Hungary’s Lake Balaton is one of the most visited locations in Central Europe, attracting tourists not only from the old continent every year. Since its average depth is only a few meters, it is a popular destination especially for families with children. , however, this “Hungarian Sea” is currently suffering from a great lack of water due to extreme heat and drought.
- Lake Balaton is facing a critical water level drop due to extreme drought.
- The current level is 80 cm, the optimum for summer is 110-120 centimeters.
- Experts warn of a possible ecological and tourist disaster.
Lake Balaton has an average depth of only around three meters, making it one of the shallowest bodies of water in Europe. However, this year’s holiday can be ruined by severe droughts and lack of rainfall. Since the lake is very shallow in most places, it reacts extremely quickly to changes in atmospheric conditions.
Experts from the Hungarian National Directorate General for Water Management (OVF) warn that due to this unfavorable weather, the level of Balaton has dropped even more. The situation is becoming critical as it gets worse week by week. According to them, the optimal water level in the lake for the summer season should be in the range of 110 to 120 centimeters, but currently it is at a level of only 80 centimeters.
Extreme drought can further accelerate the evaporation of water from the lake. According to experts, if this happens, Lake Balaton is in for an ecological and tourist disaster. “The situation is starting to get complicated not only in the case of recreation, but also shipping and the overall functioning of the region,” he emphasized at the end of March this year.
The low water level finally led to an impressive discovery. A few days ago, visitors noticed a strange formation in the surroundings of the spa town of Balatonfenyves, which many of them had no idea about before.
A photo of this structure, which the locals called Monkey Island, recently appeared on social networks. “It’s been there for a long time. My family and I first saw it in the early 2000s when the water level was very low,” one user wrote, while another commenter added critically: “I’ve been pointing this out for some time now. Please address this and dredge the bottom because all ships will sink.” You can also find the PHOTO in the gallery.
