The water level of Hungary’s third-largest lake is expected to fall to a new record low this summer due to climate change and decades of poor water management, threatening both the ecosystem and the local tourism industry.
Lake Velence, located about 40 kilometers west of Budapest, is a popular holiday destination, but its water level could soon become too low for boating and swimming. The lake is also an important habitat for many water birds, which could be affected by its continued shrinkage.
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The water level of Hungary’s third-largest lake is expected to fall to a new record low this summer
(Photo: Marton Monus/Reuters)
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Lake Velence, located about 40 kilometers west of Budapest
(Photo: Marton Monus/Reuters)
According to data from General Directorate of Water Management, the lake’s water level was recently measured at 56 centimeters in Agárd, a small resort town on its southern shore. That is only 3 centimeters above the record low of 53 centimeters recorded in 2022, the last year Hungary was hit by severe drought. In the first months of 2026, the lake’s water level stood at around 80 centimeters.
Experts warned that without significant rainfall, the water level could continue to fall by about half a centimeter per day, reaching as little as 30 centimeters by the end of the summer.
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The lake’s water level was recently measured at 56 centimeters in Agárd
(Photo: Marton Monus/Reuters)
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Experts warned that without significant rainfall, the water level could continue to fall by about half a centimeter per day
(Photo: Marton Monus/Reuters)
“The water level will drop at least 25-30 cm in the next 30-40 days, and the historic low will be broken within days,” Tibor Horanyi of the Association of Great Lakes told Reuters.
Horanyi said the problem is not only the result of climate change but also decades of poor water management, including the draining of wetlands for agricultural use.
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Horanyi said the problem is not only the result of climate change but also decades of poor water management
(Photo: AP)
The declining water level is also affecting local businesses. One of them, sailing instructor Peter Szaniszlo, has moved his operations to Lake Balaton, Central Europe’s largest freshwater lake.
“People who wanted to learn sailing chose me because Lake Velence is close to Budapest. Now they have to travel to Lake Balaton,” Szaniszlo told Reuters.
Environmental Minister Laszlo Gajdos met with local NGOs, mayors, and water management experts to address the lake's future. In a Facebook post, Gajdos said the government aims to restore the lake and improve its water quality.
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The declining water level is also affecting local businesses
(Photo: Marton Monus/Reuters)
However, restoration efforts are expected to take time. According to Arpad Pal Eotvos, mayor of Gardony, a town on the lake, a resort and spa town on the southern shore of Lake Velence, residents will need to adapt.
"We will have to learn to live with this," Eotvos said. "As the climate changes, we will also need to change."