Other Languages

Water - a key security asset 7. Real-time monitoring of the Nistru and Prut rivers Contents   1. Water - a key security asset   2. Security through Science  3. Committee on the Challenges of Modern Society  4. Countering the environmental degradation of the Black Sea  5. Wetlands restoration in the Aral Sea  6. Artemia production in the salt water of the Aral Sea  7. Real-time monitoring of the Nistru and Prut rivers  8. Pilot studies on water management  9. The South Caucasus Cooperative River Monitoring Project Editorial Note   Important publisher and editorial information about this document Other Formats English PDF (~640Kb) Printable version with colour illustrations Order a hardcopy version using the online order form. The Nistru and Prut rivers are vital to three countries: Moldova, Romania and Ukraine. However, there are frequent droughts that provoke health and environmental problems, as well as floods that have led to loss of life and property damage. For a long time, there was no real-time information on water quantity and quality in any of the three countries. However, on 25 September 2003, four automatic water monitoring stations on the Nistru and Prut rivers, funded by NATO, were officially put into operation. The next step foreseen by this project is the collection and sharing of the data between Moldova, Romania and Ukraine. "It must be noted that transboundary water problems are a point of tension between Moldova, Romania and Ukraine and that real-time monitoring stations are key instruments and the basis of a rational approach to river management." Programme Director, Science for Peace Did you know? Transboundary cooperation projects, supported by the UN Development Programme and Global Environmental Programme and NATO, are helping to understand the ecosystem of the Prespa Lake in the Balkan Peninsula. They aim to study the influence of climate change and agricultural practices on the ecosystem of the lake, which is an important fresh water resource and a tourist attraction. Scientists from the three riparian countries - Albania, Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia* - participate in the projects, forcing them to put aside differences that have caused tension in the region. (*)Turkey recognises the Republic of Macedonia with its constitutional name.

© NATO - OTAN 2005 -	NATO Public Diplomacy Division 1110 Brussels, Belgium, web site: www.nato.int e-mail: natodoc@hq.nato. int