Károlyi Zsigmond - Nemes Gerzson: Szolnok és a Közép-Tiszavidék vízügyi múltja III. rész, A vízgazdálkodás eredményei 1945-1975-ig. (Vízügyi Történeti Füzetek 10. Budapest, 1976)

6. Összefoglalás (Tanulságok és feladatok)

The comprehensive programme of István Széchenyi (1791—1860) the promotor of systematical reclamation, aimed at watershed regulation in the Tisza Valley (1846), could however, be realized in part only under capitalist conditions (Vol. 2, Fig. 26). In the interest of commodity production controlled exclusively by market considerations, the water engineering works were confined to flood control serving field growing of cereals (extensive farming with the lowest manpower and capital requirement) and later on, from the 1970's and 80's to land drainage. The neglect of river regulation, which is inseparable from flood control as well as the grave errors committed were not remedied until the turn of the century, on the basis of the long-range work programme (1891) of Jenő Kvassay (1850—1919). The elimination of damages caused by waters, which implied only one side and the first steps of Széchenyi's Reform Age concept, was eventually distorted to a one-sided attempt "to get rid of waters at all costs". All this happened in spite of the fact that it was not only the promoters who saw the complexity of the tasks involved but also, as early as at the end of the last century, Kvassay very definitely drew up the future's water storage and water resources management tasks. (To illustrate how much a project may differ from and, more then that, turn against the intentions and the objectives of its initiators, the history of the Tisza regulations provides a very characteristic example: the works carried out did not only impede but virtually, put an end to the water uses to be developped in the first place, such as navigation, irrigation, fishery and pond farming and, for a time, they even removed the possibilities of not only their development but also their practice.) For this distortion of development the mechanism of capitalistic commodity production was responsible. Where production is controlled by the interests of a remote marked and development turns against the local conditions and requirements, where profit is the only objective of production and the sole measure of its effectiveness, there beyond exploiting manpower, this self-determined mechanism with its ruthiess exhaustion exploits nature itself in the same way. Together with its other inherent contradictions, it leads inevitably to disturbances in the balance between the natural environment and society, as it has become widely know from recent ecological studies. As a particular, local reflection, of this general law no advanced water utilization in accordance with the ancient water uses based on natural conditions and centuries of experience, such as navigation, fishery and pond farming, irrigation and animal breeding on irrigated pastures etc., could develop. Moreover, together with the dissolution of the ancient forms, in fact, as a result of flood protection itself, all activities of this short gradually came to an end. This way why the irrigation programme (1937) initiated in 1931 by Elemér Sajó (1875— 1934) (Vol. 2, Fig. 36) who in his attempt to find a way out from the impasse, returned to the Reform Age traditions, could not get — even up to the present — beyond the introductory-preparatory stage. (The situation and tasks of the water service were aggravated by the advent in 1940 of a wet period with extensive precipitation, floods and excess runoff, causing damages unprecedented in the first half of the century.) Part III. — THE IMPACTS OF THE SOCIALIST WATER MANAGEMENT (1945—1975) It was on these bases, burdened with this heritage and under conditions aggravated by the destructions of war, that the reorganized water service started its activity in 1945. The efforts at the rapid reconstruction of the destroyed flood control and drainage works by which the grave dangers of the floods in the years 1945 and 46 were averted are comparable to the memorable success of flood protection in 1919. (To appreciate this achievement it should be taken into account that owing to wartime evacuation, the local water organizations were deprived of the upper technical guidance in the most crucial moment.) More recently major flood control works were carried out in the Szolnok area, mainly along the Zagyva River and on the right-hand bank of the Tisza River. Besides preventive measures and good organization, this has also contributed to averting from the region the dangers of the great flood on the Tisza River in 1970 (Vol. 3, Fig. 20—22.). The main obstacles to irrigation farming were removed as the distribution of land made an end to feudal property conditions. At the same time the introduction of planned economy has offered new possibilities for the realization of old ambitions and projects.