Hidrológiai Közlöny 1974 (54. évfolyam)

3-4. szám - Könyvismertetés

Hidrológiai Közlöny 1974. 3—4. sz. 135 bility of risks, he must include the latest advances in science, technology and construction practices. At the present, under the sectorial guidance by the National Water Authority more than 2000 professionals are engaged in the designing of water management projects. To realize the objectives set forth in the development plan, the consulting and designing institutions must solve problems increased in number and more demanding in quality, so that the rapid expansion of their capacity is unquestionably warranted. It would be undesirable however, to attain this expansion by increasing their staff, but rather by new methods improving the efficiency of designing work. The designing of water projects must be modernized and the productivity of designing work must be improved, besides the realization of development tasks described in connection with the objectives. The standards will thus be raised in all respects, but the immense intellectual capacity represented by the theoretical background and practical experience in designing water management projects is the guarantee for the realization of the objectives contained in the perspective development plan. There are naturally a number of scientific, engineering and economic problems remaining to be investigated and solved. In exploring these problems and in indicating the potential solutions the papers submitted to the conference and the thought-raising discussion during the subsequent sessions are expected to yield welcome assistance to all those engaged in water management. On behalf of the National Water Authority and myself I have the honour of welcoming all participants to the conference in the hope that their efforts will prove to be of mutual benefit to them. The significance of long-range water management planning By JÁNOS BÉKÉSI Civ. Engr. Director, National Water Authory Water Resources Center Hungary is situated in the middle of the Carpathian Basin. The character of her water resources and the forms of water management planning are determined by this fact. Her surface water resources are obtained from the river reaches of the Danube and of the Tisza on Hungarian territory, further from minor rivers and creeks. The surface water resources are distributed unevenly over the area and 96 per cent of these is of foreign origin. The runoff crosses Yugoslavia, Roumania, Bulgaria and the Soviet Union before it is discharged into the Black Sea. A large part of the country is of plain-land character, from among her subsurface water resources it is the ground-water and artesian water which are of the greatest importance, however, first of all in the mining regions, karstic water can also be used and, at the same time, can cause problems as well. Groundwater and artesian water occur almost everywhere in the country, but quantities large enough to cover greater demands are unevenly distributed. The pattern of precipitation is variable over the country. While in the mountain region the annual precipitation of 800—900 mm is favourably distributed within the year, in the plain areas eminently suited for agricultural cultivation only a small portion of the annual mean precipitation of only 500—600 mm falls during the growing season. This is the reason why intensive agricultural production is impossible without vast irrigation projects. The heavy and machine industries of the country have preferred the mountain regions, near the raw materials and fuel bases. These areas are generally scarce in water. At the same time, the exploitation of raw materials is hindered by the karstic water so that the water level had and has to be lowered over several thousand square kilometres. The great depressions of the karstic level resulted in drying up former springs and wells, so that in many areas the management of mine drainage water had to be introduced. Water supply and sewage disposal in the industrial regions where water was originally scarce must be solved by means of regional systems. As mentioned before 96 per cent of Hungary's surface water resources originate abroad. This implies also that basically the quality of water resources does not depend on Hungary but on the country passing water on to us. The protection of water quality, the management of water resources, thus eventually water management in Hungary extend beyond the country and call for continuous international co-operation. Efforts are made to adjust perspective planning in water management to these features. This particular field of work, nowadays already well defined underwent a long development process during the past decades. The perspective water management ideas arose first in connection with some great complex water projects. The broad knowledge and the technical-economic attitude of our hydraulic engineers in estimating our perspective water management conditions manifested itself already in this early stage, in that the basic problems have been solved correctly and the great tasks of water management in the subsequent decades have been specified clearly and properly by them. After extended prosperity at the end of the last and at the beginning of the present century a period of stagnation followed in perspective water management planning. Changed conditions and the economic deterioration impeded the dynamism of long-term planning and restricted the perspectives of water management. Liberation of the country has lifted the restrictions on water management, too. The prosperity of each productive branch and the changeover to controlled economy has promoted long-term water management planning, too. As early as in 1946—47 work was resumed on the ambitious plans of the last century, of which only a few details could be dealt with. Canalization of the Tisza river and later of the Danube has started giving impetus to long-term water management planning connected with those. All the ideas suggested with some caution by our hydraulic engineers between the two wars have received new stimulus. In the wake of national long-term planning also the newly founded state agencies of areal water management have started perspective water management planning for minor catchments or regions. In response to demands, the new long-term plans were concerned mainly with the engineering aspects of water management but were conscious also of the basic economics without which any planning 'work would be separated from reality. With the foundation of the National Water Authority in 1948, central water management planning started by the preparation of long-term water management plans. After 1949, considering the demands of the national economy at that time, the water management organization was divided among the interested ministries. It was however, recognized soon that the efficiency of water management depends on its unity and that long-term planning therein must not be sector-oriented. Therefore since 1954 the uniform guidance of long-term water management planning has again become possible. The growing weight of the National Water Authority and the development of water management into a branch of the national economy, created many new possibilities and, at the same time, multiplied the responsibility of the planners. During the past 19 years, after actual planning of