The press trips have begun

On the 8^th September 2020 a press conference and a field trip for the media was organized, showing the finalized pilot site at Rákócziújfalu. First, Mayor József Varga welcomed all the press staff, the local residents and the representatives of local civil organizations. He explained all the positive impacts the inland reservoir has, which also serves as an important milestone in the municipality’s life. Dr. Mária Kállai, Member of the Parliament who was also invited to the event, titled the project as an example for every small municipality. Dr. Róza Számadó, Head of Department representing the Ministry of Interior of Hungary, aside from presenting the project’s overall goals, she highlighted the importance of the coordinating role of local governments in local adaptation to climate change. Klára Kerpely, Climate Change Expert from WWF Hungary called the attention to two of the most crucial problems of our times, which can only be solved by planned adaptation: the climate change and the extreme degradation of biodiversity. It’s especially true in case of drying settlements from the Great Plain, where the completed natural water retention measures can improve the microclimate. The last speaker was Gábor Kolossváry, Head of Department from the General Directorate of Water Management, who stated that according to their previous researches similar interventions could be carried out in nearly 1 000 Hungarian settlements. He also talked about the Municipal Water Management Program, which aims to create an integrated water management plan including the in- and outland waters for each municipality.

The press conference was followed by a field trip to the reservoir, where the media could interview the local fishing and hunting association’s representatives and with the employee of the responsible construction company. In the House of Culture and Common Library where local students drawings were exhibited, sent to participate in a drawing competition with the following topic: “How do you imagine the lake to be created in Rákócziújfalu?”

The event passed in a good mood, several local and regional media published news and videos about the event. We hope that with the help of these press trips more and more people will have the opportunity to get to know this pilot project and they will follow the example set by Rákócziújfalu.

You can find several photos from the press trip in the Gallery: https://vizmegtartomegoldasok.bm.hu/en/gallery/image/29