Hungary: Central region turning into desert

A large region of central Hungary is turning into desert as a result of irrational planning and climate change, threatening the livelihood of 300,000 people, according to an expert advising government. Hungary's fertile plains have seen record floods this year, yet the sandy but arable soil on a tenth of Hungary's land between the rivers Danube and Tisza is getting alarmingly dry, according to Janos Nacsa, of Szent Istvan University in Godollo, 30 km east of Budapest. See SAHRA Water News for further information.