Lithuanian presentation in Turkey

Water

Total Earth’s resources of fresh groundwater are around

10 million km2.

On average, a year precipitation in Lithuania is

enough to cover the country’s surface with a 0,66-metre-thick layer.

In Lithuania most of the precipitation (about 68%) evaporates and only 32% of the precipitation of rain and snow flows into the Baltic

Sea.

A part of precipitation filters through the soil and becomes groundwater. The amount of

fresh groundwater which can be extracted from the soil and

suitable for drinking is 1,3km3/m.

Water cycle in different climate zones

Lietuvoje Namibijoje

In many countries the groundwater is a public

property.

Lithuania’s bowel is like a layered cake where every layer is of a different age and structure.

Some of the layers where the groundwater can be found are porous and they are made of

variuos kinds of sand, sandstone, fissured dolomite or

limestone.

The water from different layers has special taste which

is determined by the composition of different

chemical compounds and trace elements melted in the

groundwater of the layer.

Up to 80% of drinking-water in Europe and 100% of the one in Lithuania is groundwater.

Groundwater is being used by 2 million people in the world

and it is one of the most widely used natural resource.

In Lithuania there are about 1300 watering-places and about 25000 exploitable

boreholes built.

Although groundwater resources in Lithuania are

plentiful and of good quality, in some areas there is a lack

of water because of unfavorable hydrogeological

conditions.

Groundwater consumption in different sectors of the economy

Mostly,the groundwater is cleaner than the surface

water, as the groundwater is protected from the surface contamination by soil and

layers of various sediment.

Industry objects, agriculture, household and community sewage and dumps are the

main sources which pollute the groundwater.

Lakes and rivers of Lithuania

Lakes of Lithuania

There are 2830 lakes in Lithuania. All lakes take about 880 km² . Lakes take 1,37 % of Lithuania’s area.

The biggest lakes

The deepest lake

The deepest lake in Lithuania is Tauragnas. Its biggest depth is 62,5 m.

The longest lake

The longest lake in Lithuania is Asveja. Its length is 29,7 km.

Districts, which have a big number of lakes

The Baltic and Žemaičiai highlands along with Dainava and Neris-Žeimena

lowlands have a large number of lakes . The area especially rich in

lakes includes the Baltic highland bow in

the northern part of Lithuania and

Aukštaičiai highland.

Rivers

Lithuania’s rivers

It is counted that in Lithuania there are about 29 900 rivers and creeks (longer than 0,25 km. – Their total length reaches 63 700 km.

The rivers of Lithuania are distributed not equally. That is determined by the content of

precipitation, the slope of the surface, the soil conductivity. The densest river web is in Žemaitija, where there falls the majority of the rainfall and in the Central Lithuania’s lowland, which contains impermeable for

water rocks.

The longest rivers

The Nemunas

The Nemunas is the longest river in Lithuania.Its length is 937 km, 475 km of

which flow through Lithuania.

River basins

This company is extracting, supplying and This company is extracting, supplying and purifyingpurifying water. water.““ŠakiaiŠakiai WWatersaters”” supervises 76 settlement supervises 76 settlementss::villages and other places villages and other places in Šakiaiin Šakiai district. district.““ŠakiaiŠakiai waters" task waters" task i is that s that aa dying person dying person couldcould reach a glass of water. reach a glass of water.

Water’s extractionWater’s extractionFour pumps are quite enough to supply the

entire town of Šakiai.The water is extracted from the aquifer. An

average drilling depth is 140 meters, and the height of the pump is 150m.

The pipes submerged into the land are filled with water and the pumps take it to the

surface. Then iron from the water is removed, it is disinfected and all bacterium

are destroyed.

The flow of the waterThe flow of the water

The wThe water ater comes tocomes to the house the housess through through polyethylene tubespolyethylene tubes. The say the . The say the truth, truth, in the area in the area of Šakiai there of Šakiai there are still are still

quite a few cast-ironquite a few cast-iron tubes tubes, which slightly , which slightly affectaffect the the water quality. Therefore, some water quality. Therefore, some

people are people are installinginstalling home filters. home filters. ThoughThough, , you can drinkyou can drink un unfiltered waterfiltered water from the from the

tap, as welltap, as well..

TestingTestingOur wOur waterater is is tested every tested every

three months. The three months. The chemical (shows Fe, P, Ca, chemical (shows Fe, P, Ca, nitrate and nitrite content) nitrate and nitrite content) and microbiological tests and microbiological tests

((to test if there is no to test if there is no bacterial contamination)bacterial contamination)

are carried outare carried out. . The wThe water ater for for testing is taken directly testing is taken directly

from the tap.from the tap.

Water treatmentWater treatmentSewage water is flowing into the house pumping Sewage water is flowing into the house pumping

systems. There, two reactors clean it . The reactor systems. There, two reactors clean it . The reactor is constantly supplied with oxygen, without which is constantly supplied with oxygen, without which the bacteria living there would die out. It performs the bacteria living there would die out. It performs one of the most important treatment work - cleans one of the most important treatment work - cleans

the water. The bacteria feeds on what is in the the water. The bacteria feeds on what is in the waste water and clears it .waste water and clears it .

The treated water is examined and tested for its The treated water is examined and tested for its purity again. Usually the water is so clean that it is purity again. Usually the water is so clean that it is discharged into a stream. But of course, this is not discharged into a stream. But of course, this is not

advisable to drink the water.advisable to drink the water.