Hungarian waters still in extraordinarily bad shape?

As Szeretlekmagyarország.hu reports, numerous species can become endangered in case the generally bad condition of Hungarian waters does not improve. Here is what we need to know about the current situation in experts’ opinion.

Even compared to other Eastern European countries, Hungarian waters’ condition does not reach a good level in ecological terms. In overall, groundwater is in better shape than Hungarian surface water both in amount and from a chemical point of view. However, the worsening state and overuse of surface water can lead to the damage of groundwater, too. Currently, we are in the worst 5 EU member states related to the amount and quality of groundwater.

According to experts, the main problem does not stem from insufficient EU regulations, but from the fact that several countries do not take their responsibility seriously regarding their waters. As Gruber Tamás, wetlands Programme Manager at WWF says,

„In various cases, Hungary has asked for a temporary exemption from improving the condition of surface waters, performing better results after 2027 the earliest. Although there are examples when postponement can be justified, the high ratios of temporary exemptions show that there is lack of determination to improve the situation.”