On October 31, the Drought Protection Operational Team temporarily completed its work

(Photo: Pixabay)

The State Secretary reminded that the government had provided the funds for the implementation of water retention measures to be implemented immediately based on the Drought Protection Action Plan (AVAT) adopted in May. By October 31, the most important interventions had been implemented, including water construction investments expanding water supply and other interventions worth a total of 3.17 billion forints, and the filling of backwaters until the maximum reservoir capacity was reached, for approximately 1.52 billion forints – he added. He highlighted that based on the measures taken by the end of the 35th week, the progress could be characterized by the following data: the water retained in the riverbed was more than 203 million cubic meters in total. The water retained in backwaters and reservoirs exceeded 156 million cubic meters. The water retained by landscape flooding amounted to almost 1.5 million cubic meters, and the water stored in the reservoirs of the dams was 689.5 million cubic meters.

The additional canal section included in water replenishment within the framework of the water system development reached 848 kilometers

In addition, the area affected by the water system development interventions was more than 114 thousand hectares. The number of people working in drought management exceeded a thousand people, he detailed. Imre Hubai, who emphasized that, according to preliminary data, irrigated areas increased by 10% compared to previous years in 2025, and the area covered by permits issued to meet extraordinary irrigation needs is more than 10 thousand hectares. He also mentioned that Hungarian farmers can continue to count on the government in everything in the future, whether it is about drought protection or even water conservation.

AM