Hungary’s third-largest lake, Lake Velence, is expected to dry up to a record low this summer due to climate change and mismanagement, threatening both the lake’s ecosystem and local tourism, Reuters reports.
Popular with holidaymakers, Lake Velence is about 40 kilometres west of Budapest, but its water could soon be too low for swimming or boating. On warm days, children play in sandbars that have formed where the water would normally ripple. Boats for hire are still moored at jetties that are now far from the water and lying on the sand.
The water level at Lake Agard on the 10th of June was 56 centimeters, just three centimeters above the historic low of 53 centimeters recorded in 2022, when Hungary was gripped by a prolonged drought. At the beginning of 2026, the water level in Velence was around 80 centimeters. If there is not enough rainfall, the water level could drop by half a centimeter a day, drying up to 30 centimeters by the end of the summer.
Tibor Horany, a spokesman for the Great Lakes Association, told Reuters that the lake level would drop by at least 25 to 30 centimeters in the next 30 to 40 days, and the record for the lowest water level would be broken within a few days. Horany attributed the situation not only to climate change, but also to decades of mismanagement of water resources, including the draining of wetlands for agricultural use.
The low water level has already affected businesses.
Sailing instructor Peter Szaniszlo has started moving his business to Lake Balaton. He said many people used to study with him because Velence is close to Budapest, but now they have to go to Balaton.
Hungary’s Environment Minister Laszlo Gajdos met with local NGOs, mayors and water experts last week to discuss the future of the lake. The minister then said the government plans to improve water quality, implement a sustainable water recharge system and restore the shoreline environment. However, the mayor of Gardoni added that it will take time to understand how to restore the lake’s water level.
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