Integrated water resources management requires — among other things — active participation, cooperation and sharing of information among many stakeholders. To establish good environmental governance, it is important to obtain relevant, reliable, robust and harmonised data to assess the state of, and pressure on, the water resource. Analytical tools and methodologies contribute to the development of the SEIS.

Belarusian experts developed water accounts thanks to the capacity building and expertise received from the ENI SEIS II East project. Water accounts are effective means of organising water data and harmonising them with data and statistics on the economy for undertaking integrated assessment of water resources management, identifying socio-economic pressures and addressing resource efficiency. In that context, the availability of accurate and reliable up-to-date data on water is essential.

The development of the water accounts was a priority for the National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus (Belstat) in delivering SEEA. Belstat established an interdepartmental working group to develop physical flow water accounts, i.e. physical water supply and use. The group successfully delivered the first physical water flow accounts for Belarus and published them on Belstat’s website. Water accounts will be updated regularly and published annually.

Posters for the water accounts were presented at the UNECE meeting I UNECE in February, 2020