Conservation and quality assurance of the surface water bodies in Greece and Albania using earth observation techniques

Programme 2014 - 2020 Interreg IPA CBC Greece - Albania

Date of latest update: 2024-03-02

Description

Description (EN):

AquaNEX addresses the challenges of WFD application and water resources management in the CB area. Albania needs to apply the WFD to enable water resources protection and sustainable management, and also support its accession to EU. Greece needs to update water quality monitoring networks to better serve the WFD and enhance resources management efficiency in the CB region. The overall AquaNEX objective is to enable joint sustainable water resources management in the CB area and enhance its efficiency within the WFD with the application of advanced water monitoring tools. This is accomplished by ensuring technical compliance of CB Albania to WFD; paving the way for harmonizing national Albanian legislation to WFD; and updating water quality monitoring systems in pilot areas with innovative technology while further applying WFD. The project’s added value is enabling comprehensive water resources management in Albania resulting from legislative harmonization to WFD and generating long-term improvements in pilot areas. Sophisticated datasets produced by advanced water monitoring infrastructure and services will be valuable input for future water, land and wastewater management and research further enhancing sustainability in the CB area and attracting investments in agriculture and tourism. Project main outputs are: river basin identification for Albania, surveillance monitoring guide for Albanian water bodies, water quality monitoring dataset for pilot areas, satellites images library, high resolution elevation model , soil characteristics dataset, geodatabase, soil hydrophobicity model , standard methodologies guide about priority substances, e-platform development, training seminars, guide for harmonization of Albanian legislation to WFD, guide linking earth observation tools to WFD, and public engagement actions. All Albania residents will benefit from promotion of legislative harmonization to WFD. Local communities in pilot areas will benefit from quality of life increase, and economic development in the sectors of agriculture and tourism, as water quality monitoring systems proposed by AquaNEX will enhance sustainable resources management. Regional authorities and stakeholders will acquire know-how leading to further sustainable resource management efficiency. AquaNEX is based on NEXUS approach of intergrading water, energy and agricultural production at the watershed level to optimize agricultural productivity and ecosystem services. CB border approach ensures know-how transference among beneficiaries, as each one is differentially capable of applying the WFD and establishes communication among stakeholders enabling similar problem solution for the duration and after the completion of the project. Progressive management approaches and innovative technological tools never before used in the CB area will be applied in two pilot basins, with the purpose of improving water monitoring efficiency and increasing resource sustainability.

Website: https://2014-2020.greece-albania.eu/

Expected Results (EN):

The expected results of AquaNEX are: 1. Current water quality status assessment for water bodies in pilot areas 2. Estimation of basin loading impacts to water bodies in pilot areas 3 Advanced tools development for water quality monitoring and resulting dataset integration 4. Know-how transference about water quality monitoring and WFD applications among project beneficiaries 5. Raising Public awareness about WFD and the benefits offered by AquaNEX to local communities and their economies The project creates valuable foundations for sustainable water resource management both at initial and advanced levels. At the initial Albanian area level hydrological unit identification and water body status assessment will enable future water resources management, including resource degradation prevention, protection of ecologically important sites and agricultural development, and compliance with the WFD. These will also be the project's impact at the Greek pilot area but at considerably more sophisticated degree. High resolution and accuracy soil and water data produced by the integration of advanced monitoring tools will enable advanced water and land management, thus supplying better quality water for drinking, agricultural and environmental purposes; advanced waste management leading to enhancement of surface and ground water quality; agricultural land protection from degradation; and cultivation of crops of greater quality and/or economic return. Overall, AquaNEX expected results will deliver water supply of improved water quality to local communities in pilot areas.

Expected Outputs (EN):

Project main outputs are designed to realize the overall project objective of joint sustainable water management and are the following: 1. Communication Plans 2. Printed and electronic informative materials 3. Mass media actions promoting the project 4. Website informing the public about the project 5. Public closing conferences in Thessaloniki and Tirana 6. River basin identification for Albania 7. Surveillance monitoring guide for Albanian water bodies 8. Water quality monitoring d Dataset for pilot areas 9. Satellites images library 10. High resolution elevation model 11. Soil characteristics dataset 12. Geodatabase 13. Soil hydrophobicity model 14. Standard methodologies guide about priority substances 15. E-platform development 16. Training seminars 17. Guide for harmonization of Albanian legislation to WFD 18. Guide linking earth observation tools to WFD. These outputs are directly linked to the project specific objectives of ensuring technical compliance of CB Albania to WFD (6,7,8,9,13), promoting harmonization of national Albania legislation to WFD (17,18), updating water quality monitoring systems with application of innovative technology in pilot areas (8,9,10,11,12,13,14), while transferring know-how among project beneficiaries (15-16) and raising public awareness about WFD and the benefits offered by the project to local communities and their economies (2,3,4,5).

Thematic information

Water management Evaluation systems and results

Specific Objective: Increase the capacity of cross-border infrastructure in transport, water & waste management

Thematic Priority: (c) Promoting sustainable transport and improving public infrastructures by, inter alia, reducing isolation through improved access to transport, information and communication networks and services and investing in cross-border water, waste and energy systems and facilities

Partners (5)

Lead Partner: Albanian Ministry of Tourism and Environment

Address: Rr.Norbert Jokl, 1001 Tirane, Albania

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.mjedisi.gov.al/

Total budget: EUR 442 000.00

IPA2 budget: EUR 375 700.00

Decentralized Administration of Peloponnese, Western Greece and the Ionian

Name: Decentralized Administration of Peloponnese, Western Greece and the Ionian

Address: N.E.O. Patron Athinon 158, 26442 Patra, Greece

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.apd-depin.gov.gr

Total budget: EUR 207 440.00

IPA2 budget: EUR 176 324.00

Interbalkanique Environment Center

Name: Interbalkanique Environment Center

Address: 18 Loutron Str, 57200 Lagadas, Greece

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.i-bec.org

Total budget: EUR 536 480.00

IPA2 budget: EUR 456 008.00

Agjencia Kombetare e Burimeve Natyrore

Name: Agjencia Kombetare e Burimeve Natyrore

Address: Street "Bajram Curri", Block "Vasil Shanto", 1001 Tirana, Albania

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.akbn.gov.al

Total budget: EUR 327 000.00

IPA2 budget: EUR 277 950.00

Decentralized Administration of Epirus - Western Macedonia

Name: Decentralized Administration of Epirus - Western Macedonia

Address: Voreiou Ipeirou 20, 45445 Ioannina, Greece

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.apdhp-dm.gov.gr

Total budget: EUR 199 500.00

IPA2 budget: EUR 169 575.00

Partners map

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Conservation and quality assurance of the surface water bodies in Greece and Albania using earth observation techniques

Project acronym: AQUANEX

Project start date: 2018-03-01

Project end date: 2020-12-27

Project status: closed

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 1 712 420.00

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 1 455 557.00

Total EU funding (co-financing rate): 85.00%

Co-financing sources:

IPA/IPA II/IPA III: Amount, EUR 1 455 557.00.

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2014 - 2020 Interreg IPA CBC Greece - Albania

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2020-07-22

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

65 / 65 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

293 / 293 (100%)

Notes on the data

Information provided by the Programme.

The financial data featured in keep.eu for this programme, it's projects and its partners is not exact and should be taken as a reference only.

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Conservation and quality assurance of the surface water bodies in Greece and Albania using earth observation techniques

Description

Thematic information

Partners (5)

Partners map

Summary

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

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