Situated Northern-East off the westernmost part of Lake Balaton, Tapolca cave lake, which had gone dry earlier, has been open once again for rowing since the mid-nineties.
Moreover, the capacity of the Hévíz Spa, near the town of Keszthely in grave danger of drying off before long, has eventually increased to 400 from its one-time 300 litres per second.
The study conducted by the Water Resources Research Center (Vituki) shows that until cavern water reservoirs get filled completely, thermal water extraction should not be increased, since the former balance in the subterranean layers is far from being reached.
In Hungary, in the past 40 years, as much as 3.5 cubic km water has been extracted from underneath for mining considerations, equaling two times the amount of water Lake Balaton holds, from the cavern water reservoirs in Transdanubia, refilled by natural supply to the extent of 55-60 percent only. On the other hand, the town of Tata, situated in the Northern-East Transdanubia, it is water in excess that is posing problems. In a single year, abyssal cavern water levels has risen by a full meter, causing the level of water to reach burst point in every single abyssal water source.
Municipality leaders are afraid that the abundance of water may soak through and undermine some buildings, putting the homes of eight thousand people at risk of collapse.
In and around Harkány, in the Southern part of Transdanubia near Pécs, and Eger, North-Eastern Hungary the problem lies in the excess extraction of cold cavern water for water supply purposes.
Zoltán ÖTVÖS
Daily Népszabadság
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