l.ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN IN THE PERIOD JANUARY 1995 -AUGUST 1996 1.1 Meetings of the IHP National Committee
1 .l .I Decisions regarding the composition of the IHP National Committee
The Czech National Committee for Hydrology (CNCH) worked with the total number of 20 members which represented the spheres: institutes of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, faculties and universities, sector research and other professional institutes, project design organizations, water management operation boards and other subjects in the Czech Republic (CR) involved in hydrology, water management and problems of protection of the water component in the environment.
The basic aim consists in the participation of CR in IHP and in the assistance to the country in a harmonic development of hydrological sciences, in operational and engineering hydrology as well as in the corresponding educational processes. At the same time the fulfilment of commitments resulting for CR from the ,,Conference on Water and Environment” (Dublin 1992) and from the “United Nations Conference on the Environment and its Development”(Rio de Janeiro) is supported.
At the implementation of these CNCH functions, partner relations are being developed first of all with the Czech Committee for UNESCO and further with the Czech Geodetical and Geophysical Committee, with the Committee for the National Climatic Programme, with the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, etc.
The Chairman of the Czech Committee for UNESCO was nominated by the Premier of the Czech Government, which approved also its composition. The Chairman of CNCH became the member of that committee with the task to ensure the relations between the Czech Republic and IHP. He received for this purpose a decree from the Czech Minister of Foreign Affaires. CNCH established relations to the other partners either by a direct participation in their managing bodies or by a purposeful supporting of the necessary contacts. Inovation of the governmental decree to the activity CNCH is in the preparatory phase.
1 .1.2 Status of IHP - IV activities
After the new arrangement of the state legislation in 1993, the following duties were tranferred upon CNCH in connection with the closing of the Phare IV IHP UNESCO:
(a) Guaranty and support to the International postgraduate hydrological course of UNESCO .Hydrological Data for Water Resources Planning”, preferably for the specialists from developing countries.
(b) Participation in the “Regional Cooperation of Danubian Countries in Hydrology”.
(c) Participation in the project “Flow Regimes from International Experimental and Network Data” (FRIEND).
The international Postgraduate Hydrological Course UNESCO takes place every second (even) year in Prague, at the Czech Agricultural University. After a temporary interruption of this cycle in 1994 due to the economic transformation in CR, the running of the course was reestablished in 1996 by its 15th lap. The restoration of the course was considerably assisted also by the support from the World Meteorological
Organization. The duration of the 15th course was reduced to two months. At the same time, with respect to the Vth Phase IHP, the syllabi were reconstructed and modernized, with a stronger accent on hydroecological problems of developing countries and on a more intensive need of hydrological processes modelling. For this purpose, a parallel one-week workshop “Modelling of rainfall-runoff processes” was organized within the project TEMPUS, with the participation of top experts from abroad. Among the participants were also young Czech hydrologist.
As a support of the regional cooperation of Danubian Countries, CNCH, in cooperation with the coordinator of the project and under the financial assistance of the I) Ministry of Environment, organized in June 1996 at Lednice in Moravia a “Working
session of experts” from individual countries. The Czech Republic became a new Danubian country and it joined all rellevant activities.
To item (c) see chapter 1.2.3 of this report
1 .I .3 Decisions regarding contribution to I participation in IHP-V
Organizations which joined the Vth phase IHP elaborated a detailed specification and applied them in requests for grants at both the domestic and foreign sponsors. This process at some of the originally planned projects. is not yet accomplished. The projects which obtained the necessary funds are already being solved. CNCH nominated the representatives of these projects into the working groups or into the functions of rapporteurs.
1.2 Activities at a national level in the framework of the IHP 1.2.1 National / local scientific and technical meetinqs
The Czech hydrology celebrated in 1995 the 120th anniversary of its organized activity. In 1975 the former “Hydrographic Committee for the Czech Kingdom” was established. The Day of Water in 22 March 1995 was used for propagation at this opportunity.
At the 50th anniversary of UNESCO a paper .UNESCO and the global development of hydrology” was published in the .Vodohospodarsky Casopis” of the Slovak Academy of Sciencies and a commemorative session was held at the Czech Committee for UNESCO.
Upon mutual agreement of the CNCH and the Slovak National Committee for Hydrology, the Czech and Slovak hydrologists and other experts dealing with water in buth republics were invited to participate in the ,,4th Hydrological Days”, a symposium which was held at Stara Lesni in Slovakia in September 1996. 120 experts participated in this symposium and the presented 78 reports. The aim of this meeting was to present the development in hydrology since the year 1990 (when the “3rd Hydrological Days”
were held) and to outline the directions of the development.
1.2.2 Participation in IHP Steering Committees I workina croups
Prof. KovaT, the representative of CR, was again elected even for the Vth phase IHP as the UNESCO rapporteur for education and training of hydrologists. In this
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important function, he participates in all relevant meetings and develops activities for a permanent modernization of education and training of hydrologists.
1.2.3 Research / applied projects supported and sponsored
Relatively wider activity is developed by the CNCH within the frame of the project FRIEND which is funded from EU. CR is at present involved in four of five research groups of the European North Western Association FRIEND and one of them coordinates (Working group 4 for “Maximum precipitation and runoff).
Within the frame of the first partial project “European Water Archive” the CR contributed into this database with tens of observation series and additional information from its territory.
The second partial project “Techniques for Extreme Rainfall and Runoff Estimation” results in a literature review of methods for the estimation of design flood dischanges and in testing of models such as AGREGEE, GRADEX and TOPMODEL. In cooperation with the Lancaster University and with the French organization CEMEGREF, a procedure for estimation of maximum runoff is being developed, where as the entry is the precipitation modelled by a stochastic rainfall simulator.
To the solution of the third partial project “Low Flow”,the Czech Republic contributed with the English version of hydrological balance models BllAN and PODBIL, as well as of the programme EXDEV, which were selected by the working group for the analysis of dry periods and by which already a number of studies were carried out.
In the working group for the solution of .Processes of Streamflow Generation in Small Basins”, CR is involved with an extensive model research in the northern part of Bohemia in the so called “European black triangle”. The network of seven small watersheds is equipped with modern instruments within the framework of the project PHARE. For the estimation of the loss-component, a research is carried out in the south-western part of CR based on the models SWAP 93, SAC-SMA and BROOK 90.
1.2.4 Collaboration with other national and international ornanizations I proqrammes Some of the members of CNCH are also members of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS). Professional relations of CR toward this nongovernmental association and to its working groups are fulfilled by six elected correspondents. The representative of CR, Ing. KaSparek, CSc., was again elected at the General Assembly IAHS in Boulder, USA, into the function of the secretary of the working group IAHS for Surface Water”. In cooperation with the Presidium of the Committee for the National Climatic Programme, the CNCH organized and coordinated a team of experts for the solution of the “Climate Change Study on the Territory of the Czech Republic - Impact on Hydrology and Water Resources”, which was funded by the government of USA. At present a follow - up continuation is being prepared within’the framework of the “National Support Action Plan”. The aim is the estimation of the
sensibility of water resources, vulnerability of the environment and adaptability of the socio-economic sphere of CR at to the expected climate change.
In the connection with the Jnternational Decade for Reduction of Damage from Natural Disasters” (IDNDR), the CNCH supports actively the establishment of the
Committee for IDNDR in CR. CNCH also accomplished the tasks on which it cooperated earlier with the former Committee for IDNDR in the former Czecho-Slovakia. It was particularly the problem of “Estimation of the Development of Flood Simulation by the Meteorological Analysis of Historical Events”.
1.3 Educational and training courses 1.3.1 Contribution to IHP courses
Within the frame of .Hydrological Days 1996” a panel discussion was held on the postgraduate hydrological education in CR and SR. Problems and obstacles were analysed and posible directions and conditions were outlined for futher development and improvement of the educational proces.
1.3.2 Orqanization of specific courses
The CNCH representative was selected by the World Meteorological Organization as a participant of the seminar on “Education and Training of Meteorologists and Hydrologists in the 21st Century”. A paper on training of the personnel on a computerized hydrometeorological training device was presented and discussed. At present, CNCH studies the possibilities of its implementation.
1.3.3 Participation in IHP courses
Experts from CR participated in the recent period in the following courses:
2 experts in the Course on Hydrometeorology at Bed Dagan in Israel
1 expert in the International Postgraduate Hydrological Course in Budapest, Hungary 1 expert prepares his Doctorate report within the framework of fellowship studies at the University in Fontainebleau in France paid by UNESCO
1.4 Publications
The following publications were initiated or supported from the position of CNCH:
Silar, J.: “Groundwater Quality Remediation and Protection”,
Hladny, J. et al.: Study of Climate Change on the Territory of the Czech Republic”
1.5. Participation in international scientific meetings 1.51 Meetinas hosted by the country
l International workshop ,Regional Approaches to Water Pollution in the Environment”
organized in cooperation with NATO in September 1995 at Liblice
l Meeting of the working groups 2, 4 and 5 of the project FRIEND 1.52 Participation in meetings abroad
l Participation of Czech experts in all sessions of the working groups 1, 2, 4 and 5 as well asin the meetings of the FRIEND Steering Committee in the discussed period (BRD, France, the Netherlands, Noway e. a.)
l Meeting of the working group for “Regional Cooperation of Danubian Countries in Hydrology” (in the Slovak Republic and in Austria)
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l Participation in the “18th Conference of the Danubian Countries on Hydrological Forecasting” in Graz, Austria
1.6 Other activities at a regional level 1.6.1 Institutional relations / cooperation
The members of the CNCH cooperated with m a n y other institutions in the country by presenting professional lectures at the oportunity of the ,Day of W a ter”. Publications
“History of the Czech Hydrology” and “Index of Hydrologists in CR” are being prepared.
1.6.2 Completed and onqoing scientific proiects 2. FUTURE ACTIVITIES
2.1 Activities forseen until December 1997
l Stabilization of the plan of projects of CR at its participation in the Phase V-IHP
l Summary of results for the planned publication FRIEND which will be published in 1997
l Accomplishment of the ,,National Support Action Plan” and discussion of corresponding measures with the decisive sphere
l Completion and publication of the *Index of Hydrologists in CR”
2.2 Activities planned for 1998 - 1999
l Organization of the International Conference “European Research Basins” in CR
l W o rk on the problems of the Phase V IHP in which CR participates
l Translation of the “Glossary of Basic Terms Related to Disaster Management“ into the Czech language
l Organization of “5th Hydrological Days” in CR
l Publication of ,History of Czech Hydrology”
l Organization of the “16th International Postgraduate Hydrological Course”
2.3 Activities envisaged for 2000 - 2001
l Accomplishment of the project of Phase V IHP
l Organization of the “17th International Postgraduate Hydrological Course”
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