January 1, 2025

Hydrography and water resources of Slovakia

Key Points

Total renewable water resources in Slovakia average 50.1 km3/year, with a notable decline in water withdrawal observed over the last two decades.
The river network spans 44,943 km, with the Danube being the primary transit river and the Vag being the largest fully domestic river.
Analysis following the EU Water Framework Directive identifies two river basin districts, Danube and Vistula, with the Danube comprising nine sub-basins.
Water usage has dramatically decreased; agricultural water use fell by 4.5 times and industrial use by 3.7 times since 1995.

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of hydrography and water resources of the territory of Slovakia. The main European watershed divides the territory of the country into two parts: 96% belongs to the Black Sea basin, and 4% to the Baltic Sea. The length of the country’s river network is 44,943 km; its density is from 0.25 km/km2 to 1.8 km/km2. The Danube is the largest transit river, the Vag is the largest river that is entirely within the territory of the country. According to the hydrographic zoning, carried out in accordance with the requirements of the EU Water Framework Directive, 2 river basin districts (RBD) are distinguished – the Danube and the Vistula. The Danube RRB is divided into 9 sub-basins. The vast majority of the country’s lakes (up to 200 reservoirs) are located in the Tatra Mountains (Tatra Lakes). The largest among them is Veľké Hincovo pleso (area – 0.2 km2, maximum depth – 53 m). The largest reservoir (19 in total) is located on the river. Libra, where they form a viscous cascade; most artificial reservoirs were built in the second half of the 20th century. The average annual volume of total renewable water resources in Slovakia is 50.1 km3/year, of which 25% are internal (local) water resources (12.6 km3/year), and 75% are external water resources (37.5 km3/year). Indicator of total water resources per 1 person – 9196 m3/year, internal water resources per 1 person – 2299 m3/year. During 1995–2021, there was a significant reduction in the use of water resources in the country. Thus, the total withdrawal of surface water decreased by 3.3 times – from 781.1 million m3 (1995) to 240.3 million m3 (2021). The reduction of water use by industry took place as follows: in agriculture – by 4.5 times; in industry – 3.7 times; in municipal water supply – 1.4 times. Structure of water use in 2021: industry – 74.7%; communal water supply – 19.9%; agriculture – 5.4%. The country’s water resources are managed on a basin basis by the Slovak Water Resources Management Company. The country has a modern institutional structure of water resources management.

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