Pressure from Military Infrastructure and Militarisation on the Water System (Belarus + Lithuania)
Militarisation in the Vilija–Neris basin creates growing risks for transboundary water management and monitoring
Countries:
Belarus + Lithuania
Problem formulation
Within the transboundary Vilija–Neris basin, military infrastructure is present on the territories of both Belarus and Lithuania, including training grounds, military zones, and other defence-related facilities. Such areas typically operate under restricted access and special governance regimes, which reduces transparency and limits the possibilities for independent environmental oversight.
The functioning of military infrastructure is associated with intensive land use, including the operation of heavy equipment, live-fire exercises, and physical alteration of landscapes. Military activities are not environmentally neutral. Scientific studies indicate that the production, use, and detonation of explosive materials can lead to contamination of soils, sediments, and water resources with chemical compounds such as TNT, RDX, and other toxic substances. These substances may persist in the environment, migrate through soils, and enter both surface and groundwater systems, creating long-term sources of pollution.
In addition, detonation processes may release chemical residues directly into water bodies and cause physical disruption of landscapes, further facilitating the transfer of pollutants into hydrological systems.
An additional consideration is that military infrastructure in the region is not static. In Lithuania, for example, projects aimed at expanding and developing military training areas are ongoing, including in the Pabradė region, where the presence of military personnel and the intensity of land use are increasing. This implies a growing potential environmental pressure within the Neris basin.
At the same time, information on the environmental impacts of military facilities, including monitoring data and results of environmental impact assessments (EIA/SEA), is in some cases not publicly available or significantly limited. This constrains the ability to assess their actual impact on water resources and limits opportunities for transboundary verification.
Taken together, this creates a situation in which part of the anthropogenic pressure on the water system within the transboundary basin may arise under conditions of reduced transparency and limited environmental oversight.
Risk for Lithuania and WFD implementation
This creates an additional risk for the implementation of the WFD, as the defence sector may partially operate outside standard mechanisms of transparency, monitoring, and public oversight provided for under environmental legislation.
In a transboundary context, this means that certain pressures on the water system may not be fully accounted for in water status assessments and river basin management planning. This reduces the reliability of ecological and chemical status assessments and complicates the achievement of good ecological and chemical status.
The absence of comparable and transparent information on the impacts of military infrastructure undermines the integrity of the river basin management approach, as water governance cannot be considered fully effective if certain categories of activities remain outside adequate assessment and control.
Why this is a systemic problem
The problem is systemic in nature and driven by the following factors:
the presence of military infrastructure within a transboundary river basin
intensive land use with potential physical and chemical impacts on the environment
scientifically established links between military activities and contamination of soils and water resources
restricted access to sites and environmental information
limited transparency regarding environmental assessments and monitoring
constrained opportunities for independent and transboundary verification
Thus, the issue is not about specific documented violations but about a structural vulnerability, whereby part of the anthropogenic pressure on the water system may remain outside full environmental regulation, monitoring, and transboundary control.
The illustration is an enhanced frame based on the 1977 animated film Polygon. The film, strongly anti-war and deeply rooted in socialist themes, is approaching its 50th anniversary. Its creators originally sought to critique the aggressive wars of imperialism, but in light of the events of 2022, its message has taken on a renewed and striking relevance today.
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