DK Slams Gov't for Neglecting 'Dying' Lake Velence

  • 4 Aug 2021 10:05 AM
  • Hungary Matters
DK Slams Gov't for Neglecting 'Dying' Lake Velence
The opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) has slammed the government for refusing to spend 40 billion forints (EUR 112m) on replenishing the water of Lake Velence, in central Hungary, where large parts of the lake have dried up and the remaining water quality has deteriorated due to recent construction on its shores.

Judit Rácz Földi told a press conference that the government had spent 13 billion forints of European Union funding targeted for environmental projects around the lake on “cementing” green areas.

Meanwhile, “Lake Velence is dying,” she said.

Masses of fish dying early in the summer and poor water quality since have driven away locals and Budapest visitors, she said.

Investments on the lakeshore have hampered environmental protection in the past years, resulting in the disappearance of 13 million cubic meters of lake water, she said.

Local reservoirs cannot replenish this amount, she said, and insisted the “destruction of the lake is the responsibility of the investors and local governments”.


MTI Photo

  • How does this content make you feel?

XpatLoop Media Partner

Hungary Matters

Launched in January 2014, this newsletter published on week days covers 'everything you need to know about what’s going on in Hungary and beyond', according to its publisher the state media agency MTI.

  • Budget Crisis Threatens Budapest’s Public Services, City Hall Rejects Insolvency Ultimatum

    Budget Crisis Threatens Budapest’s Public Services, City Hall Rejects Insolvency Ultimatum

    • 2 Dec 2025 6:15 AM

    The financial stability of Budapest is currently at the centre of a fierce political standoff between the City Assembly and the national government. The dispute intensified this week after Mayor Gergely Karácsony and the city administration rejected a government proposal to declare the capital insolvent, an act the government had framed as a prerequisite for offering financial aid.

  • New Poll: Fidesz Ahead by 400,000 Votes If Election Held Now

    New Poll: Fidesz Ahead by 400,000 Votes If Election Held Now

    • 1 Dec 2025 3:43 PM

    If Hungary's election were held now, Fidesz would win 47 percent of the vote, up from 46 percent in August, while the opposition Tisza Party trails at 40 percent, according to a Nezopont Institute survey of 1,000 respondents conducted between Nov 24 and 26.

  • DK: 'Putin Summoned Orbán to Moscow Again'

    DK: 'Putin Summoned Orbán to Moscow Again'

    • 1 Dec 2025 5:16 AM

    "Russian President Vladimir Putin has summoned Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to Moscow again to personally deliver his orders to the Hungarian prime minister," opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) deputy leader Sandor Rónai said on Friday commenting on Orbán's trip to Russia.