The danger is not over: Budapest water supply under pressure again

Hungary’s main water utility for the capital has once again urged consumers to reduce unnecessary water use as persistently low levels on the Danube put growing pressure on the Budapest water supply. The situation is particularly serious in Dunabogdány, north of the capital, where the remaining capacity of the local system has fallen to a critical level.

According to 24.hu, Budapest Waterworks (Fővárosi Vízművek) warned that although the Danube could temporarily rise by a few centimetres, a lack of rainfall across its catchment area means water levels may soon begin falling again.

The company said the latest forecast required both close attention and responsible water use. While the utility is working to maintain a secure drinking-water supply, prolonged low water levels on the Danube are creating increasingly difficult conditions for water production.

Budapest water supply: residents asked to avoid unnecessary use

Budapest Waterworks has asked all consumers to moderate their use of mains drinking water and prioritise essential everyday needs.

Large-scale uses that can be postponed should be avoided, the company said. Such activities typically include filling swimming pools, washing cars and extensive garden watering.

The issue is particularly important for foreign residents and visitors to understand because much of Budapest’s drinking water is closely linked to the Danube. The capital relies heavily on bank-filtered water: wells located along the river draw naturally filtered groundwater from gravel layers connected to the Danube.

Low river levels therefore do not automatically mean that Budapest is running out of drinking water, but prolonged drought can make extraction more difficult and increase the technical and energy demands on the system.

This is not the first water-saving warning of 2026

The latest appeal is not an isolated event this year.

During the extreme heat at the end of June, water consumption across the area served by Budapest Waterworks rose sharply. On 29 June, around 640 million litres of drinking water were consumed in a single day, according to an earlier report by the Budapest municipal news portal Énbudapestem. In some parts of the capital and surrounding settlements, consumption was several times higher than the 2025 daily average.

At the time, Budapest Waterworks was already asking consumers to use water carefully and, where possible, to avoid carrying out water-intensive activities during peak evening hours.

The warnings became even more urgent in Dunabogdány in July. On 30 July, Sokszínű Vidék reported that the utility had already appealed to local residents several times to reduce consumption, asking them to avoid watering gardens, filling pools and washing cars. Despite those requests, demand continued to rise.

As we wrote yesterday, PM Magyar announces moves to raise the Danube near Paks nuclear power plant

Dunabogdány faces the most critical situation

Conditions are currently most severe in Dunabogdány, a popular settlement on the Danube Bend roughly north of Budapest.

Local wells are producing around 1,000–1,050 cubic metres of water per day, while daily consumption stands at approximately 1,100–1,150 cubic metres, according to 24.hu. Production capacity could fall further if the Danube continues to recede.

Budapest Waterworks warned that reserves in the local system have been reduced to a minimum, meaning that any further increase in consumption or an unexpected technical problem could threaten the continuity of drinking-water supplies.

Dunabogdány Mayor András Liebhardt has pushed back against criticism of local residents. In an earlier statement reported by Sokszínű Vidék, he argued that higher summer consumption also reflects the seasonal increase in the village’s population due to tourism and people temporarily living there.

Low Danube levels causing wider problems in Hungary

The exceptionally low Danube has implications well beyond the Budapest water supply.

During the extreme heat around the end of July and beginning of August, the river fell to exceptionally low levels. The conditions also affected operations at Hungary’s Paks Nuclear Power Plant, illustrating how prolonged heat, drought and low river flows can place simultaneous pressure on the country’s water and energy infrastructure.

For Budapest Waterworks, the immediate message remains precautionary rather than a declaration of a capital-wide water shortage. Consumers are nevertheless being asked to avoid unnecessary high-volume water use as long as the Danube remains unusually low and rainfall across its catchment area remains limited.

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