The river level in the city could fall by as much as 30 centimetres, prompting water-management authorities to deploy additional mobile pumps at Szolnok’s surface-water intake facility.

Experts have been preparing for the possibility for several weeks, and one mobile pumping station had already been installed at the site.

A second backup station has now been put in place in case the permanent intake system can no longer operate as the river continues to fall.

The situation is closely linked to the exceptionally dry conditions that have affected Hungary for months. Water-management authorities say that during the first eight months of the year, precipitation-driven runoff in the Tisza basin was only around one-quarter of the average. At the same time, evaporation has been higher than normal as a result of the prolonged heat.

These conditions have also pushed the level of Tisza Lake close to 610 centimetres, effectively exhausting its usable water reserves.

For weeks, the amount of water flowing into Tisza Lake has been lower than the volume being released from Kisköre towards Szolnok. Earlier restrictions, primarily aimed at reducing agricultural water use, have not been enough to resolve the situation.

Authorities have therefore gradually lowered the upstream water level at the Tiszalök barrage to 400 centimetres and released additional water downstream.

There is, however, a limit to how far this can go. Once Tisza Lake reaches 610 centimetres, which is the minimum level set out in its water-management operating permit, the amount of water released downstream from Kisköre cannot be greater than the volume flowing into the reservoir from upstream.

Any further decline in the lake’s level could create ecological problems, according to the Middle Tisza District Water Directorate, known as KÖTIVIZIG.

Based on calculations made last Thursday, only around 30 cubic metres of water per second can reach the downstream section of the Tisza. As a result, the river level in Szolnok is expected to fall to approximately minus 334 centimetres.

This is why the mobile pumping stations installed by KÖTIVIZIG at the city’s surface-water intake facility may need to be activated over the weekend. Their purpose is to ensure that Szolnok’s drinking-water supply remains secure even if the river falls to a level at which the permanent intake system can no longer function normally.

The unusually low water levels are also affecting electricity generation along the Tisza. The Tiszalök Hydroelectric Plant has stopped generating electricity because the river’s flow and water level have become too low for the facility to operate safely.

The plant’s owner, MVM, confirmed the shutdown but said it does not pose a threat to Hungary’s energy security.

With an installed capacity of 12.9 megawatts, the Tiszalök plant is Hungary’s second-largest hydroelectric facility, after the 28-megawatt plant at Kisköre.

MVM said that employees at the Tiszalök facility remain in continuous contact with water-management experts and are monitoring the Tisza’s flow and water levels. The plant will resume electricity generation when conditions allow it to operate safely again.

For residents and businesses along the Tisza, the situation is another indication of the practical consequences of Hungary’s prolonged lack of rainfall. While recent weather has brought some relief from the heat, it has not yet brought enough precipitation to restore water levels across the river system.

MTI photo

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