New Reservoir Prepares Hungary for the Next Drought

After this year’s devastating droughts the urgency of storing and managing water reserves has become imperative. István Láng, Director General of the National Water Directorate (OVF) has just announced the completion of one of the largest dams and reservoirs in Hungary, the Tisza-Túr tidal reservoir, a model project in Hungary, capable of managing floods and drought periods.

The complex water management system, can reduce the water level of the Tisza, Hungary’s second largest river after the Danube, by 50 centimeters during floods, and will have a significant role in water replenishment and in maintaining the water balance of the region.

Located between the Tisza, the river Túr and Road 491 to the Hungarian-Ukrainian border, the 16 square kilometer facility has a capacity of holding 42 million cubic meters of water. The reservoir, which was built under the Vásárhely Plan for Further Development (VTT) program, was financed from EU cohesion funds and by the Hungarian government at a cost of EUR 85 million (HUF 35.9 billion).

It is the third reservoir on the Upper Tisza, after the Szamos-Kraszna and Bereg reservoirs, to provide adequate flood protection for the affected settlements in case of high water levels. As Dr. Attila Tilki, local MP for the government party Fidesz has remarked on his social media pages, people living in the area know exactly how fast the “big water” comes, as the river flooded 3.6 meters in one day at Tiszabecs, 8.5 meters before the peak on 6 March, 4.7 meters in one day at Tivadar and 12 meters before the peak in 2001.

Featured Photo: Facebook Dr. Attila Tilki