Upgrading Flood Control Reservoirs in the Körös Valley 9 March 2010
Two flood control reservoirs are about to be upgraded within the framework of the Environment and Energy Operational Programme of the New Hungary Development Plan. Protection against flood hazards will be ensured for several hundreds of thousands of people living in this region by developing the Kisdelta and Mályvád reservoirs.
Following the devastating floods that hit the White Körös in 1995 when the reservoir burst, it became evident that the region’s flood protection problems could not simply be resolved by raising the embankment, which is why emergency flood control reservoirs are needed.
Having constructed the Kisdelta Reservoir in the White Körös Valley, it is now possible to reduce extreme flood levels in the region; however, the financial resources required to fully construct the emergency reservoir were not available back in the 1996-1999 period when this investment was being implemented. One of the most pertinent problems is that the height of the reservoir embankment constructed is not aligned to the embankment along the right bank of the White Körös, which is why the reservoir may potentially overflow if flood water is let in, hence inducing flooding.
Thanks to this project implemented from over 140 million HUF, it will be possible to ensure that flood waters arriving from upstream in the White Körös region will flow downstream without causing any flood damages. By upgrading the Kisdelta emergency reservoir, it will be possible to reduce extreme flood levels in the region and operate this emergency reservoir in an effective and cost-efficient manner. Beyond flood protection aims, this upgraded modern reservoir will equally benefit ecological, as well as changing demands related to new forms of landscape use, i.e., establishing harmony between ecological and economic interests. .
Flood safety will significantly improve thanks to the development of the emergency reservoir in Mályvád, since by opening the upper reservoir, the excess water released will flow downstream along the entire Hungarian stretch of the Black Körös. The aim of this project to be implemented from over 342 million HUF relates to protecting the entire 1562
km2 flood area from being exposed to flooding. Beyond the way the living and farming conditions of the population living on the protected side will improve once this project is implemented, the value of the land in this area is also set to significantly increase.