If the much needed precipitation does not arrive in the spring, it could cause serious problems in the summer.Continue reading
The Minister of Energy has declared a period of permanent water scarcity for the entire country starting March 1, following an initiative of the Hungarian Chamber of Agriculture (HCA) and the Association of Hungarian Farmers’ Clubs and Farmers’ Cooperatives (MAGOSZ), the two agricultural associations announced in a joint statement sent to MTI.
During periods of persistent water scarcity, it is possible to use water for irrigation without a water permit for 30 days, only the farmer’s notification is required. There is no need to pay a water resource charge. The measure will help to mitigate the effects of this year’s expected dry spring season through proper water management, they stated.
The organizations said that they had taken the initiative to declare a period of permanent water scarcity at the Ministry of Energy on the basis of the hydro-meteorological conditions and forecasts. They explained that
the continent’s weather is currently dominated by a huge anticyclone, which is causing much drier than usual weather throughout Europe, but especially in most parts of east-central Europe.
The drought situation is more severe than in February 2022, a year of severe drought.
The entire Adriatic region is affected by drought, and most of the precipitation tends to come from here to Hungary, where the winter water supply period from October to March was much drier than average. Compared to the multi-year average, precipitation was almost 50 percent lower in December, around 35 percent lower in January and 50 percent lower in February. Although the amount of rainfall in the recent days was satisfactory, a week’s rainfall cannot make up for the significant water deficit in the catchment.
It was revealed that
the Carpathian Basin is warming 20 percent faster than other parts of Europe, and the number of hot days has increased radically in recent years, resulting in huge evaporation losses.
Surface water flows are declining, especially in the Great Plain, where 30 percent of the Tisza river’s flow is missing, and recharge is also lagging, with very little snow in the Danube catchment and virtually none in the Tisza catchment. MAGOSZ and HCA have therefore taken the initiative to declare a water scarcity period even earlier than before.
Via MTI, Featured photo via Pixabay
