Imre Hubai: one billion cubic meters more water is being retained in the landscape than ever before

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 10. 16. 10:09

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Water into the landscape! The first and most important result of the program is that the dogma that more water flows out of the country than flows in has been overturned, and one billion cubic meters of water has been retained – said the State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture responsible for agriculture in Szolnok on Wednesday.

Imre Hubai, Minister of Public Administration and Regional Development and Ferenc Szalay, Ministerial Commissioner responsible for the development of Szolnok and its region, said at the Water Management Professional Forum organized by the Ministry of Public Administration and Regional Development: the government will use all means to help regional water management actors so that they can preserve their precipitation resources falling on the surface and store them locally.

He called the change in attitude inevitable, because in recent decades, not only in Hungary, Europe, but also all over the world, the climatic conditions. He added that not only flood and inland water protection, but also water shortage damage prevention must be included among the priorities.

He called the first and most important result of the program that there were four months during this summer period when less water flowed out of the rivers than came in, he said. Even more water can be retained if gravity outlets are created from the rivers – he added.

The sector could only supplement the little precipitation with artificial replenishment, including from this one billion cubic meters, thus mitigating the effects of the drought, achieving yield stability, and Hungary’s food sovereignty – said Imre Hubai.

The government provided irrigation water to farmers for free, thus protecting jobs and reducing food inflation.

He noted: due to the mistaken sanctions policy of the Russian-Ukrainian war Energy sources are so “mercilessly” expensive, and this is driving inflation.

“And in Brussels they would even criticize Hungary for striving for the country’s security of supply”

– the Secretary of State noted.

Those who criticize the government’s efforts to conserve water and the use of resources are “throwing a glove in the eyes” of those who make a living by providing us with healthy, high-quality Hungarian food – highlighted.

He added:

The vast majority of society supports making water resources that can be maintained by protecting food supply, climate protection and landscape ecosystems available to everyone at a fair price. According to him, this is an achievement in Hungary that not every European Union country can boast of.

The implementation of flood and inland water protection works would have placed a great burden on Hungary if European Union funds had not been available, he said. To store water in the landscape, the Water Affairs and National Parks Department is planning further interventions from the Environmental and Energy Efficiency Operational Programme, which will provide an order of magnitude more space for water retention – he informed.

He said that since 2020, the Middle Tisza Valley has lacked approximately one year’s worth of precipitation, and most of the remaining amount does not fall during the vegetation period. The Tisza’s water yield this year was only half of the great drought of 2022 – he said. The Danube’s water yield was also roughly one-third less. More than half of Europe experienced a drought this year, one-third of which was worse than in Hungary – he said.