COUNTRY
PROFILE - ESTONIA
Geography
and population
Estonia, with a total
area of 45 100 km2,
is one of the three Baltic states. It is bordered in the north by the
Gulf of Finland, in the east by the Russian Federation, in the south by
Latvia and in the west by the Baltic Sea.
Estonia is situated
on the southern slope of the Fennoscadian shield. The territory of Estonia
rose from the sea bed and its surface is relatively flat with an average
altitude of 50 m above sea level. The higher areas are the Haanja
uplands in the southeast, with a peak of 318 m, and the Pandivere
uplands in the northeast, with a peak of 166 m.
More than 1500 islands
in the Baltic Sea are part of Estonia, constituting 9% of the territory.
There are over 1400 lakes, covering over 6% of the total area of
the country, and about 21% of the total area is swamp. The soils of Estonia
are generally heavy and stony.
The cultivable area
is estimated at almost 1.4 million ha, which is 30% of the total
area of the country. In 1995, the total cultivated area was 863 324 ha,
of which 98.5% was covered by annual crops. Since independence, the agricultural
sector has been going through a process of privatization.
The total population
is about 1.5 million (1996), of which 27% is rural. About 41%
of the urban population lives in the capital Tallinn. The average population
density is 33 inhabitants/km2, varying from 12 inhabitants/km2
on Hiiumaa Island to 127 inhabitants/km2 in Harjumaa county, where
the capital is located.
Climate and water
resources
Climate
The sea has an impact
on the climate throughout the country. Winters are mild, springs are short,
summers are warm and sunny, and autumns are long and windy. The average
precipitation is 632 mm/year, but is somewhat lower on the islands
and in the coastal areas while being somewhat higher in the uplands.
The climatological
conditions allow the cultivation of one crop per year during summer with
irrigation possibly needed in May and June. In dry years, it is necessary
to irrigate in July and August as well. However, more important than irrigation
is drainage. It is estimated, that without drainage about two-thirds of
the land for agricultural production would suffer from waterlogging.
River basins and
surface water resources
Estonia can be divided
into five hydrological basins: the Lake Peipus-Narva basin in the east;
the Gulf of Finland basin in the north; the Gulf of Riga basin, including
the Salaca River, in the southwest; the Muhu Sound basin, including the
Gauja River, in the southeast; and the Islands.
The Internal Renewable
Water Resources (IRSWR) are estimated at 11 712 million m3/year.
A total quantity of about 96 million m3/year is estimated to
flow from Latvia and the Russian Federation into Estonia, while an estimated
406 million m3/year flow from Estonia into Latvia and the Russian
Federation.
The IRSWR artificial
Lake Narva in the northeast was created in 1956, when the Narva hydropower
plant started operating. Its total area is 191 km2, of which 38 km2
are located within Estonia. Its average depth is 1.8 m, its deepest
point 15 m.
Groundwater resources
Estonia is rich in
groundwater resources. The internal renewable groundwater resources are
estimated at 4 km3/year. Generally, in southern Estonia the groundwater
of the Devonian aquifer is used, while in western and sporadically in
central Estonia the water of the Silurian-Ordovician horizon is used.
Groundwater covers about two-thirds of the drinking water supply. Part
of the groundwater flows out to the sea and part returns to the surface
water system. This latter part, which is already accounted for in the
runoff (overlap), has been estimated at 3 km3/year.
Water use and wastewater
In 1995, the water
withdrawal for agricultural, domestic and industrial purposes was estimated
at 158 million m3, of which only 5% for agricultural purposes.
In addition, more than 1 200 million m3 were used for cooling
in the thermal power production in the Narva region and about 172 million m3
for fisheries.
For the majority of
towns and settlements, groundwater is the only source of drinking and
industrial water, except in the towns of Tallinn and Narva near the coast
where groundwater resources are very limited. In 1995, about 88% of the
population had access to drinking water supply.
The total quantity
of wastewater produced in 1995 was 396 million m3, of which
378 million m3 was treated.
Irrigation and
drainage development
Drainage development
Drainage of agricultural
land in Estonia dates back to the seventeenth century, when the first
areas of pasture land were drained artificially. At present about 732 000 ha,
or almost 85% of the cultivated land, are drained, of which 650000 ha,
or 89%, are equipped with subsurface drainage systems. In addition, an
estimated 560600 ha of forests, or 13% of the total forest area,
are said to be drained.
The cost of drainage
development (1995) varies between US$ 1620 and 2000/ha for open drainage
systems and between US$ 2 150 and 2 800/ha for subsurface
drainage systems.
Irrigation development
The irrigation potential
is estimated at 150 000 ha. In the coastal areas it is not possible
to irrigate without the construction of reservoirs. All irrigation is
sprinkler irrigation. The irrigation areas are mainly located in the north
and east of the country. All the area is irrigated by surface water, of
which 80% by pumping in rivers and 20% from reservoirs. The main irrigated
crops are pasture and vegetables.
Almost 70% of the
irrigated areas are found in large-scale schemes, with areas between 100 and
300 ha each, while under 1% of the irrigated areas are in schemes
of less than 10 ha each. The cost of the development of sprinkler
irrigation schemes varies from US$ 500/ha for large-scale schemes
to US$ 810/ha for small-scale schemes, while the average costs of
O&M are estimated at US$ 160/ha for large-scale schemes and US$ 200/ha
for small-scale schemes.
Trends in water
resources management
The restoration of
Estonia’s independence has brought with it significant changes in
ownership and in the institutional framework of the economy. The transition
process in the economy has caused changes in landownership. The large
drainage systems have to be shared among new landowners, and land and
water associations need to be established to oversee the operation, maintenance
and management of the drainage systems.
Intensive agriculture
has led to an increase in nitrogen concentration in groundwater through
the intensive use of fertilizers. A decline in the use of fertilizers
in recent years seems to have already resulted in a decrease in the nitrogen
concentration in groundwater wells. While deeper groundwater layers meet
the existing drinking water standards, upper groundwater layers in many
regions are still polluted with nitrogen components. Close to former military
bases, groundwater is often polluted with oil products. The drastic reduction
in economic activity since 1989 and the construction of new wastewater
treatment plants have already reduced pollution considerably.
Estonia and ICID
Estonia joined ICID
in 2001, and has since been actively associated with ICID activities at
national as well as international level. Estonia National Committee (ESTICID)
is actively represented in ICID Workbody, European Regional Working Group
(ERWG). ESTICID also got the honour of holding 10th International Drainage
Workshop jointly with FINCID in the year 2008. At present, Mr. Mati Tonismae
is the Chairman of the ESTICID.
|
