GENERAL VIEW ON WATER SECTOR IN ROMANIA

Liliana Mara

General Manager, Waters General Directorate, MWFEP
Introduction

The water resource part of the national riches and natural resource together with the agricultural and forestry found, the utilizable minerals resources, aquatic and land fauna and flora, represents an essential factor for socio-economic development. Different from other natural resources used up in time, the water is a regenerative resource, following the natural circuit, which ensure continuity.

At the same time with the increase of the water needs level and with the accented man intervention on the hydrological processes, water became’’ a good with economic and social value’’, water management becoming, in true meaning, a necessity, water needs and their satisfaction are interconnected on the base of the water preservation and of the rational water use, economic efficiency and social equity.

Natural conditions
The geographical situation of Romania in Europe is defined by: (I) The Danube River, (II) The Black Sea and (III) The Carpathians, the territory being divided in three important parts disposed as a circle forming an harmonious combination of the natural relief, respectively 31% mountains, 36% hills and tables and 33% plain.

The surface of the country is drained by an hydrographical network, with a permanent flow, a length of 76000 km included in the Danube Basin, and little streams belonging to the Black Sea Basin. From the total length 3190.3 km which forms the state frontier, 1865.7 km is frontier on water, 1036.7 terrestrial frontier and 287.9 km frontier on sea. On Romanian territory, the Danube River has a length of 1075 km flowing in the Black Sea through three arms: Chilia, Sulina, Sfintu Gheorghe, which forms the Danube Delta, one of the most important wet land with a great biodiversity of flora and fauna, declared Biosphere Reserve .

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