Water gives life, and we give water. To make healthy drinking water available for every citizen of Hungary! The government has assigned us this task, and the Hungarian Defence Forces are ready to carry it out – Defence Minister Csaba Hende said in Kiskőrös on April 16.

Developed by the MoD ED Co. and the MoD Currus Co. under the professional guidance of the Ministry of Defence, the fiftieth water purification and water dispenser container has been handed over in Kiskőrös. Thanks to the equipment, from now on the townspeople can have access to healthy and controlled water simply and easily. At the ceremony, Minister Hende reminded his audience that the Hungarian Defence Forces have long had such mobile devices, since supplying the soldiers with healthy potable water is one of the keys to successful military operations.

The Minister of Defence stressed that “thanks to a 100 per cent state-owned Hungarian world patent, we are now making these military capabilities available to the civilian population.”

Zoltán Mátyus, the technical manager of Kőrösvíz Ltd. told us that they have long been waiting for the installation of this water purification container. Arsenic contamination of the municipal wells exceeds more than twice the limit value set by the European Union – 14 thousand people have so far drunk arsenic-contaminated water here. Anett Andriska, a leaver of the local Wattay secondary school also said she considered it important that everybody – especially infants and children – can have access to healthy drinking water. Speaking on behalf of the local retired HDF personnel, Jánosné Fábi thanked for the installation of the container. As she noted, they were frightened on hearing that the children were forbidden from drinking tap water in the schools of the town. Bagged water and water transported by tankers have also been good solutions, but the present situation is much more comfortable, because now people can fetch healthy water from this container 24 hours a day.

The government has allocated HUF 5.7 billion to the Ministry of Defence so that such filtering containers can be installed in the concerned communities as a temporary solution to replace the supply of water by means of bags and tankers, which has been going on since January 1. This sum makes it possible to provide residents with access to healthy drinking water in all concerned areas of Hungary. The final solution, however, will be the filtering devices fitted on the waterworks wells – when healthy water will also flow from the taps. The Hungarian Defence Forces are ready to participate in carrying out this task as well.

(Sándor Galambos)