BUDAPEST - Environment
Good public utility provision
Budapest's main source of water is the Danube. Natural filtration renders the water from the wells on the river bank drinkable. Public water supply in Budapest is almost universally available, with 98.4% of dwellings enjoying this facility in 2001. Uninterrupted water supply is available even at peak times, although the condition of some of the pipes is a source of concern: one-tenth of the network was laid in the last century and due to a lack of funds the level of maintenance and reconstruction has not been sufficient. The level of development of the public sewerage network is very uneven: 92.6% of the dwellings were connected in 2001, but 61 thousand dwellings in the more outlying districts lack this facility. Household waste is regularly collected in practically the whole of Budapest, but only a half of this waste is appropriately treated.
Between 1995 and 2001, the total consumption of public water supply has decreased by 26% in Budapest. With 162.6 million cubic metres, Budapest registered in 2001 more than 30% of the total consumption of public water of the country.
There has been a significant development in the telecommunications network that has taken place recently. Between 1995 and 2001, the number of telephone main lines has increased by 9.8% in Budapest, reaching 817 200 lines in 2001, or a quarter of all lines of the country.
Struggle against environmental degradation
Budapest?s funds available for environmental protection in 2001 amounted to over Euro 8.3 million. In addition to maintenance and preservation, a Green Areas Development Programme has been set up with the goal of increasing the proportion of green areas, which entails forest plantation over about 40 hectares. One of the most important environmental investment projects is the reconstruction of the Waste Recycling Plant and installation of a flue gas treatment facility in it. Of the total area of Budapest 13.4% is forest and 2.3% is parks. The Budapest Environmental Protection Programme envisage to increase in the future the proportion of forests to at least 16%, and of parks, to 5.5%.
However, in the 1990s, the emphasis was switched from water protection to the decontamination of, and protection against, toxic wastes. Because of the lack of funds Budapest still has significant environmental problems in the areas of air pollution, waste water treatment and waste disposal and decontamination. A significant proportion of waste water is either not treated adequately, or is allowed to flow into the Danube untreated, while existing facilities for waste disposal and treatment are becoming less and less sufficient.
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