In the air protection, the projects should be aimed particularly at reduction of emissions from large incinerating facilities, reduction of emissions of SO₂, NO_x, VOC, heavy metals, and POP and for reduction of emissions from small sources and from transport, causing local air pollution.

In the water protection, the projects should be aimed at ensuring good-quality drinking water for the population, achieving good quality of surface waters in view of ecosystems, ensuring balance between exploitation of water and the available sources of water, and reducing negative effects and periods of drainage.

In the waste management, priority will be given to the projects oriented at decrease in originating waste, re-processing of waste, reducing the share of biodegradable components in the stored waste, reducing the hazardous characteristics of waste before disposal, disposal of waste by environmentally acceptable manner, storing waste in technically acceptable dumpings, and reduction of risks of the old waste dumpings.

The report contains a brief review on the condition of the environment.

The qualify of air is characterized in table 1: Development of emissions of pollutants. It shows the quantities (in thousand tons) of selected pollutants: SO₂, NO_x, TZL and CO in the years during the period of 1990-1997. The table shows that the emitted quantities of those substances had been substantially reduced during the followed period.

The database of the development of emissions of the main pollutants on the territory of the Slovak Republic has been prepared, since 1985, by the SHMÚ in Bratislave as the Register of Emissions and Sources of Air Pollution.

The waters are divided into surface and underground ones. The quality of underground waters has been monitored by the SHMÚ since 1982. In 1997, the monitoring networks consisted of 291 stations. The most frequently exceeded limits were the concentrations of Fe, Mn, nitrites, NEL, phenols and trace elements.

The quality of surface water has been systematically followed since 1963. In 1997, it was monitored in 254 basic and 6 special sampling sites. According to the Slovak technical standard, streams are classified, depending on quality of water, into five classes. Table 3 shows the lengths in the 5th purity class – very polluted water in followed streams according to the groups of coefficients in km.

It shows that best situation is in the Danube river, where the 5th class includes only a part of the stream in the group of E-coliform bacteria, saprobe index. On the other hand, the worst situation is in the Hornad river, where the 5th class includes various sections in all groups of coefficients (A-E).

Table 2 shows the quantity and quality of discharged waste water in the year 1997.

The development of quantity of solid waste for the years 1992-1997 is shown in table 4. The most common method of disposal is dumping, followed by biologic, physical-and-chemical treatment, and incineration.

The report also contains a brief review of the environmental infrastructure.

The main polluter by sulphur oxids are the incinerating processes and industrial energy business with 42% share in the total emissions.

The energy business, industry and transport generate more than one third of the NO_x emissions.

In the year 1998, 81.3% was supplied from public water main in Slovakia, the share of the population residing in houses connected to the public sewage was significantly lower, only 53.7%.

In the year 1997, 540 waste dumpings were operated in Slovakia, of which only 124 met the technical requirements for operation, the others should have been closed by July 2000. Waste is incinerated in 37 incinerating stations, 39 incinerating stations disposes of waste from medical facilities. Hazardous waste is disposed also in cement factories.

The other part of the report deals with financing environmental projects

The main sources of their financing are the state budget, state funds, local budgets, EU supporting programs, international sources, and the private sector.

Table 6 shows the total investments to the environment during the years 1993-1998 and division thereof according to individual sources.

Table 7 shows the estimated financial flows to the environment during the years 1999-2008 in aggregate and divided according to public sources, ISPA, and private sources. Both tables shows the funds in mio SKK and also in mio EURO.

Table 8 shows the structure of requirements investments to the environment for the years 1999-2008. The largest investments are required to be made in water management, and they are estimated in the amount of SKK 130-150 million, depending on the costs for extension and reconstruction of the existing facilities. The total amount of required investments represents SKK 183.9-203.9 billion.

The report sets out the criteria for selection of projects and priority projects in specific areas – drinking water, waste water, air protection, and waste management.

In respect of drinking water, priority projects include building and reconstruction of water piping network, water treatment stations, monitoring of quantity and quality of drinking water.

in respect of waste water, these include reconstruction and intensification of the existing waste water treatment stations in agglomerations over 2 000 EO, building and reconstruction of sewage piping networks, construction of waste water treatment stations in settlements with built sewage system.

The report contains also a list of the projects prepared for financing from ISPA. They are:

• Banská Bystrica – waste water treatment station and sewage
  
• Tren?ín – waste water treatment station and sewage
  
• Nitra – waste water treatment station

• Kosice – exploitation of geothermal energy in the city
  
• Bratislava – reduction of emissions by replacement and refurbishment of thermal power stations
  
• *itný ostrov – integrated protection of surface and underground waters.

Information & Contact:
Ministerstvo yivotného prostredia SR,
Nám. Stúra 1,
812 35 Bratislava
Tel.: +421(0)2 59561111, Fax: +421(0)2 59562222