Hungary: Hung Out to Dry | ARTE.tv Documentary

Over centuries, thousands of kilometres of ditches and canals have ensured that water drains from Hungary’s Puszta wetlands. This is now becoming a problem as the ground is too dry. A local project is trying to redesign water management on site – a model approach?

Hungary: Hung Out to Dry | ARTE.tv Documentary
📆 Available until 12/11/2026

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[Music] An idyllic scene on the great Hungarian plane. For centuries, the Hortaji National Park has experienced alternating periods of drought and flooding. This has created a plant and animal habitat that is unique in Europe, but it is changing. I think 90% of our or so of a is gone and maybe forever. And of course because this gone also the priority birth piece is declined. It’s not so hardly but I can say half of them already half of the population size is is it’s gone. More extreme heat waves and less rainfall are causing groundwater levels to drop and soil to dry out. In an era of climate change, age-old farming methods are taking a toll. Kilometers of connected ditches and canals divert water to cultivate the land. Zultan and the life project team are reversing this by removing the barriers and letting the water flow freely again. We let the water stay in the area around 30 to 40 days longer. So h it would be good for the agriculture too because the uh amount of grass will be more and also it helps a lot of bird species to nest here again or or just use the area uh during the migration and also the landscape would be more attractive for eurourism. So uh also it would be good for the inhabitants nearby. But the problem is not confined to Hortbachi. The dry rivers app lets users mark dry areas along rivers. In Hungary, several hundred locations have already been added to the map. Matias at WWF says politicians now recognize the urgency. I would say that the government has started to deal with the problem and they by now have an understanding that the problem exists. This is a significant step forward compared to previous years. But whether these measures are sufficient is not clear at this point. The growing drought is being felt across Europe. In some regions more than in others, while rivers in the west still flow year round, the situation in some eastern areas is dire. But periods of drought are a problem everywhere. Um then continent [Music] Brussels has responded. The EU aims to tackle the problem with its water resilience strategy. The first step is to better protect the water cycle by stopping pollution and retaining groundwater for longer. The goal is smarter water use by modernizing infrastructure, reducing leaks in pipes, and using digital technologies to boost efficiency by 10% by 2030. Households and businesses will also be encouraged to conserve water while ensuring everyone has access to clean and affordable water. In 2 years time, each EU member state will need to carry out its own evaluation of the measures taken. Hungary is optimistic that they can combat the effects of the drought. So, it can be turned back, but at the moment it’s quite quite a big problem. how we can uh get water. There is answer of course just need money and time. Besides time and money, tackling this mammoth task will require something else. The will to work together to find solutions to water scarcity both locally and globally.