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

Interreg Danube Region © Interreg Danube Region

20 PPs: university or research institute: 9, national public body: 6, sectoral agency: 3, interest group: 1 public service: 1 
13 ASPs: ministry: 5, national public body: 4, sectoral agency: 2, public service: 1, research institute: 1

Danube Water Balance Partnership

11 countries, 20 partners, 13 associated partners

Overview

Danube Water Balance project aims to improve the effectiveness of transboundary and cross-sectoral water management in the Danube River Basin (DRB).

It will achieve this by developing an open source harmonized water balance modelling system (for surface water and ground water) in the Danube River Basin.

The model will allow 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, which can be used for water resources management and planning in the long term.

IIASA Models being used in this project

Water Reservoir

Community Water Model (CWatM)

An open source model to examine how future water demand will evolve in response to socioeconomic change and how water availability will change in response to climate.
water-related processes included n the model design © IIASA

CWatM - Water-related processes included in the model design (https://cwatm.iiasa.ac.at)

Expected Outputs 

  • Improved data management
    • For present and future water balance calculations
    • Creation of an open access data repository for all input and output data of the mode
    • Development of a set of open access tools to support input data collection, validation, conversion and result visualization and interpretation
    • New data management strategy providing a sound basis for data related activities of future water balance and water management modelling.
  • Development of state-of-the-art, open-source, water balance model for the Danube River Basin
  • Elaborated water balance scenarios for 4 selected transboundary sub-basins
    •  Morava (CZ, SK & AT),
    • Tisa (HU, SK, RO, RS & UA)
    • Upper Sava (SI & HR)
    • Drina (RS & BA)
  • Stakeholder Involvement and Capacity Building
    • Improved stakeholder insight into transboundary water balance methodology
    • An Expert Hub will be established that will consist of modelling experts, water managers, and other professionals from water-related sectors. 
    • Provide training to ensure longevity of model use and project benefits.

Funded By

Danube water region © Interreg Danube Region

Events

Sofia, Bulgaria

Training on Transboundary Water Balance Modelling