Concept for land use based on regular inundation in the contemplated flood storage areas above Szeged (HUNGARY)

Abstract

The planned improvements on the Vásárhelyi plan propose the setting up of flood storage areas along the banks of the Hungarian section of the River Tisza. Two main options have been outlined to transform the land-use system of these areas. According to the first option, the present land-use system with a dominant ratio of arable lands would remain and land-users would receive compensation if the land was used for flood control. The second option suggests a change in the structure of land use to establish a system involving regular inundation in these areas. In this case not only extremely high water levels but all floods would be led out onto these flood storage areas. One of the most important conditions for the introduction of this scenario is the flood regime of the River Tisza. This paper analyses the characteristics of this flood regime as it affects the planned flood storage area to be built near Szeged in southern Hungary on an area of approximately 6000 hectares between Baks, Ópusztaszer and Dóc. The statistics predict that the occurrence and duration of the floods could make the regular inundation of this area possible, but the fact that the water often recedes relatively rapidly may necessitate the partial retention of the floods.