Recommendations for the Organisation of Transboundary Groundwater Monitoring in the Border Areas of Belarus, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine

Abstract

As a result of the steadily growing water consumption and pollution of the environment, including inland waters, many regions of Earth suffer from a deficit of water with quality required to supply the population and the economy. The recently recorded climate change indicates that half the precipitation total comes from rainfalls with large or even shower-level intensity. This gives rise to quick rainwater runoff over the surface of land, limits the possibility for its infiltration and retention as well as reduces the availability of resources. On the other hand, the development of the economy and the growth of the population cause an increase in the quantity of wastewater and the releases of substances into the environment in a deliberate manner (fertilisation, plant protection and vehicle waste gas emissions) and in an incidental one (accidents, leaks from technical installations). This adds to the ­pollution of the environment and waters and is another reason why the water resources available for humans diminish.