The OVF told MTI in a statement that in recent days, countless false claims have surfaced that could mislead the public.

One such false claim is that there is plenty of water in the upper reaches of the Danube, but that "we are doing something wrong" in Hungary, since the Danube is nearly drying up here and water levels are hitting record lows, the statement said.

Another frequently cited misconception is that the "upstream countries" are holding back the Danube water, and that is why there is a shortage of water in Hungary, it added.

Contrary to these false claims, the fact is that the Danube is an international waterway, so no single country has unrestricted control over its water resources, OVF said.

The use of the Danube’s water resources is governed by a multi-tiered regulatory framework: international conventions, European Union legislation, bilateral intergovernmental agreements, and national water management regulations, they said.

OVF said that the current natural flow is lower than any previously measured value.

It added that while barrages are capable of temporarily balancing or storing water flow in the short term, they cannot permanently retain the Danube’s total water supply.

It said that the primary cause of extremely low water levels is typically a lack of precipitation in the watershed and the resulting low natural inflow, rather than the long-term retention of water at the barrages.

There are 12 dams operating in Austria, which provide a short-term solution but do not fundamentally resolve the crisis caused by climate change, it said.

In Hungary, there are no barrages on the Danube that would allow for the accumulation of water reserves during periods of high water and the subsequent controlled release of water, OVF said.

As a result, water levels on the Hungarian section of the Danube directly follow the trend of extremely low natural runoff, which leads to the historically low water levels currently being observed, it added.

Foreign min: Hungary to receive 'committed amount of Danube water'

Foreign Minister Anita Orban has had talks by phone with Tomas Taraba, Slovakia's deputy PM and environment minister, who pledged to do everything to ensure that Hungary receives "the largest amount of Danube water possible".

Orban said on Facebook on Thursday that she had asked Slovakia to facilitate that Hungary receives the largest amount of water possible, and in an even distribution. She added that Taraba had made that promise despite the fact Slovakia is also suffering from drought.

"Hungary will receive the full amount of water due under international accords," she said.

"I wish to refute rumours suggesting that our neighbours could be blamed for low water levels on the Danube," the minister said.

She also thanked Taraba for making a commitment to transfer to Hungary a part of Slovakia's water surplus if that country has rain earlier than Hungary.

MTI Stock Photo

Source: MTI – Hungary’s national news agency since 1881.

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