Zsolt V. Németh: numerous measures have already been taken to mitigate drought damage

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At the drought damage prevention exercise held at the Upper Kurca lock, Zsolt V. Németh said that climate change cannot be stopped, the task is to reduce the effects and adapt. He reminded that water management has serious traditions in the region, the development of Europe’s largest water distribution system began in the Tisza and Körös valleys in 1937. Water retention is the most important task of water management today, in the past ten years, 170 billion forints have been spent for this purpose in 33 projects, and in the coming years, a project package worth 242 billion forints will be implemented nationwide – he explained.

Zsolt V. Németh said that the inter-ministerial committee for water management has established close partnership with actors in the agricultural sector

Preparations against drought began in the winter, water was retained in all canals where possible. Thanks to this, it was achieved that in the first quarter, less water flowed out of the country in the Tisza watershed than it arrived – the state secretary said. The Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Agriculture can spend 10 billion forints on the maintenance of existing canals. Farmers can apply online if they want to deliver water to their areas, more than six hundred have already wanted to take advantage of this opportunity – he said. During the drought damage prevention exercise, a water extraction device was modified mechanically to be able to operate at lower water levels. At the Upper Kurca lock, two pumps installed on floating structures serve to ensure water replenishment of the Kurca in the event of extreme water levels, and the experts will also present examples of temporary water lifting, the state secretary announced.

Imre Hubai, the State Secretary for Agriculture at the Ministry of Agriculture, spoke about how drought protection not only serves the preservation of the landscape’s ecosystem, but also the successful agricultural activity and the security of the country’s food supply

In order to mitigate the harmful consequences of climate change, cost-effective solutions must be applied – he called attention, adding: water conservation must be prioritized, water must be directed to where it is needed most, thereby cooling the environment and replenishing groundwater reserves by infiltration. The State Secretary mentioned that the government had declared a state of drought and indicated that four of the past five economic years had been drought years. The drought carried over from last year, the lack of winter precipitation and the low amount of water stored in snow reserves could trigger a crisis that could make this year similar to 2022 – he warned. He said that, based on the surveys of the National Chamber of Agriculture, they are trying to meet the water needs of agricultural producers by supplying additional water to tertiary canals that are not under state management. The goal set for this year, to supply 150-200 million cubic meters more water to the landscape than before, has already been achieved. The positive environmental impact, the increase in groundwater levels, can be felt in a width of several hundred meters or even a kilometer along the reservoirs and canals filled with water – said Hubai Imre.

The State Secretary drew attention to the fact that 65.8 billion forints of funds are available for irrigation development applications

The announcement of applications and the evaluation of already submitted requests will take place soon. Hubai Imre is confident that as a result of long-term work, the size of the irrigable area in Hungary may exceed 400 thousand hectares, which will not only stabilize, but even multiply the performance of agriculture.

MTI