All life forms on this planet depend on water to some extent and in this regard, our life sustaining dependency is paramount.  Humans require water for almost every function from health to hygiene, from leisure to living and from process to production.  Because of its apparent abundance on this earth, water is taken for granted, and scant regard is paid to the delicate balance there is between a resource on which all life depends, or the horror of it becoming contaminated or scarce. Thus this precious resource must be respected, conserved, and protected if humankind is to continue to survive on the planet.

Coastal wetlands and river floodplains provide protection from flooding and sea level rise associated with climate change, as well as important habitat to migratory and other birdlife

SOURCES OF POLLUTION

From earliest times water has been used to cleanse, from ablutions to washing away of unwanted matter, and so the practice has persisted and has become embedded in our psyche.  Drains and drainage systems are predicated on this ‘washing away’ concept.  The careless and often ignorant disposal of unwanted and waste substances has, over time, seriously damaged many water bodies and much of the life forms and ecosystems depending on them.  Nature has even contributed to the sources of pollution by the leaching of minerals from rocks and soils and chemicals from vegetation into watercourses and to groundwaters. But mankind has surpassed anything nature can do by a long shot, pollution from habitation, industry, agriculture, forestry, and poor waste management has resulted in most appalling damage to water.

THE WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE

Towards the end of the 20^th Century, it became very obvious that the water resource throughout Europe was deteriorating at an alarming rate.   Concerted action was required to reverse this situation, and it became evident that existing legislation (the European Union Water Policy) needed serious restructuring.  The European Parliament and Council agreed a new framework for Community action in the field of water policy in September 2000 (2000/60/EC). This came into force in December 2000. The Directive is generally known as the Water Framework Directive (WFD).  It rationalises and updates existing water legislation and provides for water management on the basis of River Basin Districts (RBD’s).

The WFD is a wide ranging and ambitious piece of environmental legislation setting clear objectives to ensure that at least ‘Good Status’ is achieved for all European waters by 2015.

Click here for the specific objectives of the WFD 

Click here to read more about THE CITIZEN AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION