Csaba Lantos: We must ensure that water and life remain in the Tisza Valley

(Photo: Pixabay)

At the project launch on the development of the Félhalmi backwater for storage purposes, Csaba Lantos said that various technical solutions must be used to ensure that a small amount of water from the Danube is brought into the region. He stated that the plan is ready “for the implementation of the large-scale program”, a riverbed storage structure is needed at Tiszalök, Kisköréné and the Lower Tisza, the one at Törökbecsei has already been completed – he noted. He added that the Homokhátság is also a priority target area, where water can be pumped up not by gravity, but by pumping, for which the energy can be provided by electricity generated with solar panels. The minister recalled that Miklós Kállai did not initiate the construction of the Békéssszentandrás dam as prime minister, because they already saw that there would not be enough water. If there is no water, there is no life, and water conservation, which is also targeted by the Water in the Landscape! program, is also important from an ecological perspective, he underlined. After Trianon, they were faced with the fact that water could no longer be regulated not only from the west, but also from the north and east. Nowadays, global warming and the lack of precipitation show the importance of this, said the minister, noting that the Great Plain lacks about 400 millimeters of precipitation, and the water level is already one meter lower. Csaba Lantos reminded that Romania has built many reservoirs in recent times, they can store half the amount of water as much as Lake Balaton, so “that’s not even coming down”, which is why it is necessary to build new reservoirs in Hungary and maintain existing facilities. Béla Dankó (Fidesz), the region’s MP, said that with the help of the Békésszentandrás dam, more than 24 million cubic meters of water are stored in the Hármas-Körös riverbed, and the water resources are utilized in an area of ​​1,400 square kilometers, including the Félhalmi backwater, which is the target of the project. The agricultural county of Békés has almost 427 thousand hectares of agricultural land, 7.3 percent of which can be irrigated. I would like to increase this because it is clear that “agriculture is struggling with many difficulties, it is difficult to survive without irrigation – stated the politician. Speaking about the revitalization of the Félhalmi backwater, the Deputy Director General of the National Water Management Directorate said that the project will be carried out from the framework of the Environmental and Energy Efficiency Operative Program (Kehop) Plus, with a value of 7.7 billion forints, from the second half of 2027 to the end of 2029.

József Gacsályi emphasized that this is not an irrigation development program, but a complex water management program, which is also true for the area of ​​​​Homokhátság

He added that operation is also an important issue, the accessibility of the facilities must be improved, and measuring and working, as well as IT equipment must be purchased. According to the Deputy Director General of the Technical Directorate, a new approach must also be spread within the sector. He noted that the competent Körös-vidék Water Management Directorate has already operates the existing infrastructure with 40 centimeters above. “We also need more courage and risk-taking,” he said. According to the background material distributed at the press conference, the Félhalmi backwater is the third largest backwater in the Körösök Valley, providing the opportunity to store almost one million cubic meters of water, and relying on its water resources, numerous systems on about 4,000 hectares can be supplied with fresh water. However, the backwater’s storage capacity has decreased due to siltation; according to preliminary surveys, the amount of soil and mud extracted from the backwater will exceed 30 thousand square meters. It will be placed on a purchased area, where – after the drying up – it is planned to plant about 50 thousand tree seedlings.

MTI