Hidrológiai Közlöny, 2016 (96. évfolyam)

2016 / 3. szám - HISTORICAL SNAPSHOT - Kerekes-Steindl Zsuzsanna: Water quality protection in Hungary - policy and status

Zsuzsanna Kerekes-Steindl: Water quality protection in Hungary - policy and status

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changes. On the basis of these tests it can be stated that the nitrate pollution has not reached the deeper porous aquifer layers, furthermore the quality changes in the thermal karstic water bodies have not reached the level when further measures should be necessary (e.g. introducing new technologies or finishing water use).

PROGRAM OF MEASURES FOR WATER QUALITY PROTECTION

During the last twenty years many programs, measures and investment projects have been started and implemented in Hungary, which decreased the nutrient-, organic- and hazardous chemical pollution levels of surface and groundwater. Some of them improved the hydromor- phological conditions of surface waters and supported the more sustainable uses of water resources. These programs significantly contributed to the improvements of the water quality, comparing to the status observed in the 1960- 80 period. From these programs the most important actions were:- Improvement of municipal wastewater collection

and treatment situation of agglomeration above 2000 PE, by implementing the scheduled tasks of the National Wastewater Collection and Treatment Program.- Set up strategy and launch of a program for hazardfree disposal and recycling of municipal sewage sludge.- Development of “natural treatment” technologies of

wastewaters, incentives and subsidies for extension the uses of installations with environmentally friendly wastewater treatment technology in smaller settlements.- Improving the quality of drinking waters (tap water)

with implementation of National Drinking Water Improvement Program.- Launching and implementation of the Drinking Water Sources Protection program, designation of protection zones on these protected areas.- Reduction of diffuse nutrient and other type of pollutions from agricultural origin. Implementation of the relevant EU legislations (nitrate and pesticide directives), designation of nitrate protection areas and protective zones, building manure storages, applying the Good Agricultural Practice on protected areas.- Set up inventory of historically polluted sites, risk

assessment of the pollution. Launching the National Environmental Remediation Program, cleaning up the most polluted sites (including abandoned mines, outdated municipal and industrial waste disposals, etc.).- Introducing the integrated pollution and prevention

control (IPPC) principle into authority practise on permitting and controlling the operation of large industrial and other type installations.- Implementing complex water protection investments

at the priority water protection areas (e.g. Kis- Balaton, Balaton, Ráckevei-(Soroksári) Danube branch, Upper-Danube section) taking into account the ecological water needs.- Development and operation of monitoring networks

and information systems.- Active participation in the international cooperation on the water protection field, in the frame of the bilateral transboundary agreements with neighbouring countries, the activities of ICPDR and the UN ECE Water Conventions. Participation in the EU Water Framework Directive Common Implementation Strategy (WFD CIS) process.

All these programs are important elements of the Program of Measures of the Hungarian River Basin Management Plans. The second river basin management plan (RBMP2) was adopted by the Government in March 2016. The Program of Measures of this plan determines all horizontal, regulatory, institutional, technical and investment measures, which full implementation by 2027 could ensure that all Hungarian surface and groundwater bodies will reach at least the good quality status (Fig. 11).

Figure 11. Timetable of achieving the environmental quality objectives of water bodies (VGT2 2015.)

FUTURE TASKS

This paper presented in detail that during the past decades broad range legislation system and the relevant institutional system were set up in Hungary, which ensure the protection of surface and groundwater resources. Today the general quality status of our water resources is not far from the good status. Most of them are in acceptable or even better condition. But despite of this fact lots of tasks are still to be accomplished, which would be necessary to achieve the targets by deadlines. The next subjective - if this is allowed to the Author - findings should be carried out in this regard:

The strategies, plans (first of all the RBMP2), which determined the water protections’ targets and their deadlines already exist. The WFD compatible environmental quality objectives for waters were determined, and approved on high political level: to reach the good quality of waters by implementing all the necessary measures by 2027. (This target can be considered also, as total fulfilment of SDG 6.3 goal.)

The basic legislation schemas - to help and guarantee the fulfilment of these quality targets - are also basically laid down. Only fine-tuning is necessary from time to time, but much better implementation of the existing legislation required to achieve the goals.

The authority and other institutional systems dealing with water protection relating tasks have