The effect of agricultural production in the water catchments area of lake Balaton on environmental conditions of the lake

Marton, István

The deterioration of the water quality of lake Balaton and its environment is the consequence of numerous factors and a long process. The assessment of the role of some factors, a problem even in these days due to the absence of systematic and comprehensive measurements covering all aspects of pollution, is partially guesstimated. Nevertheless, the question recurs time and time again which branch of agriculture is primarily responsible. At beginning of 1980’s when objectives were defined agriculture was claimed to be the main guilty party for introducing excessive nutrients into the lake water. However, expert investigations have unequivocally proven that at most only 3% to 5% of active agents in the lake derived from artificial fertilizers. This amount could not in itself have caused the rapid deterioration of water quality.

Those who blamed agriculture alone for the deterioration of Balaton water did not take into consideration the fact that the use of agricultural chemicals in the water catchments area of the lake was not high in international comparison, whereas the level of public utilities (sewers) in the area and the extent of burden deriving from these in the case of lake Balaton constituted an extremely unfavorable picture. Furthermore, the agricultural hypothesis for the deterioration of lake water would not stand either because during the last decade due to continued crisis in agriculture the use of chemicals in crop production declined to a minimum level. Nevertheless, the conditions that prevent the leakage of agricultural pollutants into live waters have to be investigated.

The present situation arose not because of lack of planning, but because the funds required for the execution of plans are not available and interest for their execution has not been successfully generated. It was not even possible to achieve that a significant portion of locally produced income remained in the region for helping its development. We should not be amazed at the quality of lake water, if in regions where the sewers were actually built, owners of apartments and holiday resorts could not be persuaded to connect their disposal pipes to the main sewer or owners of lake shore property could not be prevented enlarging their plot by filling up part of lake. The fulfillment of requirements of environmental and nature protection can only be expected of agricultural enterprises possessing modern equipment and sufficient income. Under the present economic conditions, however, only a small fraction of enterprises are able to do achieve this. For farms struggling for survival soil, environmental and nature protection is a tertiary problem that seems more like an economic hindrance rather than a factor helping the development of enterprise. We can hope for successful environmental protection only if economic and environmental requirements are closely related.

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