Scorching heat, drought hit Hungary, causing heavy crop losses

Extreme heat and worsening drought conditions have swept across Hungary, causing water levels in its major rivers to sharply decline, with crops suffering severe damage and losses.

According to official data, the water volume of the Tisza River, one of Hungary’s main rivers, has decreased by 60 percent, while the Danube River’s water level has dropped by 40 percent.

"There are two key issues at play. First, this summer in Hungary has been significantly hotter than previous years. Temperatures used to hover around 30-32 degrees Celsius, but now they commonly reach 35-38 degrees Celsius, sometimes even 40 degrees Celsius. All of this is due to the lack of rainfall. With no rainfall, the soil and plants sucked all available water from the ground and evaporated it to cool themselves, leading to an extremely critical situation," said Katalin Allacherné Szépkuthy, head of advisory team at the Hungarian Research Institute of Organic Agriculture.

HungaroMet's June 2025 agrometeorological report highlights extreme drought across large areas of Hungary. In central and southeastern regions of the country, rainfall since March has been 40-100 mm below average. Topsoil moisture is below 20 percent in most areas, with corn and sunflower leaves curling, and even early-harvested barley is suffering.

"The drought is so severe that I couldn't harvest any grain at all. The issue isn't just the lack of rain -- it's also the extremely high temperatures. The combination of these two factors has had a devastating impact on crops," said Danny Maria, a Hungarian farmer.

The Hungarian government has established task forces to distribute resources where needed, committing 10 billion Hungarian forints (about 30 million U.S. dollars) to supply free irrigation water to farmers.

Currently, heatwaves have hit large parts of Europe, with temperatures reaching record highs in many cities.

Scorching heat, drought hit Hungary, causing heavy crop losses

The second phase of the urban ring greenway in Shijiazhuang City, north China's Hebei Province, was made fully accessible to the public on Wednesday, providing citizens with a new type of urban public space integrating cycling, jogging, and walking.

The greenway was completed after over two years of construction, which started in March 2023. It was carried out in two phases.

The first phase, spanning 51 kilometers, was completed in December 2023. The second phase, 50 kilometers long, saw the final gap successfully connected in the early hours of December 3, following the successful rotation of a swivel bridge spanning the Shijiazhuang-Taiyuan High-speed Railway. The Shijiazhuang ring greenway comprises 55.23 kilometers of pathways and 81 bridges measuring 45.77 kilometers.

Along the route, 18 service stations are planned, with 56 main entrances and exits established. It links the three major water systems, the Hutuo River, Taiping River, and the city's ring water system, and connects 76 parks and gardens along the way.

The cycling and walking paths are clearly separated by a rainbow-colored line, making it an excellent venue for citizens' leisure and fitness activities.

"It really provides us cycling enthusiasts with an excellent sports venue where we can enjoy the beautiful scenery of Shijiazhuang. Even though it's winter now, our enthusiasm for cycling on the ring greenway has not decreased but increased instead," said Zhao Zesong, a cycling enthusiast.

"During the ride, I also noticed there are many service stations, including facilities for bike repairs and rentals, which makes our daily cycling very convenient," said Zhang Luheng, another cycling enthusiast.

Urban ring greenway made fully accessible to public in north China's Shijiangzhuang