Hungary’s bathing water quality among Europe’s best

According to the annual report of the European Environment Agency, more than 85% of European bathwaters have been classified as “excellent” quality, as origo.hu reports. 70% of bathwaters in Hungary have earned this classification.

In Luxemburg, Malta, Cyprus, Greece and Austria, at least 95% of freshwater bathing areas have received the highest qualification, meaning that these waters virtually lack any pollutant that could cause a threat to health or the environment. Hungary comes after Poland and before Ireland,

With 70,8% of our bathing areas having been put in the “excellent” category.

Those with the lowest proportion of high-quality bathwaters include Bulgaria (44,2%), Romania (50%), Albania (54,9%) and – surprisingly – Sweden (58,7%).

Lake Velence, the second most popular bathing spot in Hungary after Lake Balaton. Photo By Susulyka (Own work) CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Agency checked 21 801 bathing areas in the last year, almost all of which can be found in the European Union, and concluded that almost all of these comply with the minimum criteria regarding water quality set by EU regulation.

Water quality across Europe has been increasing in the past 40 years, thanks to the introduction of EU policies about the reduction of the disposal of communal and industrial refuse water.

The European Environment Agency has published an interactive map, where anyone can check the quality of a particular lake or beach.

Source: origo.hu