Attention: Major flood protection alert declared in Budapest amid rising Danube levels, roads closed

A major flood protection alert has been declared in Budapest. According to the latest forecasts, the Danube’s water level is expected to rise by one meter each day starting Monday. Projections indicate that the river could peak in the latter half of next week, with water levels exceeding 8 meters. Given this significant rise, Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony has announced a third-degree flood protection alert for all Budapest sections of the river, starting at midnight on Monday, 16 September, as stated by the Mayor’s Office.

According to an article by Portfolio, the Municipal Sewage Works (Fővárosi Csatornázási Művek, FCSM), responsible for flood defences, will begin closing the flood gates along the Nánási-Királyok Road defence line and constructing a four-kilometre-long clay embankment starting Monday.

The Danube in Budapest in June 2024. Photo: MTI/Hegedüs Róbert

Due to this temporary barrier, Királyok Road will be closed to traffic.

On Margaret Island, especially in its lower-lying areas, flood defences will be reinforced with sandbags. FCSM will use high-capacity machinery for this, drawing on experience from the 2013 flood defence efforts.

If the situation worsens, Margaret Island may also be closed to both vehicle and pedestrian traffic by mid-next week.

The lower embankments on the Pest side are expected to flood by Tuesday, September 17. Some sections, already closed for an event over the weekend, will remain shut until the floodwaters recede. Additionally, Budapest Road Management (Budapest Közút) will fully close the remaining Pest embankments and all of the Buda lower embankments from 8 PM on Monday, 16 September.

Parking on the embankments has already been banned as of midnight today. Any vehicles left there will be towed away by the city’s Law Enforcement Directorate (Fővárosi Önkormányzati Rendészeti Igazgatóság) on Monday.

Meanwhile, Budapest Waterworks (Fővárosi Vízművek) is taking necessary precautions to ensure that the rising Danube does not disrupt the city’s drinking water supply. They have begun intensified inspections of wells, pump houses, and machinery to ensure continued safe operation despite the rising water levels, Portfolio reports. The quality of drinking water is being continuously monitored by the company’s laboratories.

Public transport in areas close to the river will likely face restrictions by mid-next week, depending on how the situation develops. Experts will determine the specific extent of these disruptions early next week, according to the Mayor’s Office.

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