Garden of Eden or Desert? Water Retention in the Great Hungarian Plains

Europe’s 2022 drought demonstrated what experts have known for years – that the continent’s next crisis will be lack of water. Ill-considered water management practices, damming, irrigation, and overuse of subsurface water have damaged entire landscapes. In Hungary, once the land of waters, entire regions are increasingly affected by desertification. But there is hope! With its “Recovery Plan”, Hungary already made financial resources available to reverse the process of desiccation and address future summer droughts. But it remains unclear which solution is the most effective. Is it damming the rivers? Pumping? Water retention or wetland restoration? Or even rainmaking?

In the video “Garden of Eden or Desert? Water Retention in the Great Hungarian Plains”, EUKI project Local Leaders for the Next Generation discusses possible solutions addressing the desiccation of Eastern Europe, including their advantages and disadvantages.