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 HISTORY OF WATER MANAGEMENT IN THE CENTRAL TISZA REGION The round 7,200 sq.km area known as the CENTRAL TISZA REGION is formed by a 180 km long central section of the Tisza river between Tiszafüred and the mouth of the Körös River. Precisely delimited both geografically (hidrographically) and economically, as well as historically, it is a typically lowland, where life and development have at all times been determined by waters. Szolnok County occupies three-quarters (5,571 sq.km) of its area, the rest including smaller parts of the adjacent countries, such as the historical regions of Cumania and Jazygia (Vol. 1, Fig. 1). The three principal periods of water management in the region, namely (I) "THE ANCIENT WATER USES OF THE FEUDAL AGE", (II) "THE AGE OF REGULAR CONTROLS" and finally, (III) "THE AGE OF SOCIALIST WATER MANAGEMENT", must be viewed as a single unit, to throw light upon the inner interrelations and the entire dialectics of development. They reveal the socio-economic determination of development and the mutual relationships involved: the growing role of water and water management in economy and society and, moreover, their impacts on the natural conditions forming the basis of production. (Likewise, they reflect the relatively independent "inner dialectics" of the history of water management. This is primarily determined by "technology", that is to say, the development of the means of production and the experiences in water engineering and agricultural production.) Part I. — Ancient flood plain farming and the beginnings of water engineering works before 1846) Beyond being an issue of great importance concerning water management, the knowledge and the more detailed exploration of the ancient, autochtonous "flood plain farming" that was practiced not only on the Central Tisza Region but certainly in the whole Tisza Valley, are of interest with regard to the general history of economics as well. The importance, which flood plain farming has played in the past has been recognized in recent times only and raised new points of view, possibilities and even tasks in studying economic-, local history and ethnography. In fact, such studies have shown the rainless Hungarian Plains and especially, the driest Central Tisza Region to have always depended on the runoff from the adjoining areas abundant in precipitation and rivers. Of course, the general pattern has been familiar for long, but the specific impacts of the floods carried by the rivers and other watercourses on the economy and development of the area was revealed in recent times only. This implies the disclosure of the possbilities, the means and the methods of flood utilization, in other words, the way flood plain farming was performed. As a matter of fact, the entire economy of the area was based on the life-spending floods of the Tisza River and the Körös system : they provided the natural storage irrigation in spring for the rich and manifoldly utilized lands surrounding the setlements both on the edge of the high banks and on the islands in the flood plain. Before field growing of cereals (i.e. bumper crops) became wide-spread, floods have caused damages in extraordinary cases only. The high waters were distributed, "spread" by the overflow points of the river (by s.c. "fok"), brooklets and intermittent streams and the flood water found natural storage in a great number of abandoned oxbow bends, lakes and other depressions covering densely the area. This, on the one hand has moderated, the intensity (and the height) of the flood waves and, on the other hand, has stored the water for plants and animals in the dry