Alarm bells from the shores of Lake Velence: water replenishment can no longer be postponed

The declining water levels of Lake Velence pose a significant threat not only to its natural environment but also to the region's economy and future, according to local officials and experts. Gárdony Mayor Eötvös Pál Árpád and Pálinkás Imre, head of the local branch of the Hungarian National Fishing Association, highlighted the problem.

Mayor Árpád criticized the lack of necessary interventions over the years. Imre warned that without a long-term solution, the lake's ecological condition will deteriorate further, severely impacting tourism and local businesses. He stressed that the possibility of replenishing the lake's water from the Danube River has not been thoroughly investigated, despite the Danube's vast water resources being the only viable long-term option.

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No matter how much they dredge and renovate them, if there is no water in them, they remain large pits.

Árpád dismissed previous cost estimates of forty billion forints for such a project as unfounded. He also stated that reconstructing the Pátka and Zámoly reservoirs, often cited as solutions, would be insufficient on their own. "No matter how much they dredge and renovate them, if there is no water in them, they remain large pits," he said.

Experts had warned about Hungary's increasing aridity twenty years ago, with groundwater levels dropping significantly in the Great Hungarian Plain. Árpád called for a shift from wasteful water management to a system focused on water conservation. Nevertheless, Gárdony continues to attract tourists through various events, concerts, and festivals, and by promoting the area's natural attractions and the popular cycling path around the lake.

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Hungary is becoming increasingly dry.