Record-low water levels spell trouble for Hungary

Record-low water levels on the Danube have stranded tourist cruise vessels in Budapest and cargo ships downstream. The country’s nuclear power plant has had to halt operations. Around Lake Balaton, the largest lake in the region, tourism has visibly dried up.

The effects of climate change are especially pronounced in Hungary this summer, with water levels falling to the lowest point ever recorded in some parts of the country. The crisis has also renewed concerns that the Fidesz government failed to invest enough in the retention and management of Hungary’s natural waters.

Péter Magyar and his Tisza party - which shares its name with Hungary’s longest river, itself suffering from record-low water levels - now face the challenge of protecting the country’s water resources and managing the effects of climate change.

The low waters

In Budapest’s city centre, the low waters of the Danube have exposed something locals have not seen for decades: Second World War-era missiles.

The uncanny sight, and the operation to remove them, showed just how far the river has receded in the summer heat.

At midday on Tuesday, the Danube measured just 28 cm in Budapest, setting a new record well below the previous record low of 33 cm, recorded in October 2018.

Due to the low water level, several sections of the river have become impassable for both cargo and passenger ships, while restrictions have also been introduced along the Budapest stretch. According to reports, cruise ships were unable to reach the capital, forcing tourists to complete their journeys by bus.

Low and unusually warm water levels have also forced the Paks Nuclear Power Plant to halt its operations.

In western Hungary, and especially across the Great Hungarian Plain (Alföld), the heat and lack of rain have caused severe problems for agriculture. As early as spring, the region was already missing 40-80 cm of water. Corn, traditionally one of the area’s main crops, is becoming increasingly unviable, with many landowners switching to other crops or abandoning farming altogether.

At Lake Balaton, the largest lake in Central and Eastern Europe, water levels are also falling rapidly. A fishing competition had to be cancelled, while organisers of the Blue Ribbon, the lake’s largest sailing regatta, were forced to change the race course.

But the situation at Balaton is nowhere near as severe as at nearby Lake Velence, once a popular holiday destination where beaches have had to close this year because of low water levels.

A canoe world championship planned for the lake had to be moved elsewhere in the country. According to estimates, up to 80% of the lake’s fish could die by the end of this heatwave, and water levels might recede to just 20 cm.

The role of politics

Under Fidesz, the Hungarian government spent little on environmental protection or on maintaining the country’s natural waters. At Lake Balaton, businessmen allied with Fidesz purchased numerous hotels, driving up prices while receiving state funds for renovations with little concern for the lake’s health.

At Lake Velence, for example, Viktor Orbán’s son-in-law, István Tiborcz, built a canoe centre using HUF 43 billion (€140 million) in public funds. The venue was supposed to host the 2026 FISU World University Championships Canoe Sports competition, but the event was moved to Szeged, in the western part of the country.

The Tisza government, which took office in May, now faces the consequences of these policies.

Environment Minister László Gajdos has announced a special operation to tackle what authorities have classified as a “severe drought.”

“I have ordered an extraordinary state of readiness. This means that the specialists of the Water Management Directorate will carry out drought protection at an extraordinary level in 74 percent of the country,” he said on Facebook, who also asked people to restrain from using too much water, to wash their car or fill up a pool during the heatwave.

Such announcements were never made under Fidesz. But with no rain forecast in the near future, and climate change affecting Hungary with increasing severity, the government will have to deal with this summer’s crisis while preparing the country for future droughts to protect agriculture, tourism, and Hungary’s natural waters.

Lili Rutai