Development of a harmonized water balance modelling system for the Danube River Basin

Programme 2021 - 2027 Interreg VI-B Danube

Date of latest update: 2025-12-17

Description

Description (EN):

The extreme and trend like climate change impacts cause significant water balance issues in the Danube River Basin (DRB), already posing major challenges also for the environment, the economy and the whole society. Water management in the DRB is characterized by scattered data availability and various national calculation methods, ultimately leading to country-scale or sub-regional mosaics about the water balance. A jointly developed data management and a water balance model is needed to cope with the transnational water quantity challenges of the basin. The Danube Water Balance project aims to overcome this situation and contribute to sustainable, integrated transnational water management in the DRB. The overall objective of the project is to develop a harmonized water balance modelling system in the DRB. Our main outputs will cover four fields: 1. Improved data management for present and future water balance calculations. This will consist of (i) a data repository for all input and output data of the model, (ii) a set of tools supporting input data collection, validation, conversion and result visualization and interpretation and (iii) a new data management strategy providing a sound basis for data related activities of future water balance and water management modelling. Both the data repository and the tools will be open access, therefore the list of beneficiaries extends from water experts using the developed model through experts from other water related fields to decision makers willing to understand the main characteristics of the DRB as a hydrological system. 2. The state-of-the-art, open-source water balance model for the DRB, that allows the quantification of water balance components for the entire basin and for selected areas of interest. The model will be calibrated and validated against measured data collected and processed by jointly defined data management protocols, assuring the common acceptance of model results. The foreseen afterlife of the water balance model is a fully functional water management model of the basin, by which a more reasonable, sustainable and adaptive water management can be achieved in the long run. 3. Elaborated water balance scenarios for 4 selected transboundary sub-basins, namely Morava (CZ, SK & AT), Tisa (HU, SK, RO, RS & UA), Upper Sava (SI & HR), and Drina (RS & BA). This key action within the project will be the cornerstone of future cooperation by providing a good exercise for our international experts to test and enhance the the Danube River Basin Water Balance model (DRBWBM) and the founded common data repository. 4. Improved stakeholder insight into transboundary water balance methodology: strong emphasis will be put on sectoral stakeholder involvement and capacity building in the project. Besides the essential technical modelling steps, it is planned that several trainings will be carried out and an expert hub will be established that will consist of modelling experts, water managers, and other professionals from water-related sectors. This approach will ensure that water experts, universities and all interested stakeholders will benefit from the project results and their ability to carry out transnational projects on transboundary water issues is greatly enhanced. The tangible novelty of our proposal is the long-overdue common water balance calculation methodology for the whole Danube basin, tested in transboundary sub-basins, using climate scenarios and the data repository. This will improve river basin management planning measures required by the Water Framework Directive. A less tangible novelty of the proposed project is the extensive partnership and expert hub deeply committed in maintaining the framework and methodology for determining the water balance of the basin. This will also help finding synergies between the water resource management and other ongoing environmental initiatives within the DRB: consultation will be organized with relevant partners of other projects, especially with Expert/Task Groups of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ASP1) and organizations with observer status in the ICPDR. These include the International Hydrological Programme of the UNESCO (IHP/Danube) as well as representatives of e.g., waterways & transport and nature conservation. The DRB is one of the most diverse transboundary river basins of the World in the sense that 14 countries share over its territory with different cultural, societal and economic backgrounds. Therefore, it was essential to establish a broad partnership for the implementation of this project. All the 14 DRB countries are represented in the project with the involvement of 20 PPs from 11 countries (6 from 3 non-EU ones) and 13 ASPs. It is the first time that all Danube countries would work jointly to achieve a better understanding and a common interpretation of the water balance in order to lay the foundations of improved water management.

Actual Achievements (EN):

As the LP of the project OVF set up a Project Management Unit (PMU), involving a project manager, financial manager, communication manager, supported by technical experts, who are responsible for the proper technical implementation of the several activities and deliverables which have been indicated in the AF. To launch the work within the project a so-called 0. PP online meeting was held on 22.01.2024 to initiate the first steps of the project implementation. In addition, several online meetings were held during the period, with the SO1 coordinating partner (PP14 - NIHWM), the SO2 coordinating partner (PP4 – IIASA) and SO3 coordinating partner (PP13 – PWMC SV). In these meetings, important issues concerning data management were discussed (which data needed for model, which data sources to work with, which publicly available databases to extract data from, which time scale to use, how to collect data). Several coordination meetings were held with ICPDR Secretariat and consulted with representatives of Expert Groups. In addition, LP consulted with other DRS projects’ LP/representatives about the cooperation. DWB official kick-off meeting took place in Budapest on 27-28 March, 2024. The event was successful, which was attended by a large number of participants, including the project officer from MA/JS, as well as high-level representatives such as the Director of Water of Hungary, Mr. Péter Kovács, from the Ministry of Interior. The kickoff meeting established key parameters such as general spatial and temporal resolutions for the whole DWB water balance model. Beside that the representatives of the project participated at the Lead Partner Seminar, organized by the JS/MA of DRP Programme. The events were extremely fruitful and resulted in enhanced understanding of Programme rules and guidelines, and were filled with useful tips and advices for effective project management & implementation. PSO1: Contribution to A.1.1 Input data specification, design of data storage structure and the principle of use: Based on communication with project partners (SO1 technical online meetings 14.02.2024, 18.03.2024, 17.05.2024) data specification to DWB model was discussed. The SO Leader (PP14 - NIHWM) prepared an online survey on data needs in order to fill out by the whole Partnership. The necessary data templates specification was defined (climatology data, hydrology data, hydrogeology data, spatial data and water management data). The metadata collection on availability of information was done for Hungary in cooperation with other Hungarian partner PP2 BME. LP reviewed the available data sources of European Union in relation to water (e.g. WISE, Copernicus) and ICPDR sources like DanubeGIS and DanubeHIS. PSO2: Contribution to A 2.1 Setup of open-source water balance model for the Danube River Basin LP provided the modelling activities within SO2 (PP4 – IIASA) and the range of data required for the model, as well as the data which the currently functioning model is based on. Several online meetings were held to figure out how the accuracy and relevance of the model could be increased during this project. PSO3 - LP made the initial steps for the dissemination of the project. Related to the basin project communication requirements, LP created a sub-page about the project on the official website of OVF. A LinkedIn page and Facebook page was created to share info and news about the project on social network. Communication Strategy’s draft got finalized and uploaded to the common google drive. Lead partner of the modeling activities within SO2, IIASA (PP4) together with lead partner of SO3 (PP13 – PWMC SV) organized the CWatM Level A1 Course on Water Resources Modelling Summer School. Technical expert staff members from the LP completed the course. LP designed the official project poster, displayed at the entrance of the OVF International Department and distributed the editable file to the project partners. project partners sent photos to prove the DWB project poster has been displayed in their offices too. In order to establish contacts and synergies with the other funded Danube projects, the Danube Water Balance project manager participated in a meeting initiated by the Aquatic Plastic project on 17 June, which was attended by representatives of the Tethys, Danube Sediment_Q2 and Microdrink projects. The participants agreed to establish a common stakeholder database and to keep the results of the projects informed. During Period 2 of the Danube Water Balance (DWB) projectnumber of important tasks and activities were implemented mainly related to national data collection, modelling processes and partner capacity building. During the first phase of the period, in the data collection and preparation activities a number of small group meetings were organized to discuss the format and content requirements for the national data. The discussions resulted in the identification of the seventeen data types time series, map files or tabular data needed to build the model. The PP2 BME team, has uploaded the data folder structure (Collected data), the data provision guidelines for the datasets to the SharePoint platform. The datasets are divided into three categories: first dataset, second dataset and third dataset. The different data must be prepared according to the form and content criteria detailed in the guidelines and then uploaded to the appropriate directory for time series, metadata, GIS and static data. An Excel file in the form of a table has also been uploaded, providing information for each country as a PP on whether they have data, whether the data has been uploaded, how many datasets have been collected, and the quality of the data submitted. In PSO2 partners also participated in the further development of the model concept. After the partner meeting Bucharest (9-10.10.2024) PP4 – IIASA initiated regular online meetings with partners to discuss the latest developments, issues and the way forward. A preliminary calibration was done for the Danube and four case study basins. The calibration framework is worked out in deliverable report D2.2.2 and consists the description of hydrological and technical modelling processes, evaluation and synthesis of the tasks and description of the tools implemented in the modelling system for robust hydrological model calibration. During the workshop in Sofia, partners also explored in more detail some elements of the CWatM model and presented the current state of data collection. To foster mutual acceptance of joint water balance methodology through capacity building, the project launch a session at EGU25: Danube water – past, current and future water resources in a transboundary river system. During the third reporting period, the consortium remained active across all three Project Specific Objectives (PSOs), with coordinated efforts in data harmonization, model development, calibration, and scenario implementation across the Danube River Basin (DRB) and the pilot areas, with particular emphasis on the Tisa and Drina sub-basins. PSO1 – Data Collection, Harmonization and Repository Development The third round of data collection (A1.2) was successfully completed, focusing on water management and climate-related datasets. Partners were supported through templates, consultations, and a Q&A process. Submissions were subsequently cleaned, harmonized, and analyzed for spatial and temporal coverage, partly with the help of self-developed scripts. Missing or weak-performing datasets were identified and addressed in collaboration with national partners. The project advanced the development of the internal SharePoint-based data repository (A1.3), where 17 dataset types were categorized into thematic folders. A sample structure for the final Common Data Storage (O1.1) was created and documented in Deliverable D1.3.1, which will later serve as part of a comprehensive data manual. Tools for data preprocessing and time series quality control were published on GitHub, while Deliverable D1.4.1 summarized these methods. In addition, discussions on climate datasets (Deliverable D1.2.3) contributed to the definition of common approaches for impact assessments. PSO2 – Model Setup, Calibration and Enhancement Considerable progress was made on the hydrological modelling framework (CWatM) for the Danube Basin and the four case studies (Morava, Upper Sava, Drina, and Tisa). The basin-wide setup, with a spatial resolution of 1 arcmin (~1.3 × 1.8 km) and daily timestep, was finalized and documented in Deliverable D2.1.2. Calibration activities were carried out according to the framework described in D2.2.2, with initial results already available for selected sub-basins. Specific improvements were introduced to increase model robustness. These included validation of soil parameter datasets (comparing EU SoilHydroGrid with national datasets), sensitivity analyses, and refinement of evapotranspiration formulations to improve future climate simulations. Work also continued on the representation of reservoirs, lowland channels, and water transfers, with first results incorporated in the Tisa pilot model. Collaboration with other EU projects (STARS4Water, Tethys, GoNexus) supported the exchange of data and expertise, especially on water demand scenarios and dissemination tools. PSO3 – Scenarios, Stakeholder Engagement and Capacity Building Progress was achieved in defining unified climate and water demand scenarios for all pilot basins. Each pilot will additionally develop a site-specific scenario to reflect local needs and stakeholder inputs. For the Tisa pilot, observational data were used to refine reservoir representation, and the integration of water transfer systems was initiated. Stakeholder engagement activities were strengthened. A stakeholder identification and analysis survey was developed, forming the basis of a Stakeholder Register and Engagement Plan. Feedback on model performance was gathered during project meetings and dissemination events. Capacity-building actions included contributions to the “Training for Trainers” workshop in Sofia and the development of a visualization tool enabling local access to CWatM outputs through a geo-portal environment. Dissemination and Networking Consortium members contributed actively to scientific dissemination. Project abstracts and results were presented at the European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly 2025, where multiple partners co-authored presentations on data collection and meteorological analyses. The team also engaged with international networks and projects to align methodologies and share results.

Project outputs: Harmonized data repository of environmental, hydrological and water management data for the Danube River Basin(EN)
Data import, conversion and validation tools for the enhanced data handling to support harmonized water balance modelling (EN)
Joint data management strategy for the future Danube basin cooperation(EN)
Open-source water balance model for the Danube River Basin(EN)
Shared knowledge on joint water balance methodology based on the co-owned DRB WB model(EN)
Stakeholder insight into transboundary subbasin water balance for past and future conditions (EN)
Toolbox for post- processing, visualization and interpretation of water balance components in the Danube River Basin(EN)

Thematic information

ICT and digital society Climate change and biodiversity Knowledge and technology transfer

Priority: (VI-B_D_2) Priority 2 - A greener, low- carbon Danube Region

Priority specific objective: RSO2.5. Promoting access to water and sustainable water management

Priority policy objective (Interreg specific objective): PO2 A greener, low-carbon transitioning towards a net zero carbon economy and resilient Europe by promoting clean and fair energy transition, green and blue investment, the circular economy, climate change mitigation and adaptation, risk prevention and management, and sustainable urban mobility

Type of intervention: 064 Water management and water resource conservation (including river basin management, specific climate change adaptation measures, reuse, leakage reduction)

Partners (22)

Lead Partner: Országos Vízügyi Főigazgatóság

Partner’s ID if not PIC: HU15796019241

Department: International Department

Address: Márvány utca , 1012 Budapest, Hungary

Department address: Pálya utca, 1012 Budapest, Hungary

Legal status: public

Organisation type: National public authority

Website: http://www.ovf.hu

Total budget: EUR 348 393.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 278 714.40

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 69 678.60

Contractors:

Name: Hotel Premio Kft.
VAT registration or tax identification number: 22637437-2-42

Centrul de Studii Strategice de Mediu

Name: Centrul de Studii Strategice de Mediu

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 1010620002758

Address: sos Hincesti , 2028 Chisinau, Moldova

Department address: sos Hincesti , 2028 Chisinau, Moldova

Legal status: private

Organisation type: Interest groups including NGOs

Total budget: EUR 28 690.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 22 952.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 5 738.00

Българска асоциация по водите

Name: Българска асоциация по водите

Department: Secretariat

Partner’s ID if not PIC: BG831199654

Address: Hristo Smirnenski Boulevard, 1046 Sofia, Bulgaria

Department address: Hristo Smirnenski Boulevard, 1046 Sofia, Bulgaria

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Interest groups including NGOs

Website: http://bwa-bg.com

Total budget: EUR 36 285.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 29 028.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 7 257.00

Contractors:

Name: Prima Communications
VAT registration or tax identification number: 175042936

НАЦИОНАЛЕН ИНСТИТУТ ПО МЕТЕОРОЛОГИЯ И ХИДРОЛОГИЯ

Name: НАЦИОНАЛЕН ИНСТИТУТ ПО МЕТЕОРОЛОГИЯ И ХИДРОЛОГИЯ

Department: Department of Hydrology

Partner’s ID if not PIC: BG000663814

Address: Tsarigradsko shose, 1784 София, Bulgaria

Department address: Tsarigradsko shose, 1784 София, Bulgaria

Legal status: public

Organisation type: National public authority

Website: http://www.meteo.bg

Total budget: EUR 67 560.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 54 048.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 13 512.00

Изпълнителна агенция "Проучване и поддържане на река Дунав

Name: Изпълнителна агенция "Проучване и поддържане на река Дунав

Department: European Programs, Projects and Public Relations Dept. Hydrology and Hydro-Meteorology Dept.

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 000513106

Address: Slavyanska , 7000 Ruse, Bulgaria

Department address: Slavyanska , 7000 Ruse, Bulgaria

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Sectoral agency

Website: http://www.appd-bg.org

Total budget: EUR 42 900.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 34 320.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 8 580.00

Administratia Nationala de Meteorologie

Name: Administratia Nationala de Meteorologie

Department: Department of Climatology

Partner’s ID if not PIC: RO11672708

Address: Ploiești St.,, 013686 Bucharest, Romania

Department address: Ploiești St., 013686 Bucharest, Romania

Legal status: public

Organisation type: National public authority

Website: http://www.meteoromania.ro/

Total budget: EUR 82 970.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 66 376.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 16 594.00

Administratia Nationala Apele Romane

Name: Administratia Nationala Apele Romane

Department: Integrated Management @ Water Resources

Partner’s ID if not PIC: RO24326056

Address: Strada Ion Campineanu, 010031 Bucharest, Romania

Department address: Strada Ion Campineanu, 010031 Bucharest, Romania

Legal status: public

Organisation type: National public authority

Website: https://rowater.ro/

Total budget: EUR 152 985.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 122 388.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 30 597.00

Institutul National de Hidrologie si Gospodarire a Apelor

Name: Institutul National de Hidrologie si Gospodarire a Apelor

Department: Department of Hydrology

Partner’s ID if not PIC: RO24582488

Address: sos. Bucuresti-Ploiesti, 013686 Bucarest, Romania

Department address: sos. Bucuresti-Ploiesti, 013686 Bucarest, Romania

Legal status: public

Organisation type: National public authority

Website: http://www.inhga.ro

Total budget: EUR 200 736.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 160 588.80

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 40 147.20

Javno vodoprivredno preduzeće “Srbijavode”

Name: Javno vodoprivredno preduzeće “Srbijavode”

Department: Technical Department

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 100283824

Address: Bulevar umetnosti, 11070 Belgrade, Serbia

Department address: Bulevar umetnosti, 11070 Belgrade, Serbia

Legal status: public

Organisation type: National public authority

Website: https://www.srbijavode.rs

Total budget: EUR 216 730.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 173 384.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 43 346.00

Institut za vodoprivredu "Jaroslav Černi" AD

Name: Institut za vodoprivredu "Jaroslav Černi" AD

Department: Project Unit

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 101968542

Address: Jaroslava Černog, 11226 Belgrade, Serbia

Department address: Jaroslava Černog, 11226 Belgrade, Serbia

Legal status: private

Organisation type: SME

Website: https://www.jcerni.rs/

Total budget: EUR 125 482.50

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 100 386.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 25 096.50

Poljoprivredni fakultet, Univerzitet Novi Sad

Name: Poljoprivredni fakultet, Univerzitet Novi Sad

Department: Department of Water Management

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 100239025

Address: Trg D. Obradovića, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia

Department address: Trg D. Obradovića, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Higher education and research organisations

Website: http://polj.uns.ac.rs/

Total budget: EUR 124 465.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 99 572.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 24 893.00

Univerzitet u Sarajevu

Name: Univerzitet u Sarajevu

Department: Research and Development Center

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 200494560007

Address: Obala Kulina bana, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Department address: Obala Kulina bana, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Higher education and research organisations

Website: http://www.unsa.ba

Total budget: EUR 101 190.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 80 952.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 20 238.00

Zavod za vodoprivredu

Name: Zavod za vodoprivredu

Department: Technical and Information Sector

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 400385310008

Address: Milosa Obilica , 76300 Bijeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Department address: Milosa Obilica , 76300 Bijeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Legal status: private

Organisation type: Other

Website: https://zavodzavodoprivredu.com/

Total budget: EUR 62 400.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 49 920.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 12 480.00

Hrvatske vode

Name: Hrvatske vode

Department: Department of Development

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 28921383001

Address: Ulica grada Vukovara, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

Department address: Ulica grada Vukovara, 1000 Zagreb, Croatia

Legal status: public

Organisation type: National public authority

Website: https://www.voda.hr/en

Total budget: EUR 115 205.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 92 164.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 23 041.00

Contractors:

Name: DRŽAVNI HIDROMETEROLOŠKI ZAVOD
VAT registration or tax identification number: HR1210010051863000160

Agencija Republike Slovenije za okolje

Name: Agencija Republike Slovenije za okolje

Department: Hydrogeological Analysis and Modelling Section

Partner’s ID if not PIC: SI29335833

Address: Vojkova, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

Department address: Vojkova, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

Legal status: public

Organisation type: National public authority

Website: http://www.arso.gov.si

Total budget: EUR 168 550.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 134 840.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 33 710.00

Contractors:

Name: Sofina d.o.o.
VAT registration or tax identification number: 44238614

Slovenská technická univerzita v Bratislave

Name: Slovenská technická univerzita v Bratislave

Department: Faculty of Civil Engineering, Department of Land and Water Resources Management

Partner’s ID if not PIC: SK2020845255

Address: Radlinského , 810 05 Bratislava, Slovakia

Department address: Radlinského , 810 05 Bratislava, Slovakia

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Higher education and research organisations

Website: https://www.stuba.sk/english.html?page_id=132

Total budget: EUR 122 550.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 98 040.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 24 510.00

Vysoké učení technické v Brně

Name: Vysoké učení technické v Brně

Department: Brno University of Technology

Partner’s ID if not PIC: CZ00216305

Address: Antonínská, 60190 Brno, Czech Republic

Department address: Veveří, 60200 Brno, Czech Republic

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Higher education and research organisations

Website: https://www.vut.cz/

Total budget: EUR 121 919.50

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 97 535.60

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 24 383.90

International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis

Name: International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis

Department: Biodiversity and Natural Resources / Water Security

Partner’s ID if not PIC: ZVR-Number: 524808900

Address: Schlossplatz, 2361 Laxenburg, Austria

Department address: Schlossplatz, 2361 Laxenburg, Austria

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Interest groups including NGOs

Website: https://iiasa.ac.at/

Total budget: EUR 450 911.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 360 728.80

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 90 182.20

Technische Universität Wien

Name: Technische Universität Wien

Department: E222 Institut für Wasserbau und Ingenieurhydrologie

Partner’s ID if not PIC: ATU 37675002

Address: Karlsplatz , A-1040 Wien, Austria

Department address: Karlsplatz , 1040 Wien, Austria

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Higher education and research organisations

Website: http://www.hydro.tuwien.ac.at

Total budget: EUR 262 520.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 210 016.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 52 504.00

Budapesti Műszaki és Gazdaságtudományi Egyetem

Name: Budapesti Műszaki és Gazdaságtudományi Egyetem

Department: Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering

Partner’s ID if not PIC: HU 17783305

Address: Műegyetem rakpart , 1111 Budapest, Hungary

Department address: Műegyetem rakpart , 1111 Budapest, Hungary

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Higher education and research organisations

Website: https://vkkt.bme.hu/?language=en

Total budget: EUR 195 877.50

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 156 702.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 39 175.50

Institutul de Ecologie și Geografie

Name: Institutul de Ecologie și Geografie

Department: Departament of Ecology

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 1561225400717

Address: Academiei , MD-2001 Chisinau, Moldova

Department address: Academiei , MD-2001 Chisinau, Moldova

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Higher education and research organisations

Website (not verified): http://Ieg.asm.md

Total budget: EUR 28 690.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 22 952.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 5 738.00

Technische Universitaet Wien

Name: Technische Universitaet Wien

Department: E222 Institut für Wasserbau und Ingenieurhydrologie

Partner’s ID if not PIC: ATU 37675002

Address: Karlsplatz , A-1040 Wien, Austria

Department address: Karlsplatz , 1040 Wien, Austria

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Higher education and research organisations

Website: http://www.hydro.tuwien.ac.at

Total budget: EUR 262 520.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 210 016.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 52 504.00

Partners map

Partners and Projects info

Center for Strategic Environmental Studies ECOS

Development of a harmonized water balance modelling system for the Danube River Basin

Partners and Projects info

Bulgarian Water Association

Development of a harmonized water balance modelling system for the Danube River Basin

Partners and Projects info

Национален Институт по Метеорология и Хидрология

Development of a harmonized water balance modelling system for the Danube River Basin

Partners and Projects info

Executive Agency "Exploration and Maintenance of the Danube River

Development of a harmonized water balance modelling system for the Danube River Basin

Partners and Projects info

National Meteorological Administration

Development of a harmonized water balance modelling system for the Danube River Basin

Partners and Projects info

National Administration Romanian Waters

Development of a harmonized water balance modelling system for the Danube River Basin

Partners and Projects info

National Institute of Hydrology and Water Management

Development of a harmonized water balance modelling system for the Danube River Basin

Partners and Projects info

Public Water Management Company „Srbijavode“

Development of a harmonized water balance modelling system for the Danube River Basin

Partners and Projects info

Jaroslav Černi Water Institute

Development of a harmonized water balance modelling system for the Danube River Basin

Partners and Projects info

Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad

Development of a harmonized water balance modelling system for the Danube River Basin

Partners and Projects info

University of Sarajevo

Development of a harmonized water balance modelling system for the Danube River Basin

Partners and Projects info

Institute for Water Management

Development of a harmonized water balance modelling system for the Danube River Basin

Partners and Projects info

Croatian Waters

Development of a harmonized water balance modelling system for the Danube River Basin

Partners and Projects info

Agencija RS za okolje

Development of a harmonized water balance modelling system for the Danube River Basin

Partners and Projects info

Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava

Development of a harmonized water balance modelling system for the Danube River Basin

Partners and Projects info

Brno University of Technology

Development of a harmonized water balance modelling system for the Danube River Basin

Partners and Projects info

International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis

Development of a harmonized water balance modelling system for the Danube River Basin

Partners and Projects info

TU Wien

Development of a harmonized water balance modelling system for the Danube River Basin

Partners and Projects info

Budapesti Műszaki és Gazdaságtudományi Egyetem

Development of a harmonized water balance modelling system for the Danube River Basin

Partners and Projects info

Országos Vízügyi Főigazgatóság

Development of a harmonized water balance modelling system for the Danube River Basin

Partners and Projects info

Institute of Ecology and Geography

Development of a harmonized water balance modelling system for the Danube River Basin

Partners and Projects info

TU Wien

Development of a harmonized water balance modelling system for the Danube River Basin

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Development of a harmonized water balance modelling system for the Danube River Basin

Project acronym: Danube Water Balance

Project ID: DRP0200156

Project start date: 2024-01-01

Project end date: 2026-06-30

Project status: ongoing

Relevant linked projects:

The DAREFFORT project (Interreg DTP Call2) is closely related to this initiative. DAREFFORT project is a horizontal initiative to implement a flood risk mitigation measure in a joint and sustainable way on catchment level. The project developed the basis of the Danube Hydrological Information System (DanubeHIS) operated by ICPDR and currently is in testing phase. The focus of the project was on the access to the recorded hydrologic and ice data and the harmonized storage available to DRB countries. (EN) | Besides open access global and regional data, DanubeHIS will serve as the main data source for hydrological and meteorological data for the DRBWB model. The large number of meteorological and gauging stations distributed over the DRB provides stable basis for evaluating spatially continuous climate data (as forcing input of the model) and for calibrating and validating the model for water levels and discharges. The participation of ICPDR as ASP in the project assures smooth access to the data and the related metadata.
In addition, experience in collecting and organizing data measured and stored by different protocols (materialized in, among other products, the reports of best data management practices and the HyMeDES Environet Data Exchange Platform developed in the DAREFFORT project) will provide examples for the planning and implementation of data management in the proposed project and will serve as basis for developing data management strategy for future hydrological and water management modeling. (EN), IIASA has been the leader of several initiatives recently, the most important are the ECA Water Security Initiative (World Bank project) and the SOS-Water project. The former aims to benchmark present and future challenges around water security in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ECA). The SOS-Water “Water Resources System Safe Operating Space in a Changing Climate and Society”, a HORIZON project coordinated by IIASA, aims to define a safe operating space (SOS) for the water resources under the influence of socio-economic, policy, technological, and climatic changes. The Upper Danube is a study area in the project, where the pressures on water resources will be modelled with the CWatM. (EN) | As the model developer of the CWatM model IIASA is a key partner in all of the activities planned. Their experiences gained in these former and currently running projects will be of use during the elaboration of the current initiative. The key challenges identified in ECA Water Security project provide good foundations for the scenario development of the proposed DRB WB project.
The capabilities of CWatM improved in SOS-Water will be utilized in this project in many ways. The experiences gained during the implementation in the Upper Danube can be directly fed into the DRB scale model development.
(EN), The Danube Hazard m3c project was a DTP financed programme that aimed to develop a harmonized inventory of hazardous substances (HS) within the DRB and also used a DRB scale HS emission model to identify sources and pathways of specific HSs using runoff data from the E-HYPE model., The work started in that project is planned to be further developed in the proposed Tethys project within the same call as this project applies for: the proposed Tethys project plans to develop a fully operational hazardous substance emission model at DRB scale. As such, it relies on hydrological data on the DRB scale. (EN) | A coherent water balance methodology and pilot application of the model would deliver results that are of high interest among a large group of stakeholders within the water sector. There is a concrete need for the foreseen outputs from several planned projects and operative tasks within the DRB. The Tethys project would ideally rely on water balance delivered by an up-to-date hydrological model. The CWatM model is already set up for the Upper Danube in the SOS-Water project would be extended to cover the whole DRB during the first periods of the proposed project which would allow preliminary results to be passed to e.g. the Tethys project. In exchange, feedback about data quality based on the use of the water balance data is expected, which would be used for model refinement. The consortia in Tethys and DRBWB have overlapping partners from key institutions (TUW, BME, BWA and JCWI) that would ensure seamless communication and cooperation between the two projects. Online meetings could also be organized as soft measures to clarify the data needs of the Tethys project and to provide feedback on the data quality provided by the DRBWB model. (EN), Another DTP project, the Danube Sediment project is planned to be continued in the current call, which is focusing on the restoration of the sediment balance and quantity within the DRB. (EN) | Sustainable sediment balances along the Danube and its tributaries are very important aspects of the health of our river systems and it is by nature tightly connected to the hydrological regimes of the rivers. A better understanding of river water balances and their temporal dynamics is helping experts to draw a more refined picture about upcoming trends in the risks related to sediment balances in certain river sections of the DRB.
Both projects would provide valuable results for transboundary water management and river basin management. While sedimentation problems (both deposition and erosion) highlight the need to apply sediment management solution in certain river sections of the rivers the water balance models highlight the need of water reservation (maybe the further needs of dams or reservoirs) in some sections, or further irrigation demands in lower river sections that also effects sediment fluxes in the rivers. The projects will not work together on the functional level, however, the proceeding of the projects will be shared through online meetings and personal meetings in ICPDR Task Groups, where several partners from both projects are representing their country. (EN), Several projects including some milestone cooperations between national institutions over transboundary subbasins of the DRB are in some way predecessors of this proposal. Such projects are like the JoinTisza project (Interreg DTP call1) that aimed to improve the integration of water management and flood risk prevention planning and actions; the WACOM project (Interreg DTP Call3) covering the Water Contingency Management in the Sava River Basin; the Danube Floodplain project (Interreg DTP Call2) that aimed to improve transnational water management and flood risk prevention while maximizing benefits for biodiversity conservation (EN) | The present initiative would benefit from both the experiences gained in co-working on transboundary water management issues and the professional relationships already established in these projects. (EN), A HORIZON project with innovative approach on the analysis of nexus between water, energy, food and environment (WEFE) and the effects of population growth and economic expansion on these resources is the GoNEXUS. Beyond charting the interlinkages, the project develops climatic, land use, socio-economic and policy scenarios for the future to assess their possible impacts on WEFE. The ultimate goal of the project is to develop a framework that supports the transition to a balanced management of resources. A key feature of GoNEXUS is the deep involvement of stakeholders from the assessment of WEFE to the design of future scenarios and solutions. One of the case studies covers the Danube River Basin, where the focus will be put on water and the pressures altering water resources, e.g. the realignment of water consuming sectors along with the growing water demand, or the changing climate. (EN) | Water demand changes and the sectoral distribution of water uses projected in GoNEXUS may be the starting point to our scenario development for the subbasin assessments. Our initiative may also benefit from the efforts the GoNEXUS project invests in developing climate change scenarios as the criteria regarding climate data may be common for the two projects.
Generally, our initiative can build on the identified sustainability issues in the DRB as areas of the water sector that we need to put on the table, when future challenges are considered. The weights of pressures defined and predicted by GoNEXUS and their probable impacts on water resources may affect our data gap analysis and the development of recommendation towards a common water management model by fine-tuning or even shifting the focus of future water balance and management initiatives. (EN)

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 3 028 319.50

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 2 422 655.60

Total EU funding (co-financing rate): 80.00%

Co-financing sources:

Investments, deliverables, policy contributions

(bullets are inserted automatically and may be incorrectly placed)

Deliverables:

Report on the needed data for water balance model set-up and use
Report on data specification
Report on data storage structure and management procedures
Data sets for CWatM model set-up.
Dataset with the historical datasets for CWatM calibration and validation
Climate change datasets for impact assessment
Central data storage
Data pre-processing tools
Report on data management gaps
Joint proposal on data management strategy
Report on strategy improvements based on stakeholders' feedbacks.
Report on Danube River Basin Water Balance Model structure and resolution
Danube River Basin Water Balance Model (DRBWBM)
Framework for calibration and validation
Report on DRBWBM calibration, validation, sensitivity, and uncertainty analysis
Technical documentation of DRBWBM setup
Joint recommendation to upscale the water balance model into a water management model
Report on linkage of DRBWBM to other models in the basin
Report on scenarios used for water balance modelling on transboundary subbasins of DRB
Report on DRBWBM simulations with past and future scenarios on transboundary subbasins of DRB
Analysis of climate change impact on water balance on transboundary subbasins of DRB
Training materials on data management, model applications and result interpretation
Guidelines and User Manual for water management experts
Report on training program for DRBWM water management experts
Water Management Experts Feedback Summary Report
Stakeholder Feedback Summary Report
Guidelines and User Manual for water related sector experts
Report on capacity building of stakeholders
Project conferences and workshops
Tools for the Interpretation and Visualization of the DRBWBM results
Visibility of project activities and results across and beyond DRB
Newsletters
Promotional materials and poster

Contribution to wider strategies and policies:

EUStrategyDanubeRegion All project partners fall within the EUSDR’s territory. Through it focuses on water quantity, harmonized data collection and management, the Danube Water Balance project especially addresses the PA4 (development of harmonized water balance data management and strengthening of territorial cooperation) and PA10 (institutional cross-border capacity building, knowledge transfer and public services). PA4 provided a Letter of Recommendation in which also invites the funding sources to consider providing adequate financial support to the project.
This project will focus on climate change impacts on water resources and as well changes in human demands thus project results will contribute to the promotion of measures to adapt to climate change impacts in relation to water quantity (PA4 Action 6). In Activity 2.5 of this project an analysis will be carried out on the link between the water balance model and other Danube basin-wide water models and initiatives. One of the most promising connections is expected to be with water quality models, thus in the future Danube River Basin Water Balance Model may further developed into a transport model of pollutants and sediment (PA4 Action 1).
EuropeanGreenDeal The European Green Deal resets the Commission’s commitment to tackling climate and environmental-related challenges that is this generation’s defining task. The Danube Water Balance project can contribute to the transformation of the Danube basin into a resource-efficient society where economic growth is decoupled from resource use.
The European Green Deal includes a new Strategy on Climate Adaptation that pushes forward the creation of more and improved information, as well as risk assessment tools to accelerate mitigation of the negative effects of climate change. The Danube Water Balance project brings itself in line with the strategy to harmonizing data management and based on that develop an open-source water balance model for the Danube basin.
The Danube Water Balance project promotes the understanding of the hydrological cycle, both natural and modified due to the effects of human interventions and climate change. This way supports the restoration of the natural functions of underground and surface waters. Which is essential to preserve and restore the biodiversity of lakes, rivers, wetlands and estuaries, and to prevent and limit damage caused by water scarcity and droughts.
This project will focus on climate change impacts on water resources and as well human needs on sustainable resource use, especially in water resource-intensive and high-impact sectors such as food and energy.
TerritorialAgenda2030 This project will support the action to put Territorial Agenda into practice in order to tackle spatial inequalities and to appropriately address the transition towards a sustainable development. This is necessary climate change impacts tend manifest primarily through water. The river basin management planning as the tool of Integrated Water Resource Management relies on spatial planning or other tools enhancing integrated territorial or local development among others. Both water and territorial policy requires multilevel and sectoral cooperation, integrated approach, participation and co-creation, multi-level governance and a place-based approach.
Water is essential for human well-being. There are disparities in access to water not only between countries and regions but also between urban and rural areas, as well as watersheds, which can correlate with social inequality in the Danube basin. The Danube River Basin (DRB) is the most diverse transboundary river basin in the world in the sense that fourteen countries share over its territory with different cultural, societal and economic backgrounds. This project aims to strengthen cohesion among Danube countries in the field of water management. The basis of cooperation in water management in the Danube basin is the Convention on Cooperation for the Protection and Sustainable Use of the Danube that aims to achieve objectives of the EU Water Framework Directive in all Danube countries including non-EU Member States.
The Danube Water Balance project contributes to ensuring that water-dependent ecosystems are in a healthy environment, which is essential for human existence and long-term sustainable development.
Other IHP DANUBE is a Regional Hydrological Co-operation of the Danube Countries in the framework of the Intergovernmental
Hydrological Programme of the UNESCO and IHP National Committees. The aim of this scientific collaboration of hydrologists is to produce consistent hydrological information about the whole Danube Catchment. This project can contribute to this common knowledge by all activities carried out to set up Danube River Basin Water Balance Model and with assessment of the basin and pilot subbasins. In addition, the tools developed by this project can be capitalized by the IHP community. The Conferences of the Danube Countries on Hydrological Forecasting and Hydrological Bases of Water Management are organized biannually. These conferences serve as a forum for discussion and exchange of views among the specialists involved. The next conference (in 2025) has the opportunity for the Danube Water Balance project partnership to disseminate the results. The relevance of Danube Water Balance project can be detected in the common statement adopted by the scientists participating at the XXVII conference in 2017. The resolution states "the urgent needs for further systematic and broadly integrated research in the Danube River Basin." According to this resolution, among others the "Update of the Danube River Basin water balance" is such a topic which should be analyzed and evaluated. "Understanding the water balance is essential for protecting the Danube River Basin environment and for water management at large. Without knowledge of the water balance is it not possible to analyse climate change impacts or the transboundary impacts and antrophogenic activities."
Other The EU Communication ‘Shaping Europe’s Digital Future (2020) pursue the cross-country interconnection of data and data usage, common standards and borderless public sector data flows, and sees it as crucial to shape climate change related actions. By working on the joint data management and water balance model this project contributes to this strategy

Programme Common Output Indicator:

RCO 116 - Jointly developed solutions, Measurement unit:
RCO 084 - Pilot actions developed jointly and implemented in projects, Measurement unit:
RCO 083 - Strategies and action plans jointly developed, Measurement unit:
RCO 087 - Organisations cooperating across borders, Measurement unit:

Programme Common Result Indicator:

RCR 104 - Solutions taken up or up-scaled by organisations, Measurement unit:
RCR 079 - Joint strategies and action plans taken up by organisations, Measurement unit:

Programme Result Indicator:

ISI - Organisations with increased institutional capacity due to their participation in cooperation activities across the borders, Measurement unit: No. of organisations

Project part of European Union Macro-Regional or Sea Basin Strategy: EUSDR

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

Financing programme

2021 - 2027 Interreg VI-B Danube

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

2025-12-17

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

138 / 138 (100%)

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

1 413 / 1 413 (100%)

Notes on the data

Languages

Contact Form

Development of a harmonized water balance modelling system for the Danube River Basin

Description

Thematic information

Partners (22)

Partners map

Summary

Investments, deliverables, policy contributions

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

Disclaimer