The protection period will be longer than previously planned.Continue reading
The sandbags that have not yet been reached by the water can be removed, but not the rest, the spokeswoman of the General Directorate of Water Management explained on Monday on Kossuth Radio’s Good Morning, Hungary! program.
Gabriella Siklós pointed out that sandbags that are even close to the water cannot be moved. According to the spokesperson, the flood is slowly reaching Baja (southern Hungary).
The expert noted that in the southern part of the Danube, the water has not reached the top of the state dam and that temporary water protection works should only be set up in municipalities where there are buildings in the floodplain.
Esztergom. Photo: Hungary Today
She emphasized that
the maximum flood level was 50 centimeters lower than in 2013, but the entire Hungarian section remains under close monitoring.
The spokesperson stressed that the Danube flood wave is only slowly receding. It should be noted that an average flood leaves Hungary in 8-9 days, but the current one is already in its eleventh day, she added.
The flooded Danube near Esztergom. Photo: Hungary Today
Gabriella Siklós called on people not to walk on the weakened dams as this could lead to leaks. The spokeswoman told the M1 news channel that the water level in Baja, currently at 919 centimeters, is expected to rise to around 923 centimeters.
Tomorrow the Danube level will peak at Mohács (southern Hungary) and then the flood wave will leave the country.
Flooding in Baja. Photo: MTI/Balogh Zoltán
“We have now reached the end of the flood protection and we have every chance to be as optimistic as possible for the remaining one or two days,” the Prime Minister highlighted at a press conference in Budapest on Monday.
“We must hold on, in a day and a half or two days the country will be able to start to recover,” noted Viktor Orbán. Meteorologists have still not forecast any precipitation, therefore the tidal surge is not expected to be recharged. According to the politician, the Danube reaches its highest level at noon at Baja, where the third alert level has been declared. At Mohács, the second alert level has been declared.
He also pointed out that the upper reaches of the river are sinking faster than expected. “We are now out of the trouble and the pressure is easing,” the Prime Minister concluded.
Via MTI; Featured image via Hungary Today