The Czech Republic has a total area of 78,866 km2. Most of Czech rivers flow into the North Sea (65%), less into the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea. The annual availability of surface water per capita is 1400 m3 that is about one third of the European average.

About 75% of the country’s 10.3 million inhabitants live in urban areas. 88% of the population is supplied by public water systems, and 76% are connected to public sewerage systems. Water supply companies are privatized and in some regions organizations of infrastructure owners have been established.

The Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Environment supervises water management. Some water issues lie within the competency of other ministries such as those for transport, industry and so on. Rivers are administered by five state owned companies that are connected to particular basins.

Country Water Partnership Czech Republic, called the Czech Water Club, was officially launched in 2001 under the Czech Water Scientific and Technical Society (CVT VHS) and functions as an independent branch of this society. The Czech Water Club activities include translation of key IWRM publications and organising important conferences.