Zsolt V. Németh: water management directorates must also deal with flood protection and water retention

(Photo: Pixabay)

Zsolt V. Németh said at the protection structure located in the Fehér- and Fekete-Körös delta: although it seems that the era of floods is over and the issue of water retention is being prioritized instead, the sense of danger cannot decrease. Last year, the flood of the decade passed on the Danube, while the Tisza was in a drought at the same time – he reminded. More than half of Hungary’s territory is at risk from floods and inland waters, but – “as a result” – 97 percent of this area is protected by embankments – he said, adding that there are about 700 settlements, almost 2,000 industrial facilities in the floodplains of the rivers, and about 7.5 million people live there. “We must not deny, but surpass the work of our predecessors”, we must also prepare for climate change – the state secretary underlined. He added that the issue of water retention did not begin in our days, and the experience of water professionals must be used for this; just as they have a place in the Drought Protection Operational Team established last week, “because this is the only way we can be successful”. V. Zsolt Németh said that the aim of Wednesday’s exercise – in which participants from almost all water management directorates in the country took part – was to strengthen the knowledge and skills of professionals, and to summarize experiences; In addition, it must be analyzed whether everything is done legally, since in the event of flooding, foreign lands are used, for which compensation must be paid, and economic aspects must also be taken into account.

Moreover, at the site of the exercise, cooperation must be established not only with partner agencies, such as disaster management, but also with the Romanian water authority

István Láng, Director General of the National Water Directorate, said before the opening of the emergency reservoir that the past 15 years have brought record floods, as a result of which investments worth about 400 billion forints have been implemented and other changes have been made. He emphasized that the opening of the reservoirs must be coordinated, since their effects are felt not only locally, but also throughout the Tisza Valley. For this purpose, the Tisza Valley Flood Protection Analysis Center was established, which digitally calculates the optimal opening and the lowest protection costs. Model-based water management has also been used to prepare localization plans, which, among other things, tell us how deep and fast the water is expected to be if the embankment breaks, and how people can be evacuated there. The structural transformation of the approximately 4,600-person water management staff was also part of the changes, he said, adding that the sector is close to making up for the backlog that was noticeable before climate change. Gergely Lúczi, director of the Körös-vidék Water Management Directorate, said that they had been preparing for the exercise for months, the results are being evaluated, and the experiences are being incorporated into the operating practices of the reservoirs. They are also examining what opportunities there are for implementing local water retention in consultation with the National Chamber of Agriculture and Commerce after the flood wave recedes, when the reservoir is emptied, he added.

During Wednesday’s exercise, the experts reviewed the 1995-96

They calculated on the assumption of an extraordinary flood wave in the winter of 2018. At that time, the Mályvádi and Mérges emergency reservoirs had to be opened, the Kisdelta did not exist yet. The exercise was also attended by employees of the county disaster management and police, the Körösök Water Management Directorate in Oradea, the National Water Management Management Board and the Békés County Territorial Protection Committee.

MTI