HEAT, DROUGHT, EXTREME WEATHER - DR. ENDRE DOBOS, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR

The extreme weather has already threatened waterways and the life in them: many fish have died, the Bársonyos stream near Miskolc has dried up, part of the Tarna River near Kompolt has disappeared, and Lake Venice and the Tisza River are also at risk. Dr. Endre Dobos, associate professor at the University of Miskolc, was interviews in a  TV2 national news programme.

The entire Tiszántúl region (eastern Hungary) is affected by a lack of rainfall. "There is an area in the Tiszántúl where only 40 millimetres of rain fell in the whole growing season - previously four to five times as much fell in the same period. That's when irrigation comes in."

Dr. Dobos explained there there seems to be no big problem judging from the irrigation canal systems (Eastern and Western Main Canal), which are based on the water resources of our major rivers. "But in many cases, it is the smaller rivers and streams that are the source of water. In such a situation, when thegeneral water supply is also scarce and then we take water from them, we are creating a catastrophic situation." He pointed out, "So the drying up of streams also threatens irrigation canals."

He said that the problem is not only the distribution of rainfall, but also its intensity: long, slow rains are now much less frequent. "The structure of the soil does not allow water to infiltrate deeper, so inland flooding occurs. This water should be much better captured and attention should be paid to structural improvements in agriculture, because by using the water retained from precipitation the drought-free period could be extended by a month or more."