On April 19, 1995 Governments of the Slovak Republic and the Republic of Hungary signed an Agreement concerning certain temporary technical measures and discharges in the Danube and Mosoni branch of the Danube[1] (Appendix A.1) - hereinafter Agreement. The Agreement prescribes the monitoring of environmental impact of realised measures, increased discharges into the Danube and Mosoni branch of the Danube, and water supply into the right side river branch system. Activities of the Nominated Monitoring Agents connected with the realisation of environmental monitoring in the influenced area are described in the Statute[2], signed on May 29, 1995 in Gabčíkovo (Appendix A.2).

On October 23, 1997 the Slovak Republic, through the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, informed the Republic of Hungary of its readiness to prolong the validity of the Agreement from April 19, 1995 until an agreement on implementation of the Judgement of International Court of Justice, declared on September 25, 1997, is reached. The Republic of Hungary accepted the proposed prolongation by the Resolution of Hungarian Government from December 17, 1997.

The Slovak Party, according to the intergovernmental Agreement, has undertaken to release an annual average discharge of 400 m³s^-1 into the Danube downstream the Čunovo dam and 43 m³s^-1 into the Mosoni branch of the Danube and the right side seepage canal, both discharges depending on hydrological and technical conditions described in the Appendices No. 1 and 2 of the Agreement. The Hungarian Party, according to the Agreement, constructed a submerged weir in the common section of the Danube at rkm 1843, and put it into operation in June 1995. This weir enables supply of water (up to 250 m³s^-1) into the river branches in the Hungarian inundation area. The water discharged into the Mosoni branch of the Danube ensures the water supply of the Mosoni Danube and branches in the Hungarian flood-protected area.

According to the Article 4 of the intergovernmental Agreement the Parties are obliged to mutually exchange and evaluate data obtained by the environmental monitoring on both, Slovak and Hungarian, sides of the Danube, which are necessary to assess impacts of the increased flow rate in the Danube and the water supply on the Hungarian side. Technical details of the environmental monitoring on both sides – the determination of influenced area, the sampling and measuring points, the frequency of measurements, the list of exchanged parameters, the frequency of data exchange, etc. – are described in the Statute (Appendix A.2) and relevant documents.

Observation results and measured data in tabular and graphical forms, together with their evaluation, create the National Annual Reports prepared by the Parties themselves, according to the Article 3 of the Agreement. This Joint Annual Report was elaborated jointly and it is based on the approved and mutually exchanged National Reports.

The present report is the eleventh Joint Annual Report on the environmental monitoring and gives an evaluation concerning the hydrological year 2005. The evaluation of the Slovak side is based on the data collected by the Slovak Hydro-meteorological Institute, Faculty of Natural Sciences of the Comenius University, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Forest Research Institute, Soil Science and Conservation Research Institute, West Slovakia’s Waterworks Company, Bratislava’s Waterworks Company, Slovak Water Management Authority, Water Research Institute and Ground Water Consulting Ltd. The data exchange and the evaluation of the monitoring under the frame of the joint monitoring are co-ordinated by the Plenipotentiary of the Government of the Slovak Republic for the Construction and Operation of the Gabčíkovo - Nagymaros Project.

The evaluation of the Hungarian side is based on the data collected by the North-Transdanubian Inspectorate for the Environment and Nature Protection and Water Management, North-Transdanubian Environment Protection and Water Management Authority, Regional Waterworks Companies, Forest Research Institute, Pannon Agricultural University, Museum of Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Eötvös Lóránd Science University. The data exchange and the evaluation of the monitoring are co-ordinated by the Hungarian Ministry for the Environment Protection and Water management. 

Goals of the Joint Monitoring 

The main goal of the Joint Slovak-Hungarian Monitoring in accordance to the intergovernmental Agreement is to observe, record and jointly evaluate quantitative and qualitative changes of surface and ground water bodies and water dependent natural environment in connection to the realised measures and water supply. The water supply into the river branches on the Hungarian side is assured by the submerged weir, which is increasing the water level in the Danube upstream of the weir.

The evaluation includes changes in the hydrological regimes of the surface and ground water, changes in the surface and ground water quality, changes in the soil moisture and changes in forest stands and biota.

The goal of mutual data exchange is to provide information on monitoring results, on progress of parameters included in the data exchange, and environmental changes on the influenced area of the respective Parties. The basic condition of data exchange is the use of equal or similar methods of measurements and analysis and the application of agreed interpretation methods.

The final goal of the Joint Annual Report is to submit joint evaluation of monitoring results and joint recommendations for monitoring improvement and environment protection activities to the respective governments. 

Joint monitoring activities in the year 2005 

Monitoring activities in the hydrological year 2005 on both sides were carried out in accordance to the intergovernmental Agreement and the Statute. These consist of surface and ground water regime observations, surface- and ground- water quality monitoring, and measurements of soil moisture content, forest monitoring, fauna and flora observations.

National Annual Reports on environment monitoring in 2004 were mutually exchanged on June 6, 2005 in Bratislava. The approval and signing of the Joint Annual Report on environment monitoring in 2004 was done on September 27, 2005 in Budapest. During the hydrological year 2005 negotiations were held on sediment quality evaluation. Parties have agreed that the “Canadian Sediment Quality Guideline for the protection of Aquatic Life” from 1999, revised in 2002 will be used. The other activities remained unchanged. 

Fulfilment of recommendations in the Joint Annual Report 2004 

1.    Application of newly agreed rules concerning the average annual flow rate evaluation

Since 2005 newly agreed rules were applied for evaluation of the average annual flow discharged into the Danube old riverbed. Principles are given in Part 1 of this report or in the section of “Fulfilment of recommendations in the Joint Annual Report 2003” in the report of 2004.

2.    Unified sediment quality evaluation

Since 2005 unified evaluation of sediment quality was used. The evaluation is based on “Canadian Sediment Quality Guideline for the protection of Aquatic Life” from 1999, revised in 2002. Further attention has to be given to the exact applications of the agreed methods in conditions of the Danube river.

3.    Revision of the biological data in the frame of joint monitoring

No basic differences have been found in the monitoring of biological part of the surface water quality. However, further improvement could be reached in harmonization of sampling and analysing methods.

4.    Revision of monitoring sites and data completeness in the frame of forest monitoring

No improvement has been reached in this sense.

5.    Suggestion of the Slovak Party for aerial survey realisation

No improvement has been reached in this sense.

6.    Modification of the Joint Monitoring Statute

Modification of the Joint Monitoring Statute has not been finished yet. In the spring of 2006 Danube Monitoring Scientific Conference was held in Mosonmagyaróvár, Hungary. The Hungarian Party will submit its proposal for the modification, taking into account the experiences and presented results from 10 years monitoring. The Slovak Party in relation with negotiations of Expert Working Groups, carried out in the frame of negotiations on implementation of the ICJ Judgement, will submit a proposal for monitoring extension on the Danube stretch between Sap and Budapest.

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