Large projects to be launched in the Szigetköz to restore our natural values2011. december 12.
“In order to preserve our environmental values and improve the quality of life the citizens, the Government took a decision last week to support the large projects for the development of the Moson-Danube and the Szigetköz under the New Széchenyi Plan”, Ágnes Molnár, State Secretary for Development Policy Co-ordination of the Ministry of National Development announced on 11 November 2011 in Győr.
“The investments will make it possible to improve the water quality and quantity status of the water system, to restore the ecological conditions and to reconstruct the water habitats”, Ágnes Molnár emphasised.
The development project entitled “Rehabilitation of water management in the areas of the Moson-Danube and the River Lajta”, of a total cost of HUF 6.3 billion, will remedy water shortage due to the re-direction of the Danube at Bős, reducing thereby its detrimental effects in the nature protection areas. In the wake of the project, the protections of flood conditions will become more efficient, and the negative alluvion process can also be repressed in the long term. The support decision of the Government affects 22 settlements and almost 200 thousand persons: thanks to rehabilitation, the environment will be cleaner and the quality of living of the local population will ameliorate.
The objective of the project entitled “Ecological upgrading of the Szigetköz water replacement system on the safe side and the active floodplain”, implemented from a budget of HUF 6.2 billion, is to rehabilitate the Lower-Szigetköz active floodplain and safe side river-beds not affected by the re-direction of the Danube. At the moment, the river-beds concerned are dry part of the year due to the depression of the bed of the Danube, and this has led to the deterioration of the conditions of living of the aquatic fauna and flora. The establishment of the water replacement network will ensure the water supply of the valuable habitats and improve the conditions of inland water drainage. At the press conference held on Friday, Ágnes Molnár stressed that the developments were connected to the Start work programme through the envisaged involvement of public workers, and they would imply new jobs and new opportunities for the local inhabitants.
The decisions concerning the planned interventions have been taken with the involvement of environmental protection experts. The developments will make it possible to rehabilitate the Moson-Danube dam at Mosonmagyaróvár, which provides for the supply of water in the Northern Hanság; to realise ecological transition between the Moson-Danube and the Lajta dam, and to construct a fish pass between the Moson-Danube and the Old Danube.