Based on data provided by the regional defence committees, first-degree water restrictions have been imposed in 465 settlements in Hungary, second-degree restrictions in 151 settlements, and third-degree restrictions in 13 settlements, according to a report on the heat alert published on Wednesday morning on the kormany.hu website.
The report stated that the defence working group held a meeting regarding the management of the energy supply situation and reviewed the results of the drinking water restrictions.
According to information prepared by the Ministry of Economy and Energy on the basis of data from MAVIR Zrt., the gross peak system load on Tuesday was 6,800 megawatts, which is 300 megawatts less than the previously planned 7,100 megawatts.
The expected gross peak system load on Wednesday may reach 6,900 megawatts, they indicated, stressing that the government’s communication regarding the rescheduling of electricity consumption and the voluntary restrictions by major consumers have produced measurable results. The current reduced output of the Paks nuclear power plant is 1,770 megawatts, meaning the plant is generating 230 megawatts instead of the usual 2,000 megawatts.
The Ministry Responsible for the Living Environment, based on data provided by the National Water Directorate, reported that the average water level of Lake Balaton is 54 centimetres, having dropped by one centimetre on Tuesday. The water level of Lake Velence is 30 centimetres and did not change on Tuesday; however, the lake’s water level is 23 centimetres below the lowest water level ever recorded.
The lowest water level of the Danube at Paks on Tuesday at 11 p.m. was -135 centimetres, with a water temperature of 28.6 degrees Celsius, and the water level is slightly rising. At the Paks nuclear power plant, 16 pumps are stationed at the pump stations to maintain safe technical operations, with a further four in the harbour and eleven standing by on the bank as reserves. Preparations for pumping operations have been completed and can be commenced as needed upon instruction, they added.
At the MOL Danube Refinery in Százhalombatta, the Central Danube Valley Water Directorate is deploying and keeping six mobile pumps on standby on behalf of MOL Downstream Zrt. The operational test was completed successfully, and the equipment can be started at any time if necessary.
The conditions for a third-degree heat alert are clearly in place and, based on current forecasts, may persist beyond Wednesday. A prolonged period of extremely intense heat must be expected until next Tuesday, with only a moderate reduction in heat load overnight until Friday.
No new information has been received in the social sector since the previous report.
The Ministry of Health, based on information from the National Ambulance Service, indicated that on Tuesday, emergency services had to be dispatched nationwide in 22 cases — and in 91 cases since the start of the heatwave — due to heat-related symptoms.
Enikő Szabó, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, taking into account forecast data from HungaroMet Zrt., extended the heat alert across the entire country until midnight on Friday.
According to the daily report of the National Directorate General for Hospitals, seven air conditioning or cooling unit failures occurred on Tuesday.
According to the Ministry of Finance, repairs had to be carried out on air conditioning units operated by inpatient care institutions under the responsibility of the Directorate General for Public Procurement and Supply, at hospitals in Miskolc, Nagykálló, Salgótarján, Mezőtúr, and Székesfehérvár, as well as in the capital at the Gottsegen György National Cardiovascular Institute, Szent Imre Hospital, the National Institute of Oncology, and Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Hospital.
The Ministry of Transport and Investment highlighted that, due to extreme high temperatures, speed restrictions were imposed on 17 railway lines as well as on the HÉV lines.
The MÁV Group distributed 16,434 bottles of water at major railway and bus stations, while road managers distributed water at one location.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, firefighters were called out to 76 forest and vegetation fires on Monday. A fire ban is in effect across the entire territory of Hungary, they stressed.
The Ministry of Defence indicated that the Hungarian Defence Forces hold a stock of 44,710 bags of drinking water. One thousand bags of water per day are being delivered to the 21st district of the capital on Thursday and Friday, while 600 bags each were taken to Bikás Park and Móricz Zsigmond körtér in the 11th district.
The military is transporting drinking water to the Csabdi-Vasztélypuszta reservoir from Szár, while drinking water is also being continuously transported from Budapest to Szentendre and from Pócsmegyer to Tahitótfalu.
According to information from the Territorial Defence Committees, on Monday water distribution was taking place at 1,283 locations, while misting gates were in operation at 820 locations.
Artificial intelligence was used for the translation of parts of the original Hungarian text.
