It will be a gigantic catastrophe if the Danube and the Tisza are connected over the semi-desert Homokhátság.

Two decades ago, the Homokhátság was declared a semi-desert zone, which politicians constantly aim to save with the Danube–Tisza Canal. The Danube–Tisza interfluve (short: Homokhátság) is the part of Hungary most affected by climate change. It covers about one-tenth of the country, which – as few people know – was already classified as a semi-desert area by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 2004. The biggest problem is perhaps the lack of surface water sources, with groundwater only replenished by precipitation, which is scarce in that area. Many would expect the solution to come from a canal connecting the Danube and the Tisza, but this might seem simplistic to laypeople. The situation is indeed serious, as groundwater levels have decreased by 2–5, but locally up to 10 meters, since the 1970s. The Danube–Tisza Canal project has been lingering in the minds of decision-makers for centuries, while experts warn against it. Between the two World Wars, it ...