Ground water as water source opportunity at the fire front – case study at Bács-Kiskun County, Hungary

Abstract

Almost without exceptions, in case of long time wildfires, the continuous water supply is always a logistic problem. One of the several reasons is obviously that most of the wildfires occur during droughts, when there is no rainfall and the natural water sources have low flows. Another problem with the water supply is that the frontline of fire and the water source are usually quite far apart from each other. In this case, firefighters are facing a logistical problem, where not only the limited number of fire trucks, but also the slow movement of these vehicles or even blocks have to be taken into account. The Hungarian example presented in the paper shows the use of local opportunities, just as the imaginative use of groundwater can provide a suitable water source at the fire site. With regard to the effective water transport, the question arises as to whether the average water flow that can be provided during a conventional long-distance water transport can also be provided by the water flow of wells drilled on the fire site. The research shows that, under certain conditions, the groundwater provided by drilled wells can be an alternative solution to the logistical difficulties of long-distance water transport.