Outlook on climate change adaptation

Water The uses of water for drinking, agriculture and livestock, energy production, industry, shipping and tourism play a key role in the Carpathian region. The projected increase of droughts will have a major impact on water resources. Over 80% of water for human consumption in the Carpathians is supplied by groundwater. The Carpathian highlands are important for surface runoff generation and for providing water resources. There are no glaciers within the Carpathians, but permafrost and small yearlong snow areas can be found in the High Tatras. Many other mountain ecosystems regulate the hydrology of the region, such as wetlands and forests. The largest river is the Danube with its tributaries Váh, Tisza, Olt, Siret, and it is easterly flanked by the Prut and Dniester, which both drain into the Black Sea. In the northern slopes of the Carpathians, in Poland and parts of Slovakia, a small area is linked to the Baltic Sea by the Vistula and Oder rivers. As a mountainous region, the Carpathians benefit from hydropower. Over the years, the hydropower resources in the Carpathians have been almost fully exploited. The highest share of energy production in the region is produced in Romania (about 30%), while in Ukraine, it is 10%. The EU member states in the Carpathians have adopted national targets to contribute to reaching a 20% proportion of hydropower for electricity production for the entire EU (European Commission, 2009). Increased temperatures and less precipitation will lead to runoff reduction. Extreme events such as severe droughts and floods also endanger non- renewable power plants that are situated at the rivers and depend on sufficient water levels. Man-made impacts on water in the area are mainly caused by inadequate water management. Nutrients and other organic matter drain into water bodies from agricultural sites. In addition, the water quality

is reduced by waste water from households and industry. Floods or industrial accidents as well as contamination from mining activities pollute many rivers in the area with heavy metals. The existing water shortage originates from over-exploitation of surface and groundwater resources and changes

in the river flow patterns. Even though most river basins stretch over borders, little exchange of information exists on a larger scale. Monitoring systems operate only in individual countries and in some transboundary catchments, but not on the Carpathian scale.

Tatra Mountains, Slovakia

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