Hungary, Thailand Agree To Cooperate On Water Management

[EyesWideOpen]

I am a bit confused... Is this story real ?? I thought the general position of Thailand was to never ever take advice from foreign devils, as that would undermine " Thainess". And besides , if I had serious water problems, and had no ego problems with asking for help, I would go straight to the Dutch..

Or if Thailand really wanted to feel as one with a flooded city, perhaps they could create some kind of relationship with New Orleans....

Why does the article talk about the Mekong? The only issue with the Mekong would be lack of water due to Chinese control. :-)

[geriatrickid]

The only thing the two countries have in common ( I'm speaking about water management only) is that they they both have problems with flooding rivers and both don't have a clue how to deal with it...

Really?

Landlocked Hungary is situated within the heart of the Danube Basin. With ~25% of the country comprising floodplains and 25% of the population living in reclaimed floodplains, flooding is a key issue. Hungary is reliant on upstream countries for water supply and the vast majority of public supplies come from groundwater.

The geography suggests otherwise. Hungary has done a remarkable job with its flood monitoring and mitigation systems.

It must come as a shock to some TVFers that know nothing about Hungary, that it is one of the leaders in Europe when it comes to preventing the impact of pollution from flooding. Hungary has suffered catastrophic loss in the past and has invested heavily in programs to address the issue. One of the lasting after effects of Thailand's floods is the contamination of ground water systems, and on this Hungary is considered one of the world's foremost experts on managing the problem.

Thailand's fish farms were hit hard during the past floods, and Hungary is one of he few countries that has experience in dealing with the issue. Of 876 natural and 150 artificial water bodies identified in Hungary, 579 freshwater surface bodies have been classified as being “at risk” from organic, nutrient or priority hazardous substances (according to EU Water Framework Directive definitions). Approximately 70% of artificial lakes (mainly fishponds) are “at risk” from organic and nutrient loads.

With 21,712km2 of Hungary below river flood level, flood control is a key consideration. Crucially, this area includes 1.8 million ha arable land, 32% of the rail network, 15% of roads and 2000+ industrial plants. The highest flood discharge in the Danube is 20 times low flow; flooding on the major rivers can last several months. In smaller rivers e.g. the Körös system, the ratio is several hundred to one and floods can develop in a few hours. Devastating, fast-rising ice-jam floods are especially dangerous. Flood control over past centuries has resulted in the construction of 4181km of defences (mainly earthen embankments). Ten emergency lowland flood reservoirs (with a total volume of 360 million m3) provide protection for 97% of the floodplain area.

For those TVFers ignorant of Hungary and who somewhow think Hungarians are primitive boobs, I suggest they do some reading. Hungary is one of the better sources of assistance.

It probably came as a mild surprise to you as well after you Googled it.

Sent from my GT-P1010 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

No. You are probably unaware, but some of us stay abreast of international affairs. This initiative with Thailand is not new. It started at the Rio Conference of 2012 on Sustainable Development, where Hungary was one of the key note participants on water resource management. At the conference, Hungary took the lead on the initiative of bringing technology and expertise to the developing world;

To move forward the post-Rio water agenda Mr János Áder, the President of Hungary, announced in Rio de Janeiro Hungary’s intention to organise an international conference under the auspices of the United Nations in 2013 in Budapest, the capital city of Hungary. This conference – the 2013 Budapest Water Summit – forms part of the events of the UN International Year of Water Cooperation led by UNESCO.

The conference will take place this coming October. Hungary has been actively offering its expertise and technical assistance under the auspices of the UN and as a member of the World Water Council.

A lot of people that are impacted by water issues are aware of the Hungarian efforts. There have been multiple articles in various journals about the activity. I'm going to borrow from the initial 2013 program to share with you why Hungary knows what it is doing;

As a result of its outstanding exposure to divers hydrological challenges Hungary has historically developed significant expertise in water management. Today it has one of the longest system of dikes and levees in Europe, over 4000km in total length, as well as a complex system of flood risk management. This system involves integrated basin management, hydraulic engineering, spatial planning and disaster risk control.

I trust this reassures you that I do read the bulletins and articles from time to time. In this case, it was hard not to miss the ads and announcements. It is Hungary's big foreign policy claim to fame on the sustainable development subject.

Edited June 7, 2013 by geriatrickid

[marell]

The only thing the two countries have in common ( I'm speaking about water management only) is that they they both have problems with flooding rivers and both don't have a clue how to deal with it...

Really?

Landlocked Hungary is situated within the heart of the Danube Basin. With ~25% of the country comprising floodplains and 25% of the population living in reclaimed floodplains, flooding is a key issue. Hungary is reliant on upstream countries for water supply and the vast majority of public supplies come from groundwater.

The geography suggests otherwise. Hungary has done a remarkable job with its flood monitoring and mitigation systems.

It must come as a shock to some TVFers that know nothing about Hungary, that it is one of the leaders in Europe when it comes to preventing the impact of pollution from flooding. Hungary has suffered catastrophic loss in the past and has invested heavily in programs to address the issue. One of the lasting after effects of Thailand's floods is the contamination of ground water systems, and on this Hungary is considered one of the world's foremost experts on managing the problem.

Thailand's fish farms were hit hard during the past floods, and Hungary is one of he few countries that has experience in dealing with the issue. Of 876 natural and 150 artificial water bodies identified in Hungary, 579 freshwater surface bodies have been classified as being “at risk” from organic, nutrient or priority hazardous substances (according to EU Water Framework Directive definitions). Approximately 70% of artificial lakes (mainly fishponds) are “at risk” from organic and nutrient loads.

With 21,712km2 of Hungary below river flood level, flood control is a key consideration. Crucially, this area includes 1.8 million ha arable land, 32% of the rail network, 15% of roads and 2000+ industrial plants. The highest flood discharge in the Danube is 20 times low flow; flooding on the major rivers can last several months. In smaller rivers e.g. the Körös system, the ratio is several hundred to one and floods can develop in a few hours. Devastating, fast-rising ice-jam floods are especially dangerous. Flood control over past centuries has resulted in the construction of 4181km of defences (mainly earthen embankments). Ten emergency lowland flood reservoirs (with a total volume of 360 million m3) provide protection for 97% of the floodplain area.

For those TVFers ignorant of Hungary and who somewhow think Hungarians are primitive boobs, I suggest they do some reading. Hungary is one of the better sources of assistance.

It probably came as a mild surprise to you as well after you Googled it.

Sent from my GT-P1010 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

No. You are probably unaware, but some of us stay abreast of international affairs. This initiative with Thailand is not new. It started at the Rio Conference of 2012 on Sustainable Development, where Hungary was one of the key note participants on water resource management. At the conference, Hungary took the lead on the initiative of bringing technology and expertise to the developing world;

To move forward the post-Rio water agenda Mr János Áder, the President of Hungary, announced in Rio de Janeiro Hungary’s intention to organise an international conference under the auspices of the United Nations in 2013 in Budapest, the capital city of Hungary. This conference – the 2013 Budapest Water Summit – forms part of the events of the UN International Year of Water Cooperation led by UNESCO.

The conference will take place this coming October. Hungary has been actively offering its expertise and technical assistance under the auspices of the UN and as a member of the World Water Council.

A lot of people that are impacted by water issues are aware of the Hungarian efforts. There have been multiple articles in various journals about the activity. I'm going to borrow from the initial 2013 program to share with you why Hungary knows what it is doing;

As a result of its outstanding exposure to divers hydrological challenges Hungary has historically developed significant expertise in water management. Today it has one of the longest system of dikes and levees in Europe, over 4000km in total length, as well as a complex system of flood risk management. This system involves integrated basin management, hydraulic engineering, spatial planning and disaster risk control.

I trust this reassures you that I do read the bulletins and articles from time to time. In this case, it was hard not to miss the ads and announcements. It is Hungary's big foreign policy claim to fame on the sustainable development subject.

All...this considered, wouldn't Thailand be better off coordinating with the ICPDR than just one of its participants? And if they are going to choose only one country; why Hungary? Doesn't Thailand already have a connect with...where was that now?...Montenegro?

[geriatrickid]

My gut feeling is that Hungary is given the lead by the EU and there is some EU aid money involved. Hungary is considered the "champion" of this issue. I also expect that there will be UN funding associated with any Hungarian associated project as Hungary has held a leadership position on the UN sustainable water quality group. It benefits Hungary too as it gets to export its technology and gain some contracts for its engineers.

Countries do not engage in aid projects unless there is a tangible benefit. Forgive my cynicism

[marcusd]

So they in Thailand are inviting one corrupt bankrupt and poverty ridden country to INVEST (lose..sacrifice..throw away) money in the thai 2trillion bahr plan?

Doesnt thai givernment officials look at google world financial rankings before tgey go asking for money????

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