset management and how this is used within the water authority Rijnland.
Project with the World Bank
One of the main topics in each meeting of the Economic Mechanism Romania group is a project the Romanian water authority (NARW) has with the World Bank. The goal of this project is to achieve sustainable financing of the economic mechanism in Romania. This means that the income of NARW is to be improved by 20 percent by imposing a higher levy. Mirela Ciucur, Head of NARW Economic Mechanism, gave an update on the progress of the project during the meeting. After working several years with the World Bank, an advice from the World Bank is now completed. In the advice, 4 scenarios have been prepared. 1 or 2 of the presented options are to be chosen by NARW in order to implement in the economic mechanism. In July of this year, a meeting between the World Bank and the European Commission on the bill will take place. In September of this year, the approval of the new law for improving the economic mechanism is scheduled.
Visit to the NWB Bank
The first day of meetings ended with one of the highlights of the week, which was a visit to the NWB Bank in the Hague, the bank voor the Dutch water authorities. Even for the Dutch participants this visit proved to be an eye-opener. Although being familiar with the bank, most participants underestimated the magnitude of NWB. A nice presentation was given by NWB and there was plenty of time for all relevant questions to be asked.
Stakeholder management through Golden Circle Theory
The second day kicked off with an interactive session, guided by Marcel de Ruijter, a Dutch member of the Blue Deal team for Romania. The session was about stakeholder management, which is a crucial subject for getting the World Bank advice approved. The session was based on the so called ‘Golden Circle Theory’. A number of questions had to be answered by all the participants, after which the outcomes were shared and discussed among the group. For NARW, it is crucial to approach stakeholders such as the Ministry of Finance, Environment, and associations of municipalities.
AI in water management
After the session on stakeholder management, the Romanian delegation had arranged an online presentation on AI-powered automation in water management. George Roth and Andrej Nagy (external consultants responsible for AI in the public sector in Romania) gave a presentation on AI based on ‘The UIPath Platform where automation turns AI’s promise into real-world impact’. After the presentation, it was agreed upon that a practical example is to be worked on for the next work visit.
The use of KPI’s to monitor and improve performance
The next work visit is to take place in October 2024 in Timisoara, Romania. As a teaser for this visit, a presentation on the involved water authority (Banat) was given by Veronica Caxi (Economic Director at Banat). During the next work visit, we will discuss the use of KPI’s in order to monitor and improve performance. During our last meeting in Leiden, we also talked about this topic. For this meeting, a group of 4 experts from the World Bank joined online.
Apart from the various presentations and discussions, there were also a number of field trips, among which a fantastic guided boat trip from the municipality Katwijk to Leiden with its various canals. Altogether, the participants look back on what was again a fruitful and inspiring week.
In the first week of April, the Blue Deal Project team Tackling Drought Romania was welcomed at the Dutch water authority Noorderzijlvest by Roeland van der Schaaf, Chairman of the Board. They toured the North of the Netherlands to visit several projects with different tactics for tackling drought.
On the first day, the activities of Noorderzijlvest were presented in a short movie. After that, presentations followed about the Blue Deal project in Peru, the meeting in Bucharest of the bilateral panel, the activities of the Romanian partner Jiu Water Basin Administration, and the monitoring system used by Noorderzijlvest.
Michelle Talsma presented the STOWA project about combating drought in the Netherlands. She explained about the use of ESA satellite information about soil moisture, the Dutch Hydrological Instrument (NHI), measures such as Improvement of soil structure, Flexible water level management, Reduction of drainage, Fill in ditches, and the Use of climate resilient crops.
Agricultural Research Centre
In the afternoon, we visited the Agricultural Research Centre SPNA in Munnikezijl. SPNA is an independent research institute driven by farmers. Director Henk Westerhof explained that experiments related to organic agriculture (approximately 49 ha) and conventional agriculture (80 ha) are carried out here.
Organic farming uses crop rotation, cover crops, no-till farming (not disturbing the soil), no chemical fertilisers or other chemicals. The idea is not to feed the crop but to feed the soil. The amount of organic material in the soil will grow, which causes less pollution, a more hydrated soil, and less problems with dehydration of the soil. This can create a situation with 200% more biodiversity and a 90% reduction of the input in the agricultural system. On the question what is needed to introduce innovative crops, Henk’s answer was that it is all about marketing.
Lauwersmeer dike enforcement project
The day ended with a field trip and a presentation about stakeholders management during the implementation of the project to strengthen the Lauwersmeer dam. The project consists of the strengthening and raising of the dike for the defence of local communities with a length of 9.2 km. In the future, seawater will be let into the lake to restore the natural habitat. Therefore, it is an integrated approach for water safety and biodiversity. The project centre was visited, a centre where all types of meetings related to this work are organised.
Silvia Mosterd (from Noorderzijlvest) stressed that the Lauwersmeer project started with spending time for getting to know all the stakeholders, including the farmers who depend on fresh water. The salinity of the water will be measured in the future to determine the saline zone and the fresh water zone in the lake.
Wadden Centre
The following morning, we toured the Wadden Centre, a facility dedicated to the restoration of the Afsluitdijk. This dike serves as a barrier separating a lake for the accumulation of fresh water, which supplies the drinking water system to, for example, the capital city of Amsterdam, from the North Sea. In the future, fish will be able to migrate from the sea to the freshwater reservoir.
Fresh Future Texel
On the island of Texel, ACACIA Water (Tine te Winkel) and representatives of the Dutch water authority Hollands Noorderkwartier (Klaas Sjouke de Boer and Arnold Longeveld) explained about the project Fresh Future. This project aims to treat fresh water and store water in 2 underground layers. It was mentioned that during the rainy season normally the surface water is pumped into the North Sea. Now this water is partly stored in the soil and can be used in the dry season for agriculture.
The monitoring plan for this project and the operating principle of the water treatment facility for agricultural irrigation were presented. The presented project was promoted by the farmers of Texel. In the rainy season approximately 44 million cubic meters of fresh water are pumped into the North Sea. In the dry season there are no fresh water resources on the island of Texel. This is why several options/solutions for water supply for agriculture have been analysed for farmers, such as building a polder, building a pipeline to connect the island to the mainland, or naval transport.
Farmers on the island of Texel have crops of seed potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, flower bulbs, wheat, and more. The soil has a good quality for all types of plants, but the water is not enough during the growing season for all species. The seed potato production is generally intended for export (Israel, Africa, Eastern Europe, Mediterranean countries, etc.).
The Dutch colleagues described the way the farmers are organised on Texel, the pilot projects implemented by them, the way of co-financing the projects, the cooperation of the factories interested in the problem of water management in areas affected by drought, the collaboration of farmers from the continental area with those from the island areas. It has been mentioned that without water no organism can develop in an ecosystem and without water, life will disappear.
Several workshop activities
On Thursday, workshop activities took place in the Ecomare complex on Texel. Discussions were opened related to the groundwater monitoring plan in the pilot area, the water balance and the Stakeholder CANVAS strategy. Action points were formulated to keep the project on track. On Friday, the Romanian delegation went home again.
From October 30 until November 3, it was time for the annual visit to Romania within the framework of the Blue Deal project Economic Mechanism. The location for the proceedings in 2023 was the provincial city of Targu Mures, situated in the heart of Romania, and to Bucharest.
Various topics were on the agenda during the workshop at the office of the Romanian water authority in Targu Mures (RBA Mures). Initially, we were warmly welcomed by the director of RBA Mures and the economic director, Calin Sara. Apart from the attendees in Mures, a mix of colleagues from Mures, Cluj, and Bucharest, Romanian colleagues also joined via a video link. Among them was Liliana Michineci, the economic director of the NARW.
Focus on project with World Bank
One of the main focuses for the Romanians at present is their project with the World Bank. One of the recommendations from the most recent report stemming from this project is currently highly relevant. It suggests imposing a solidarity levy (around 13 euros) for purposes such as water barriers, among others.
Taxation and communication
From this perspective, the Romanian side expressed a keen interest in learning more about the approach of Dutch Water Authorities regarding taxation and related communications. Therefore, Philip Daelmans from the Dutch water authority Limburg delivered a presentation on Dutch taxation, which was very well received. Following this, Bas Dingenouts presented on communication within the Dutch water authority Scheldestromen. Communication in the broadest sense, specifically emphasising raising awareness among the population about the tasks of the water authority and justifying the expenditures incurred. This presentation was also positively received and offered several points to delve into further in subsequent sessions.
Several workshops
Apart from discussions on the project with the World Bank, the Romanian side also gave presentations on topics such as risk management and the impact of new tax rates on the revenues for Romanian water authorities. These discussions were interspersed with visits to RBA Mures locations (such as a purification plant, dam, etc.). On Friday, the workshop concluded in Bucharest during a meeting at the headquarters of NARW, where Liliana Michineci welcomed us, expressing her delight with the collaboration and reflecting on yet another successful work visit.
It was agreed to plan 2 new work visits in 2024, one in Leiden, the Netherlands, in May, and another in Timisoara, Romania, in October. Alongside the topics discussed in this work visit, numerous other subjects will be on the agenda, such as the use of benchmarks and KPIs to measure performance. Altogether, it was once again a successful visit, providing a solid foundation for the visits in 2024. Onwards to the next year!
The Blue Deal partnership Romania works with the World Bank to improve financing for water management in Romania. To this end, a digital and physical meeting with stakeholders took place from September 27 until September 29 in Bucharest.
A very interesting report drawn up by the World Bank with the best European practices for financing water management was discussed. During the meeting, Dutch Water Authorities advocated full cost recovery of Romanian water management. Of course, many other topics were discussed as well during these 3 days. Check the agenda to get an idea.
From the 2nd to the 6th of October, there was a meeting in Romania for the Blue Deal project Tackling Drought Romania (Southwest Romania). So, we are going to tackle the drought issue. But what exactly is drought? And when a project works on the drought problem, what do we mean precisely? Whose problem is it? And what can we do about it?
Watermelon (Pepene Verde) as cultural heritage
In Oltenia, drought primarily means there is insufficient water for agricultural purposes. And a significant agricultural product in Oltenia is the watermelon. The Dabuleni watermelon is a piece of cultural heritage in itself. So, transitioning to another – less drought-sensitive – agricultural product is not straightforward. The agricultural research institute in Dabuleni has developed a large number of alternative agricultural products, such as the Jujube, a small apple, but their application in the region is not automatic.
Deterioration of the irrigation system
A second challenge is the deterioration of the irrigation system that was established over 50 years ago, extracting water from the Danube. 62% of this irrigation system is no longer in use, and therefore, some farmers have switched to using groundwater. Restoring the irrigation system requires substantial investments, but a subsidy application from Europe was rejected. The reason being that the system is considered unsustainable. This is because the water is now pumped about 150 meters, resulting in significant water leakage and, of course, high energy costs. It must, therefore, be made sustainable.
Climate change
The third challenge is climate change. In Oltenia, this means a lower river flow from the Jiu River. It has also become warmer, and there is less direct rainfall on the land. The desertification in the region is often solely attributed to climate change, but it is questionable whether that is accurate. The Danube riverbed has been reduced, causing a large part of the former floodplain to no longer be submerged, resulting in drying up. This cannot be easily reversed given the functions now established in this area.
Lack of effective collaboration
Fourth, there is a lack of effective collaboration among the partners in the region. It’s mainly every man for himself, which means that joint solutions are not sought or are insufficiently explored. This is a legacy from the past when farmers were compelled to work together.
Groundwater issues
Fifth, the groundwater level is declining. This is related to the deterioration of the old irrigation system, prompting farmers to seek alternatives for irrigation. Part of the groundwater extraction is monitored through a permitting system, but the monitoring system is not yet fully comprehensive. Moreover, households (without permits) can have their own wells with limited capacity, and there is inadequate oversight of the actual water quantity extracted from these sources. A consequence of the low groundwater level is the declining quality of the soil for agricultural purposes.
What’s next?
First and foremost, it is necessary to restore the Sadova-Corabia irrigation system. This is not under the responsibility of the Ministry of Water (Apele Romane). The total area of the Sadova-Corabia irrigation system is 80,000 ha. Because there are no major investments possible, several investment requests are being processed through the Ministry of Agriculture (ANIF). It seems that this will be successful, but the 2024 elections in Romania can change everything.
Connection between rivers
In the northern part of the pilot area, we are focusing on strengthening the connection between the Jiet River and the Jiu River. By widening and deepening the Jiet in combination with creating polders and retention basins, more water can be retained upstream. This water can sustain the northern irrigation area. Pumping from the Danube is not realistic for the northern sub-area, given the required sustainability and the demands investors have for such projects.
Consequences of groundwater extraction
Secondly, it needs to become clear what the consequences of groundwater extraction are. Therefore, we are working on mapping the water balance in the pilot area. For this purpose, we have held discussions with the National Hydrological Institute of Romania. They possess the necessary data. From the Ministry of Water, the requested dataset is seen as the standard for monitoring drought in Romania.
Restoring the source
We are also focusing on a small pilot project to restore a source area. This primarily involves the restoration of watercourses from that source area to the plots of the research institute in Dabuleni. We are also trying to involve other stakeholders to increase knowledge about and the use of institutional cooperation agreements.
In Bucharest, the project team has made agreements for the project’s continuation. Teams have been formed to focus on the work packages.
Luzette Kroon, president of the Blue Deal, and Josette Van Wersch, member of the executive board of the Dutch water authority of Limburg, visited the Blue Deal partnership in Romania at the end of July.
There, after a visit to the largest hydroelectric power plant in Europe in Vidraru, Romania, they were surprised by a number of bears on the road (mountain route Transfagaran in the Carpathians). This was literally close! In Dutch, the saying ‘bears on the road’ means foreseeing a number of problems along the way. Of course, we don’t want to see these ‘bears’ during our Blue Deal cooperation.
Blue Deal and collaboration
Kroon: “The extreme heat in Bucharest has put our conversations about climate change in a special light. Floods, drought and a lack of clean water demand cooperation. That is not always self-evident in a country that emerged from a dictatorship not so long ago. It is good to see that steps are now being taken in the right direction. The Blue Deal initiates cooperation between all levels and regions.”
Hydropower
In Romania, a large part of the energy supply is covered by hydroelectric power plants. The Vidraru Dam, which was visited, has a capacity of 220 MW. The dam is 166 meters high, the arc length is 305 meters and it can store 465 million cubic meters of water. The mechanical parts of the dam are due for maintenance, but it has not been possible to find a party through a European tender that is able or willing to carry out this maintenance.
Generating energy with hydropower and meeting the water needs from the reservoirs are at odds during periods of drought. The use of a decision support system (Decision Support System) as an aid to better substantiate the choices to be made is therefore necessary. The Dutch water authorities have experience with this. In Arges-Vedea, the regional office of Apele Romane (Ministry of Water Romania) explained the water system and the applicable procedures for water management.
Better connections
The remainder of the short work visit also went well. Knowledge was shared about the current projects (Tackling Drought, Tackling Floods, Decision Support System and Economic mechanism). All these projects have a relationship with each other, which is why it was essential to have representatives from the different projects and regions together. The working visit contributed to a better connection between the various parties and the various projects.
On May 23, the water consultancy company HKV and the Dutch water authority of Limburg provided a Nature-based Solutions training course for a delegation of colleagues from the Blue Deal partnership in Romania. Now they made a video of this training.
