National Water Strategy (2012 - 2042).

This publication contains the full text of the Macedonian Water Strategy. The Water Strategy of the Republic of North Macedonia sets out how the water sector should look like by the year 2040, and some of the steps it will need to take to get there. It is a vision where rivers, canals and lakes have improved for people and ecosystems, and where it continue to provide excellent quality of drinking water. It is a vision of a sector that values and protects its water resources and where flood and drought risks are addressed with markedly greater understanding and use of good surface water. Water management and the field of water policy are regulated in European and Macedonian legislation. This text highlishgts that the most important part of legislation of the Republic of Macedonia in the field of water management is already established, among all necessary water management principles. Water is vital for our health and wellbeing, and for agriculture (also livestock breeding), fisheries, industry, and transportation. Healthy water resources are necessary for a high-quality natural environment. Water strategy resumes facts from the field of water legal and institutional framework. It comprehends conclusions on state of water with separately investigated general river basin characteristics, state of water use, state of river training and protection against harmful effects of water and state of water protection. Ascertainment on state of water are starting point for defining water management objectives and consequently programme of measures that is upgraded with economical issues. These segments are summarised in water vision for the future that is not care only of the state or government but is care of every individual that creates our common living space. In this Strategy, the European legal framework is given in two parts, in the first part the general legal framework is given for water management. In the second part the main specific directives are briefly described for water use, surface water management and water protection. The purpose of water protection is the preservation of human health and the environment, which includes achieving and preserving good water state, preventing water pollution, preventing hydromorphological changes and rehabilitation of water status where it is devastated. Objectives of water protection in the Republic of Macedonia comprises: protection of surface and groundwater as a drinking water reserve (existing and planned reserves); protection of protected and other areas of importance, related to water areas - areas of special protection of waters, areas for preservation of human health and the preservation of water and water-dependent ecosystems and preserving of biodiversity in the frame of integrated water management; improvement of ecological functions of waters where the water quality is deteriorated and where required water quality is not achieved, with integrated water management and gradual implementation of comprehensive measures for water protection and systematic monitoring of effects of measures implemented in the river basin; reduction of the quantity of dangerous substances at source of pollution with implementation of water protection measures; contribution to sustainable water management with rational and sustainable use of water resources.
This text addresses significant and specific issues as regards the: surface water and groundwater (general characterization of river basins; water management divisions; general review of surface waters and of groundwater state, including their balance and quality; issues on protected and other areas of importance related to water); water use (drinking water supply; bathing waters; waste water treatment; industrial water use and water used for production purposes; agriculture and livestock water use; connections with the use of mineral fertilizers and plant protection products; water use for energy production; navigation water use; fish-farming water use and fishing; tourism and recreational water use, including geothermal and mineral water use and economic analysis of water use); flood protection, erosion protection, irrigation and surface water drainage; eutrophication sensitive areas due to the discharge of urban waste water and nitrate sensitive areas; international cooperation and European Union accession process. Objectives in the agricultural field are: efficient water use for irrigation purposes; securing the necessary quantity of water for irrigation purposes; fragmentation of agricultural land; halting the decline of existing irrigation systems. Main objective in the field of wastewater treatment is to increase the current level of connection rate to sewage system and wastewater treatment plants.