NAGIKOLU, Hungary, Sept 11 (Askume) – A group of Hungarian lawmakers and NGO representatives met on Wednesday on dry sandy land on the country’s second river after the Danube to highlight the dire consequences of the drought in July and August.
Water levels in the Tisza river have fallen sharply after repeated heat waves hit other European countries, the EU’s climate change monitor has said.The Northern Hemisphere had its hottest summer on record .
In Poland, water levels on Poland’s longest river, the Vistula, fell to a record low, exposing Warsaw’s sandy cliffs, the weather agency said .
Hungary’s Homokhtság region, where members of the country’s parliament’s Sustainable Development Committee and NGO representatives met, is an important agricultural region that grows maize, cereals and sunflowers and has struggled with severe drought for years .
“Policy makers still do not realise that water is our most important asset and poor water management today is a threat to our future.
He warned that Hungary “will remain in a state of drought” unless measures are taken to save as much water as possible through effective water management.
MPs from the ruling Fidesz party, which has a majority on the committee, boycotted the meeting because they did not have a quorum. The agriculture ministry also did not send any representatives. The Fidesz parliamentary group said in a statement that they considered the meeting “unnecessary.”
Hungary’s agriculture minister said on September 5 that according to reports from farmers, 390,000 hectares of agricultural land had been damaged by the drought by early September, of which 235,000 hectares of corn were severely affected, representing more than 25% of the total planted area.
Data from the Hungarian Meteorological Service shows that over the past 90 days, the Homokhtság region has received about 120-140 mm less rain than average. Heavy rain is expected over the weekend.
