Transboundary water problems concern most of the regions covered by the EEA and Norway Grants Fund for Regional Cooperation. Transboundary groundwater resources deserve special attention, as they are more difficult to diagnose and manage than surface waters. Data exchange between neighbouring countries regarding transboundary groundwater is slow and inconsistent. That is why the Polish Geological Institute-PIB took the initiative to harmonise data on groundwater resources and condition on a transboundary scale.
We aim to increase the capacity of public institutions to manage transboundary groundwater resources by creating an integrated information platform, introducing new data analysis tools and solutions for coordinated management and integrated groundwater protection.
The project concerns two cross-border areas, representing: the Baltic and Eastern Europe, i.e. the Latvian-Estonian border and the Polish-Ukrainian border, which is also the eastern border of the European Union. It is the first initiative to unify the spatial hydrogeological data of the EU Member States and Ukraine.
Project outcomes will enhance coordination and improve the efficiency of international cooperation in managing and controlling the quality and quantity of transboundary groundwater. Numerous educational activities that had been planned are aimed at raising public awareness in the field of transboundary impacts on groundwater.
The project is a forerunner in the creation of a universal tool supporting strategic decision making in the context of water management in border areas.