Hungary’s new government must ensure a proper water supply to Lake Velence, says President Áder

Hungary’s new government must ensure a proper water supply to Lake Velence, in western Hungary, “as one of its first measures”, President János Áder said in its Blue Planet podcast on Monday.

In the programme, Gyula Reich, secretary of the water management council, said issues around notoriously low water levels in the lake could be resolved through a new schedule of replenishing the water from its two reservoirs, as well as from karstic waters nearby, and through adding purified sewage. The lake’s level, which was a mere 71 centimetres on average last September, could be increased by as much as 80-85 centimetres, the expert said. Adding one million cubic metres of water would increase the level by 4 centimetres, he said.

The lake’s only natural source is a brook, which reaches the lake through two reservoirs near Zámoly, and Pátka, respectively. According to Reich, a channel should be built from the brook to the lake bypassing the two reservoirs, which are in a neglected state and call for cleaning.

Concerning the utilisation of purified sewage, Áder said re-using sewage was common practice in several parts of the world, noting that in Singapore it was bottled as drinking water.

• read also: It seems that Lake Velence will not dry out yet
• One of the most important natural wonders in Hungary is in grave danger

Photo by Stehlik Norbert Photo Blog