Karacsony said the river had peaked in Budapest and was now below morning levels. "We're past the hard part, but it's not over yet. We have lots of work ahead of us," he added.

He said flood defence investments undertaken in recent years had held up well, adding that more projects were planned in future, in the north of the capital, with the support of European Union funding.

He praised the citizens of Budapest and cooperation between the local government and state organisations. "It appears that in times like these, political disputes can be put aside," he added.

Karacsony said flood restrictions would be lifted "as soon as possible", but added that "safety comes first".

The embankment roads may be re-opened in the second half of the coming week, he said in response to a question.

Orban: Flood Peak Could Leave Hungary Tuesday

The flood peak on the Danube could leave Hungary on Tuesday, but vigilance must be maintained, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told a press conference on Sunday, after a meeting of the operative body for flood protection.

Orban said there was a good chance that the peak would leave the country then, instead of Thursday, as earlier expected. He added that the peak was now at Dunafoldvar, some 100km south of Budapest.

He said the third-degree flood alert level could be reduced in a number of areas from Monday, adding that heavy rain that could affect flood levels was not in the forecast.

Orban said flood defence efforts had been successful and gave updates on settlements north of the capital.

Asked whether flood defence workers would get a pay rise, Orban said he was in talks with the head of water management.

Addressing the possibility of closer regional flood prevention cooperation, Orban said that was "on track while the V4 was working". Hungary has know-how that it would gladly share, he added.

Political life will return to normal next week, Orban said, with a conference on European competitiveness on Wednesday and an inter-governmental meeting in North Macedonia on Thursday.

Asked about a proposed debate with Peter Magyar, the leader of the opposition Tisza party, Orban said issues could be debated when the next election takes place.

Orban: Hungary Can Breathe Easier in Five Days

Hungary can breathe easier after five more "difficult days", Prime Minister Viktor Orban told a press conference on flood protection in Budapest on Saturday.

"On the ninth day of defence, we've passed the halfway point," he said, adding that there were five more days to go in a state of heightened readiness.

On Friday, flood defences were carried out along 755km, one kilometer more than the previous day.

He added that water levels remained below those of the 2013 flood, and protection measures were being implemented at a "calm and steady pace".

Orban noted that today the River Danube would peak in Budapest, and attention would thenceforth focus on settlements downstream from Budapest.

He warned that flood-protection leaders must not allow work to slacken, because most bank-bursts, accidents and flooding generally took place as the waters receded. It would take just a "lackadaisical" day or two to ruin the successful work thus far, he added.

On Friday, the protective "backbone" slipped at Pilismarot, and divers were successfully deployed to strengthen the defences in a 16-hour operation.

At Vac, sewage manholes burst due to the high water pressure, "but we managed to contain this", he said.

The focus in the following period will be settlements downstream from Budapest, he said, mentioning Ercsit, Kisapostag, Dunafoldvar and Paks, adding that protection measures were 100 percent ready.

Asked about how much money Hungary may receive from the European Commission's 10 billion euro outlay for central Europe's flood-related measures, Orban said Hungarians had long experience of how they must rely on themselves to solve their own problems, and "for now we've managed, we've stood our ground and protected the country".

"We'll believe it when we see it," he said. "If money comes, it comes, if it doesn't, it doesn't; we can do without," he said. "Every kind of help is welcome … but we shouldn't hold out our hat like a measly beggar," he added.

Orban noted that Hungary has spent 2 billion euros on protecting the EU's external border, "yet for this, the EU hasn't given us a single penny".

Regarding tasks ahead, he said great vigilance in flood defence work would have to be shown right up to the wave reaching the southern town of Baja on Monday, and the biggest dangers would be over by next Wednesday-Thursday. The prime minister said it would be unfair to compare Hungary's situation with neighbouring countries, where there have been fatalities and general paralysis, and he noted that Hungary had had more time to prepare.

Referring to the leader of the opposition Tisza Party, Peter Magyar, and his critical comments of the government's communications about the number of volunteers carrying out flood defence, Orban said Magyar would do better to focus on the work ahead instead of entering into disputes in "bad taste".

"The more volunteers, the better" he said, adding that statistics on people engaged in flood defence were handled by the operational staff each morning, and he quoted numbers accordingly. Orban thanked everyone for their work. Also he noted that flood defence in 2013 cost 19.6 billion forints, and so far this year the sum was "well below that".

Orban Inspects Defences South of Capital

Prime Minister Viktor Orban inspected flood defence work in Kisapostag, south of the capital, as the Danube peaked there on Sunday, the PM's press chief said.

Orban visited temporary flood defences in the village with Gabor Varga, the MP for the region, and Attila Nagy, the mayor of the settlement, Bertalan Havasi said.

Flood defence authorities said a 500-metre long line of sandbags was protecting around 50 homes.

Lantos: Flooding No Threat to Energy Services

Flooding on the River Danube poses no threat to energy services in Hungary, the energy ministry said on Saturday.

Energy Minister Csaba Lantos said gas and electricity had been turned off temporarily in some settlements affected by the flooding, but added that no interruption to countrywide services was expected.

Early on Friday, a second-degree flood alert was ordered on the Danube at the site of the Paks nuclear power plant, but this is not expected to be raised to the third degree as the Danube peaks, the ministry said.

None of the power lines or transformer stations of electricity grid operator MAVIR are threatened by flooding, it added.

Two sluices at oil and gas company MOL's Danube Refinery have been closed and sandbags have been used to reinforce two points, but operation is continuing without interruption, the ministry said.

Source: 
MTI - The Hungarian News Agency, founded in 1881.

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