Hungary faces severe drought as lakes recede and water management reforms are pledged

Hungary is confronting an acute water shortage as lake levels drop to historic lows and the Danube River falls to record lows, prompting the government to propose a new water-retention strategy. On Lake Velence, water has fallen to about 20 cm, far below the 150 cm depth needed for typical summer activities, leading to the closure of swimming beaches and making navigation difficult for local fishermen.

"I’ve lived on Lake Velence since I was a child, and I’ve never seen the water so low," said fisherman Árpád Selmeci, 58, describing the situation as "terrible."

The drought, linked to prolonged heat waves and climate change, has also reduced crop yields, strained drinking-water supplies and threatened the cooling water supply for Hungary’s sole nuclear power plant on the Danube. Experts point to the country’s extensive network of drainage canals—over 40,000 km—that have historically removed water from wetlands and soils to support agriculture, lowering the water table and diminishing natural flood-plain storage.

"Hungary has not been a good steward of its waters in the last 200 years," said Zsuzsanna Ujj, a biodiversity policy specialist with Friends of the Earth Hungary.

Lake Garancsi, once a popular recreation spot near Budapest, has similarly shrunk, leaving the former lakebed exposed and dry. Local bar owner Zoltán Mettner described the change as "terrible" and lamented the loss of the lake’s former uses.

In response, Prime Minister Péter Magyar told parliament that the government will place water management on a "new footing" and launch a comprehensive conservation program. He highlighted that aging water-utility infrastructure leaks 20-25 % of drinking water, costing roughly 17 billion forints annually.

"Many have said year after year that water shortage will be one of Hungary’s problems and one of the most important strategic issues to be solved. They were right," Magyar said.

To protect the Paks nuclear plant, authorities have taken emergency measures, including sinking two 80-meter barges upstream and installing a river-bed sill to direct more water to the plant’s cooling pumps. Scientists note that restoring wetlands could act as natural reservoirs, helping to moderate river levels and potentially influence summer precipitation.

"Restoring wetlands and increasing evaporation in certain areas could help boost precipitation during the summer months," Ujj added.

The proposed shift from drainage-focused land use to water retention will require significant investment and time, but officials say it is essential to mitigate the growing drought risk across the country.