Protecting Hungary’s water resources, improving water retention, and addressing the Tisza River’s declining water levels are essential to managing drought and ensuring future drinking water, Tibor Bíró, Director of the Institute for Environmental Sustainability at the National University of Public Service, said in the latest episode of Blue Planet, hosted by former President János Áder.
Bíró described the country’s situation as alarming, noting that Hungary has been in a state of continuous water deficit since 2017 due to recurring droughts and dry winters, which prevent adequate replenishment during the spring vegetation period. He pointed out that similar problems are now emerging across Europe—in the Netherlands, northern Germany, and southern Scandinavia—proving that water scarcity is no longer confined to southern regions.
The expert, who also serves as vice president of the Hungarian Hydrological Society, explained that both meteorological and hydrological droughts are affecting Hungary: reduced rainfall leads to low river levels, shrinking water reserves, and diminishing natural replenishment.
Áder warned of the severe consequences of low water levels in the Danube and Tisza rivers. He noted that 37 small watercourses in Hungary now dry up temporarily each summer, a phenomenon once limited to southern Europe. The drying of surface waters also depletes the soil’s upper layers up to 80 centimetres in sandy areas, threatening local ecosystems, agriculture, and rural water supply.
Bíró said evaporation rates are rising even though total annual rainfall remains roughly constant, as its timing and distribution become increasingly erratic. In some regions, groundwater levels have fallen by 2–3 metres since the late 1970s, and in extreme cases by as much as 10–12 metres. Even in the Tisza Valley, wells are beginning to run dry.
Since 95 per cent of Hungary’s drinking water comes from groundwater and bank-filtered sources, Bíró stressed the need to protect these slowly replenishing reserves. Áder added that Hungary must avoid overexploiting underground water supplies, as happened in parts of Spain and India, and again called for the legalization and monitoring of wells. ‘We shouldn’t punish farmers for drilling wells in the past; we should register them, install sensors to track water use, and ensure that consumption and replenishment remain balanced,’ he said, warning that without such action, both farmers and utilities could face severe water shortages within 10 to 15 years.
Bíró agreed, saying that all wells should be legalized, included in a national database, and monitored. He emphasized the importance of a comprehensive approach to water retention, from hillside erosion control and rainwater reservoirs to filling irrigation channels in flat regions. ‘Many think water management wants to solve everything with concrete and steel, but a social consensus is needed for these technical measures,’ he noted.
He advocated for mosaic water retention, a landscape-wide strategy that not only restores groundwater through infiltration but also cools the environment and supports biodiversity.
Áder highlighted another pressing issue: due to riverbed subsidence and climate-related low water levels, the Tisza now drains roughly 250 million cubic metres of water from the soil each year, about the equivalent of Lake Tisza’s entire volume, which then leaves the country.
Finally, Bíró announced that the National University of Public Service has signed a cooperation agreement with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, aiming to use artificial intelligence and data analysis to develop new solutions for Hungary’s water management challenges.
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